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Thread Dial Replacement for SB 9" and 10" Lathes

Rodm1

Aluminum
Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Location
Amish Country, U.S.A.
Thought I'd create this thread to help those with a need for a functional thread dial and are sickened by the pricing on originals on ebay and the like. The new SB 10k lathe offered by Grizzly has replacement parts available on Grizzly's website. The thread dial assembly is confirmed to work like South Bend's original, vintage counterparts. There are two modifications that need made and are extremely easy to perform. #1 - My assembly did not include the M8 - 1.25 nut needed to secure the gear to thread dial pin. #2- The attachment pin that fits into the apron mounting hole is slightly large. Good thing this is for a lathe! I simply loosened the set screw holding it to the dial body and turned it down to fit. You may also need a 5/16" course set screw to secure it in the lathe apron. This threading dial also has a total of 16 graduations ( 8 red full and 8 black half)that surpasses the capability of the original.

I hope this helps someone save some cash as these are $50 on Grizzly's website vs. the $180-$200 that originals are going for on ebay right now.
 
Thank you! Do you have the part number for the assembly, perchance? I can only find individual part numbers for the gear, body, shaft, dial, etc.
 
Looks like a pretty good deal. I have been contemplating partnering with my local iron foundry and making new castings of the original SB thread dials. Then packaging a casting with some other raw material and selling the machinable kit at a break-even cost. Buuuuuut there's no way I could match the price of the grizzly one.
 
You can or could buy factory reproductions from Plaza Machinery for $119 postage paid, this is where I got mine about 5 years ago. Look exactly like the originals.
 
Unfortunately, I didn't see any duals on Plaza'a site. However, they did have reproduction steady rests that look very nice. For both 9" and 10" variants.
 
For those who are interested, I saw a 3-D printed version of the 9/10K Thread dial for less than $30. And one for the 10L for about $100. Not sure why there's such a big difference, it really doesn't make sense to me. And of course the availability/price may change at any time.
 
For those who are interested, I saw a 3-D printed version of the 9/10K Thread dial for less than $30. And one for the 10L for about $100. Not sure why there's such a big difference, it really doesn't make sense to me. And of course the availability/price may change at any time.

Not a chance I'd use a 3d printed piece on a lathe, and I have two 3d printers.
 
I think I found it, .375", my father in law has a 9, I got the gizzly thread dial for him. I also got one for my heavy 10 and made an adapter plate, seems to work pretty decent.

I was a lot hesitant on the 3D deal, not sure a plastic gear was the way to go
 
I see nothing wrong with a printed gear for a thread dial...:confused:

it's just a thread dial...no load nor any real precision required....heck, you could lay one out on a chunk of wood and file the teeth in.
 
You can or could buy factory reproductions from Plaza Machinery for $119 postage paid, this is where I got mine about 5 years ago. Look exactly like the originals.


I believe Joe at Plaza has gone to that Great tool room beyond.
 
Any particular reason?

Yeah, most of those plastics aren't oil resistant. Depending on what material they use, the oil from the lead screw will attack the plastic and potentially melt it. Additionally, there are many ways to print anything. You can do anything from a single parameter exterior and 5% infill, to 100% solid, or any variation there of. Obviously, the closer to 100% you get, the more time it takes to print. So if they want to cut corners, it will have a bunch of infill, and as such, not be very strong.
 
Yeah, most of those plastics aren't oil resistant. Depending on what material they use, the oil from the lead screw will attack the plastic and potentially melt it. Additionally, there are many ways to print anything. You can do anything from a single parameter exterior and 5% infill, to 100% solid, or any variation there of. Obviously, the closer to 100% you get, the more time it takes to print. So if they want to cut corners, it will have a bunch of infill, and as such, not be very strong.

Yes, I know there are many variables in 3D printing - I've been using them for 4 or 5 years myself. The printed one that Joe mentioned may be a 2 piece construction with 2 halves glued together - I don't like that idea much, especially for the price being asked - Joe was only reporting what he saw online.

A friend of mine asked me if I could create something in 3D for his SB9 so I steered well away from the SB design and created something more durable - a one piece body with a steel drive shaft running in 2 ball races. Since I made it (about a year and a half ago), he has reported no problems with the integrity of the plastic (ABS) and he does a fair amount of threading - Anyway, they can always be painted.
I used the same design initially on my SB 'til I eventually re-designed one in metal. There is no way on earth I would help make someone else rich on fleaBay just for the sake of a "genuine" South Bend TDI. It's only a damn thread dial after all!

One of the most fundamentally significant attractions of a lathe is in it's powerful threading ability, but I'll bet there are thousands of machines out there not being used to their full potential because they don't have a bloody thread dial!
Maybe I should market them myself - for ...$30 mmm, I wonder:rolleyes5:
 








 
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