Model indentification please....

Howdy All,

I've been on the hunt for a heavy 10 for a little while now, but unfortunately they don't pop up for sale in my neck of the woods very often, so I've had to expand my horizons so to speak.

The other day I was flipping through the webpages of my local trader website, and came across an ad for a "small metal lathe in great shape". No pictures and no further details regarding manufacturer/model. I emailed the seller, and sent me some pics claiming the machine is an very early model 9A. However based on the pics he send me I believe it's actually a 10k.

Sorry for the poor quality. I think he took them with his phone.


He does have the headstock/backgear guards. They were removed to show gear condition.

From my limited understanding the 10k was developed from the 9A platform, so I thought there may have been a chance that this machine was some kind of crossover model, which might explain why he told me it was a 9A.

At any rate, I have the opportunity to pick this up in the mid 3digit price range, but it's about a 3hr drive from me, so I want to educate myself as best as I can before I commit to making the drive. Other than the typical run through with checking a lathe's condition is there anything I need to focus on with the 10k specifically. If indeed it is a 10k. I'm not sure how appropriate it is to ask, but assuming "ok" condition what is the usual ballpark value of a 10k...? I know based on craigslists searches that a heavy ten can be had in the 600-700 range, so this is right in the same neighbourhood.

Thanks in advance

Jarrett

Oh one last thing.... Does anyone happen to know the foot print dimensions of this stand type...?

The tail stock is one way to tell. The one shown is a 9" tail stock. The other thing that needed to be changed for the 10K is the thickness of the base plate on the compound slide. It is difficult to tell for sure from the picture but looks to be a 9" compound as well.

Thanks for the quick reply...

What had me thinking it could be a 10k was the headstock casting. All the examples of 9A's I've seen are an open design, while the 10k was fully enclosed with a cover. That, and I haven't seen a 9A with a intergrated stand.

I am by no means an expert, but I could have sworn underneath drive 9's had the belt covers...or at least the later ones perhaps?

But from what I can tell (and aside from the headstock belt cover and being UMD), that looks exactly like my 9A...but possibly a 4' bed...mine is a 3'

It does have a belt cover. The seller removed it for sake of the pic, (I specifically asked for pics detailing gear condition).

When I googled images of the 10k and 9A, only images specific to the 10k had that stand and subsequent UMD arrangement. The carriage, bed, and QCGB appear the same regardless of model.

j. vibert said:

When I googled images of the 10k and 9A, only images specific to the 10k had that stand and subsequent UMD arrangement. The carriage, bed, and QCGB appear the same regardless of model.

Click to expand...

ummppfff.... google.

All I had to do was scan the first page of the SouthBend pics thread to find this 9A on the identical stand...
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/south-bend-lathes/south-bend-picture-gallery-153748/#post849769

So that answers that then. Next I guess is worth... ~$600 a good price, (condition pending)..?

j. vibert said:

So that answers that then. Next I guess is worth... ~$600 a good price, (condition pending)..?

Click to expand...

Asking if a lathe is worth a specific price on the inet is like diagnosing an illness on the inet. There is so much conflicting information it's hard to say without having a qualified person look at it.

For your own sake, you should take a bit of time to understand the various models and/or what you want, don't let a used lathe hanging in front of your face be a carrot, make sure you feel comfortable in looking at and determining if the lathe is worth the price or not. You will have no recourse except your own if you buy a lathe that has problems. Could be broken gears, lead screw, half nuts, bad motor, worn ways, bad bearings, etc...there are a lot of things that can go wrong. Typically all of them don't, but consider that there may be a reason it's for sale (and especially if it is not being used, why it is not being used). Check all the gears out, in the pics there appear to be some contrasting areas on the gears, that could be a sign of being used without proper lubrication. Check all the gears in the change gear box also.

Most of the problems can be fixed and parts are readily available on the used market for SB lathes, so even if there is a problem you can most likely fix it at a reasonable price.

Most any SB lathe as shown *should* be worth $600, but I'm not sure what that can actually tell you. There are many lathes with serious problems that are definitely not worth that money. Probably has enough good parts on it that you could part it out if there was a serious problem.

But more so, do yourself a favor and take someone with you that knows lathes if you are unsure, and don't just rely on information provided to you over the inet unless you are willing to take a risk. And if you are willing, that's fine also...nothing wrong with that...My $0.02.

Cheers,
Alan

the best you can do is take the three hr. drive and take a good look at the lathe. It sounds like South Bend Lathes are not
that easy to find up there in Canada..the photos of the lathe are poor at best, looks like a dial indicator is there so you can check things out.

Thanks everyone for the input. I understand that gauging price is at best a subjective opinion, and near impossible without standing in front of the machine. I was just unfamiliar with this particular model type, as the vast majority of 9A's we see in my neck of the woods are bench tops, and normally start in the range of $1k to 1200.

This machine is far from a dangling carrot however. I'm actually trying to come to terms with the kind capacity I truly need. I started off aiming at the likes of a Colchester master/student, but decided that I really didn't need something with such size. Switched gears and began focusing on the Heavy 10. I'm a vintage wood working machine collector/restorer so when I stumbled across the Heavy with the cast base, it pretty much sealed the deal. However, those models are never seen around my parts, so barring a run South of the border, I opened my horizons once again. In comes this 9A, or what I thought may have been a 10k.

Although I'm sure I could at worse flip this machine for a profit, I've decided to pass on it. The drive in the weather we're currently experiencing isn't worth it.

I'm planning on holding out for the heavy 10. There are many aspects of that machine that appeal to me. If I must wait for a while before one finds it's way to me so be it.

Thanks all for the input. It's very much appreciated.

Here is the lathe with the same metal base. South Bend 9 inch Underneath motor Drive and metal column base.

Chet