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Need clues to suggest how old it is

zjtr10

Plastic
Joined
Apr 6, 2018
In my quest to find THE lathe that has my name on it are there any general rules that might be an indication of it's age? I know the bed serial # is the true key but lots of sellers don't include that info.

Here is an example ... South Bend Lathe 14” | eBay

The seller says "Older south bend turret lathe works fine" but it has a plastic safety guard. In my mind I would think if it's got a guard in place it was probably made after 1960's. Also the seller has only electronic test equipment for sale. this is the only large piece of metal he has listed so he probably knows less than I do about what he has for sale

So are there general tip offs that would give me an idea of hold old a lathe is ? To narrow it down let's talk about the SB 10-16" range please.
 
In my quest to find THE lathe that has my name on it are there any general rules that might be an indication of it's age? I know the bed serial # is the true key but lots of sellers don't include that info.

Here is an example ... South Bend Lathe 14” | eBay

The seller says "Older south bend turret lathe works fine" but it has a plastic safety guard. In my mind I would think if it's got a guard in place it was probably made after 1960's. Also the seller has only electronic test equipment for sale. this is the only large piece of metal he has listed so he probably knows less than I do about what he has for sale

So are there general tip offs that would give me an idea of hold old a lathe is ? To narrow it down let's talk about the SB 10-16" range please.

I'm sure there will be better responses later, but here is a start.

Single tumbler gearbox older, double tumbler, newer
Flame hardened bed, newer
Star knob for feed clutch, older, lever for feed clutch, newer.
Small dials older, large dials, newer.
Threaded spindle, older camlock, newer.

The above are not hard and fast, since some were options, just a general guide.

Jon P.
 
The plastic chuck guard could have been added yesterday, has nothing to do with the lathe as they are sold in most catalogues. It could be a clue but one will never know if it was added because idiots were running that machine on a regular basis or the safety department demanded it as a general rule?
If that chuck guard is not what you're referring to I don't have any more to add that Jon hasn't said.
Dan
 
Thanks to all for the good answers and observations. On the brass tag it shows a swing of "2H" That's a new one on me. I'm used to seeing 10, 12, 14 etc. Anyone care to hazard a guess ?
 
Single tumbler gear box would be 40s
Double tumbler was introduced in the very early 50s and continued into the 80s.
Understand that buying a SBL lathe made prior to WW-II will present parts issues.
 








 
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