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New (to me) South Bend late 9"x28" 1967

rolleikin

Plastic
Joined
Mar 20, 2017
Location
Burke, VA
Yesterday I picked up a 9" lathe from a closed machinist shop. It came on a set of cast iron legs. The serial number is 56600NAR10. I understand that NAR stands for 9", Quick Change gearbox, Standard spindle. I don't know what the 10 stands for and what exactly is the standard spindle. I have seen, literally 4 different spindle sizes listed. Does anybody know with more precision that what I found?

The shop was filthy. Those people did not believe in cleaning anything. As soon as they were done with a tool, they would dump it on a shelf, with metal shavings and grease on it. There was a permeating aura of sloppiness around everything in the shop. No wonder they eventually went out of business.

Now, come the other questions:
1.- Before I do anything, I have to bring it to the basement. For that I need to take it apart in 3-4 major pieces. I will remove the tailstock, the chuck and maybe even the motor to make it lighter. Is it easy and safe to remove the lathe from the chip pan and thus separate it from the legs? It will make it so much easier to get it down the stairs.

2.- The lathe is encrusted with crud and maybe even some flash rust here and there, mostly around the legs. I want to clean it up and possibly paint it. What is the best way to do it? I saw a dry steam generator for sale at Best Buy. It is called the Steam Shot and it is portable (looks like a tea kettle of sorts) and it is supposed to generate about 15 minutes of dry, pressurized steam for cleaning. Other than steam, what would be a good cleaner and degreaser to use? I will buy a respirator as the basement is not open to the outside and I have to vent everything with a fan, through a 2'x3' sliding window.

3.- The motor belt is chewed up. Where do I find a reference to belt size? It currently has a V-belt on it, but the large pulley near the motor seems to be flat, not V-grooved. I will have pictures in the next couple of days after I get it from under the cling wrap and the tarp and unload it from the truck.

4.- The on-off switch seems to be more modern than the rest of the machine and it is bolted to the top of the (plastic?) belt guard, right next to the hour meter (or whatever that is). Is there an accurate, period switch that I can use instead of the current one?

5.- How far is is safe for a newbie to go digging into the lathe for cleaning? I don't want to damage it in any way through my incompetence.

6.- I ordered the book: How to Run a Lathe, by South Bend. I am not clear what revision it is. The vendor did not list that or the year it was printed. I would guess probably a 1950's version, but I could be wrong. Will this book provide me with sufficient information to competently dismantle it for a good cleaning?

7.- I ordered Spindle Oil and Ways Oil from a guy named Mick, on eBay. Do I need other kinds of lubricants for my lathe? Online I see all sorts of references to A, B, C oils and Teflon grease.

8.- The company who owned it modified the tailstock, by removing the wheel, and attaching a lever system that would allow the tailstock spindle to be moved forward and back with a single hand stroke. Where can I find an eploded view of the tailstock to identify missing parts and purchase them to restore the full function of the device? I like the stroke levers, but I don't want them to be there all the time. I will set them up in a toolbox and used them if I ever need them.

Enough questions. Sorry for droning on.
Andrei
 
Its perfectly safe and easy to separate the lathe from the pan and legs, motor etc... That's how I moved mine around. Engine de-greaser will work good for cleaning, you may have to soak it down a few times to knock everything loose but it does the trick. As far as a belt, just buy a long length of leather or serpentine automotive belt, adjust your belt tensioner to wherever you desire, wrap the belt around the pulleys, cut and lace it together, simple as that - I don't believe there is any real reference for a belt length anywhere. For a period correct switch, basically any kind of drum switch will work, that's what was usually used. As long as you don't go taking apart the gearbox or headstock and carriage, you'll be fine cleaning it, they're very simple machines. The book wont tell you how to take it apart, but for what cleaning you probably need to do you wont need to get that deep into it anyway. Good luck, and congrats on your first lathe!
-Eric
 
Engine de-greaser will work good for cleaning, you may have to soak it down a few times to knock everything loose but it does the trick. ...

For a period correct switch, basically any kind of drum switch will work, that's what was usually used.
-Eric

Thanks Eric.

Quick clarification: when you say soak it several time, you don't mean the entire lathe, do you? I could not find a large enough vat, enough gallons of degreaser or a strong enough muscle to dunk the whole thing repeatedly. Besides, that would strip all the grease from the bearings as well...

On the switch issue, I found this drum switch online for 50 bucks: 1.5 hp - 2 hp Electric Motor Reversing Drum Switch - Single Phase Only - Spring Returned # RS-1A-MP - Pricefalls.com

It says on it that it is a reversing switch. I was not aware you can reverse lathes.
 
Thanks Eric.

Quick clarification: when you say soak it several time, you don't mean the entire lathe, do you? I could not find a large enough vat, enough gallons of degreaser or a strong enough muscle to dunk the whole thing repeatedly. Besides, that would strip all the grease from the bearings as well...

On the switch issue, I found this drum switch online for 50 bucks: 1.5 hp - 2 hp Electric Motor Reversing Drum Switch - Single Phase Only - Spring Returned # RS-1A-MP - Pricefalls.com

It says on it that it is a reversing switch. I was not aware you can reverse lathes.

No, I was just talking about a spray can of de-greaser you can buy at the local auto parts store. You spray it on, and all the sludge just 'slides right off' Usually you end up having to soak it, wipe it down, and repeat a couple times. That switch should work fine. The lathe will run forwards or reverse, it of course all depends on the motor you have, not all motors can run in both directions.
 
The motor to countershaft belt is a 'B' section V belt. Yes, it looks weird, but works fine. HTRAL does not cover disassembly, it is a user's manual. For rebuild stuff you should look for the Ilion rebuild manual on ebay, with the felts and oilers.

Regarding the spindle nose, it should be regular old SB 9" workshop fare- will pass 3/4 through, has a 1.5x8 spindle nose, and an MT3 taper.

allan
 
Andrei, if I might suggest,purchase the rebuild manual from Ilion on ebay. You don't have to do a complete rebuild but it has a lot of pictures that will enable you to reference when you disassemble it to move it. Having something to look at makes the task a whole lot easier... Rebuild Manual & Parts Kit for 9” South Bend Lathe - Model A | eBay Jim

Thank you very much, Jim. This is a great suggestion. I went to eBay and ordered the book and the kit. Awesome!


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