Need help with SB 10l - 8187-YB 3' Bed Serial ****RKL11

I just acquired a Heavy 10 circa 1953-1954 from the estate of the original owner. It has a 3ft bed, came complete with the original taper attachment, tailstock, cushman 3 jaw, 5c Collet Closer and UMD assembly, looked like something worth saving (it was being sold at a reasonable price). Since most of these machines were shipped with their own stand, the machine seemed a bit odd to me as it was mounted by the owner on a homemade bench. I'm not unfamiliar with SB lathes, but I can't find any info on PM or elsewhere regarding an 8187-YB. The Model "A" designation is also slightly confusing, but it looks like everything is stock to the lathe. It didn't hurt that it ran fine albeit slightly noisy from the spindle, maybe bearings or lube? I'm hoping there's someone who has seen this configuration and can fill me in on the meaning of the "YB" after tool room designation 8187. I also would like to know what a "precision" lead screw is as compared to a standard engine Heavy 10L with a "standard" screw, i.e. was it ground differently, etc. I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask if there are any manuals for this particular lathe, but I know the taper is standard, the chuck is threaded, and its fully operational, including backgears. Any help or information available would be greatly appreciated. Pics attached View attachment 153880View attachment 153881View attachment 153882

Catalog #5205 Page 20. The catalog number 187 is a 10" Heavy the 8187 is tool room version. The Y is the 3' bed and B indicates its a bench lathe. The metal bench came standard, suppose it could have been special ordered, or someone just replaced it for some reason.

South Bend Lathe Works - Publication Reprints - 1952 South Bend Lathe Works Catalog #5205 | VintageMachinery.org

Do not run the machine until you can confirm the spindle had oil. The tool room lathe lead screws were higher tolerance, but I can't recall the spec at the moment.

Thanks for the info Mike. Do you know where I can get any detailed written info on the taper attachment? I saw the SB video on YT, but I'd like to get SB's recommendation on maintenance, and put together any literature specifically oriented to the 8187 series. Were there alot of these units made?

hotwelder2 said:

Thanks for the info Mike. Do you know where I can get any detailed written info on the taper attachment? I saw the SB video on YT, but I'd like to get SB's recommendation on maintenance, and put together any literature specifically oriented to the 8187 series. Were there alot of these units made?

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IDK about the specifics of your machine, but I just got a 8187A 10L a couple days ago, called SB and asked about the vintage of mine, and was told "Around the end of WW2 ~1946ish and that it was the 179,149th unit made. So I believe there were literally tens of thousands maybe hundreds of thousands of these lathes made for worldwide and domestic sales. As for the leadscrew, I'm not 100% but I believe some were made conventionally, (machine cut threads) and could be upgraded to "hardened and precision ground", just as the feed screws were.

I'm by no means an expert on SB production, but it appears that SB sequentially numbered all of its lathes without regard to the specific type of machine. The machine I just picked up was produced @1953-1954 since the actual bed serial falls in that sequence on serial numbers published on the WSWELLS.com timeline. I have a strong suspicion that although they certainly produced many Heavy 10's, they didn't produce a lot of short bed precision units such as mine. I'm getting the impression you could custom order your lathe to your spec back in the 40's and 50's. It makes some sense since the previous owner of my lathe was a marine mechanic and liked, or was used to, working on a lathe in a confined space. The 3' bed can be limited, but the machine is really versatile. I have no idea why they labeled it "Model A" unless that was simply the QCG plate most suited to a Heavy 10, and shared by its smaller cousin, the 9A. I guess it was a cost effective issue? How's the 8187 working out for you?