New Member & New Owner of an Old South Bend Hvy !0" Lathe

Greetings all. I’m new to the forum and wanted to introduce myself to the membership. I have long had an interest in metal working & in that vein, have done some welding, blacksmithing and minor fabrication. I’ve not produce anything I would brag about but I have managed to retain my vision, fingers & my workroom remains standing, thus far at least! I have long wanted to learn how to operate a metal lathe but, until recently, I was not able to find a decent South Bend lathe that I could afford. Nevertheless, diligence pays off (eventually) and I recently purchased a South Bend Heavy 10”, cat.# 187R and SN# 14305RKL16. I’ve tried researching the SN# was not able to find anything definitive on the date of mfr. That said, I believe it was manufactured somewhere between 1947-1949. My rationale for this assumption is that it has the letter designations in the SN which came along somewhere in 1947 and it has the single tumbler QC Gearbox which was replaced by the double tumbler type beginning in 1949. It is quite dirty with a fine coating of oxidation on various parts (3 jaw & 4 jaw chucks, etc.) the ways are clear without noticeable damage & within the admittedly narrow limits of my knowledge, the overall condition of the lathe is very good. All that said, now that I have the lathe I need to learn some machining basics not the least of which is a much more comprehensive understanding of the functions of the various controls, etc. Yes, I realize that this is a classic “cart before the horse” situation, however, there is a distinct lack of lathe training/learning opportunities in my area. I have tried to find some local source of machinist education in my area but no joy thus far. If any of the forum membership has any suggestions that would help I would welcome the input. In lieu of alternatives, I will simply proceed more slowly, learning the machine & basic functions on my own. Good thing I’m retired I look forward to learning from the members and, hopefully at some point, will be able to reciprocate in kind. Regards, Bljacque

Get a copy of S Bs book, "How to run a lathe".

If your serial # is indeed 14305RKL16, That would put your lathe about 1964 (the bed, anyway) A single tumbler gearbox is the puzzle, here. Is there a sliding gear on the left side with handle sticking through the gear cover? Is there a left/right toggle lever on the top of the quick change box? Maybe a pic would help identify.
PB

hm, odd indeed. I've been told mine dates to 1957, and the serial is 9641RKL14. It came with a double tumbler box. Your serial puts it later than mine, but the single tumbler box is definitely earlier vintage than my lathe is. I wonder what got changed here, the bed to a later one, or the gearbox to an earlier one.

Handy stuff - also widely available in paper copies.

http://campkahler.com/files/How_to_Run_a_Lathe_SB_1of2.pdf

http://campkahler.com/files/How_to_Run_a_Lathe_SB_2of2.pdf

I like the paper copies of How to Run a Lathe by South Bend the best, if you can find older High School books on lathe work they are good too.
Glad to hear your shop is steal standing, good post. Yes and look at youtube about lathe work.

Once again, the plot thickens. I'm fairly sure if a swap out took place it was prior to the individual I purchased it from. He only used the lathe to cut plastic & wooden parts for repair of bag pipes. Does it help at all that the catalog# is listed as 187R? I ask because while the SN is on the bed, the cat# is located on a metal tag attached to the upper portion of the lathe.

Yes, I too like the paper copies, old habits cling tight. Oddly enough I did locate an old High School book that devoted a chapter to lathe work. However, until your reply caused my two remaining brain cells to bounce together, I had not thought to peruse old school books looking specifically for those focused on lathes & metal work. Thanks

Serials.....R is 1" spindle bore, L is 1 3/8" spindle bore - and accepts 5C collet systems

The "R" in your model number is the bed length however

Bljacque said:

Does it help at all that the catalog# is listed as 187R? I ask because while the SN is on the bed, the cat# is located on a metal tag attached to the upper portion of the lathe.

Click to expand...

Lots of great info on youtube from this guy.




mrpete222
- YouTube

It is a 1964 bed, as already stated. I bet it has an unused hole in the top side of the bed to mount the wider double tumbler gearbox. I happen to own a 10L frankenlathe myself, it is not a particular cause for concern.

allan