Proud New 9" Model A Owner!

Greetings, all! I have finally fulfilled a years-long dream of owning a good lathe. Picked up this beauty a week ago. From what I can tell, there is very little wear, the ways are in fantastic shape, almost no rust on the thing. From the serial and casting mark it seems it's from around 1948, so 70 years old. Also came with a very stout bench to mount it on, the storage drawers in the bench, and a ton of accessories - steady rest, follow steady, a couple extra chucks, face plates, dogs, a big pile of HSS tool steel, tool holders, mandrels, centers, etc etc etc. Basically a turn-key setup, everything I need to keep me busy for a long time!

I picked up the kit of wicks, oils, and the refurb guide that stevewb has on ebay. Figure he's lurking here somewhere... THANK YOU!

Now that I've made a few chips just for the sheer happiness of it, I plan to do a full tear-down, clean up, and refurb of the thing. Figure if it gets a nice refinishing and paint job, new wicks, proper lube, and everything tuned up, it'll last another 70 years. I'm going more for function than historical restoration, so some modern conveniences may end up added.

I'm like a kid in a candy store, so excited, had to share with some folks who appreciate these things =)

Pics:
South Bend Model A 1948 - Album on Imgur

Looks like you got a nice collection of stuff there. You've got plenty of hours of enjoyment ahead of you.

Just use it!!

Nice score!

That does not need a paint job. Noobs often do more harm than good when they tear into their first lathe...

allan

I appreciate the words of caution, Allan. Paint or no, I still want to at least replace the felt wicks - last thing I want to do is grind up the bearings with lack of oil.

xresonance said:

I appreciate the words of caution, Allan. Paint or no, I still want to at least replace the felt wicks - last thing I want to do is grind up the bearings with lack of oil.

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Treat it like a sore dick, don't fu k with it! fill the cups with the CORRECT oil and USE it. It does not look as though it has had a lot of use, why do you think it needs wicks? Run it with the correct oil and note weather the spindle caps get hot.
I don't use my 16" sb much anymore, I've had it since the 70's, it has thousands of hours on it. It was my only lathe until about 20 years ago when I saw the light. It still has the same wicks in it as when I got it! I used it for a few hours last week when the other 3 lathes were set up with other jobs, just as smooth and quiet as ever, and just as slow!

xresonance said:

I plan to do a full tear-down, clean up, and refurb of the thing. Figure if it gets a nice refinishing and paint job, new wicks, proper lube, and everything tuned up, it'll last another 70 years.

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Fix and clean anything mechanical first. You will probably make the repair parts on this lathe. Then use it for a while before the any refurb.

If you rush into a tear-down you might find that a part needs to be made.

The capillary oilers in the headstock are probably fine, but you could certainly inspect them if it makes you feel better. Oiling problems are actually more likely in the back of the apron. If I was really dead-set on tearing into part of it, I would take the apron off and clean it really well, and make sure everything on it is getting oil. I would avoid removing taper pins unless I saw a real defect.

allan

You shouldn't need to buy anything accept oil and stock to turn .
everything looks nice and rust free I'm sure you know it will sweat and rust if not kept at a controlled temperature and humidity
Lots of storage right there at your reach.
Very nice

kitno455 said:

The capillary oilers in the headstock are probably fine, but you could certainly inspect them if it makes you feel better.

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Mine were definitely not working, so I suggest you check them before making chips.

When I bought my (1950) 9A two years ago, it had been sitting for years...
On teardown, every single wick was black as coal, hard as a rock- and none of the wicks would have been capable of wicking oil straight down with gravity, much less uphill.

I'm astounded that so many would say "just make chips", with no knowledge of the lathe's maintenance history. South Bend stated the lathes should be torn down and wicks replaced every 7-10 years and I don't think it was because they wanted to sell a few dollars worth of felt.

Stick to your rebuild plan OP.
Your lathe will thank you for it, and just as importantly you'll know every nut and bolt- and oil passageway.

Yes, I think any old lathe you buy should be given at least a full service. If you were buying a used car you wouldn't wanna purchase it if it had black oil sludge in the sump and maybe had a clogged oil filter which you couldn't see. And even if you did buy it, anyone would be keen to get that oil and filter changed immediately - why should a lathe be any different.

Cheers

Get the lathe rebuild book written by (our very own) Steve Brooks. It's the best introduction to the INSIDE of your lathe you will ever get. You can get it on ebay.

He sells it both by itself and with a rebuild kit that includes all the needed gaskets and felts. Slightly less when you buy it all together, but you could get the book and just read it first so that you know how everything comes apart and (more importantly) goes together.

Steve

SteveM said:

Get the lathe rebuild book written by (our very own) Steve Brooks. It's the best introduction to the INSIDE of your lathe you will ever get. You can get it on ebay.

He sells it both by itself and with a rebuild kit that includes all the needed gaskets and felts. Slightly less when you buy it all together, but you could get the book and just read it first so that you know how everything comes apart and (more importantly) goes together.

Steve

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Yes, I picked up the full kit. Really amazing work! After researching the South Bend lathes a bit I saw there was quite the community and support for keeping them running well, and that was a significant factor in deciding to pick it up.

In thinking more on this project, I've decided I am less interested in doing a restoration of the machine, and more interested in making it work well. So I'll probably not dig in to the point of full disassembly for painting, etc., but keep it to what needs to be done to give it a proper clean-out and refurbishment. I kind of dig the worn old finish, to be honest. Really I just want to get it in top functional condition, apply the long-needed maintenance it deserves, and start using it.

Nearly done with the old Craftsman drill press refurb, for which the 9A has already come in handy multiple times. I'm about to turn up a custom screw that decided to skitter off to some unknown dimension, and isn't something standard. Will be fun =)