Pop's, I think a leather jacket with the SB logo embroidered or nicely screened on the back could sell well, vintage brown leather bomber style. I'd probably bust out the wallet for one. Ditto for a denim jacket embroidered with the logos.

If this goes well, can you ask your wife if its ok if you save Chevy, Ford and Chrysler next? (just a little attempt at levity, no sarcasm intended)

Paul T.

As for "Goodies" how about a non digital plug in(not battery please) shop clock, with the south bend logo? Preferably made out of metal and not plastic. Been looking for a good shop clock for a long while.


Sean

I've got a gap-bed 10K. It was not one of South Bend's better creations, so don't duplicate that design. There isn't enough support at the gap. A properly-designed gap bed 10K lathe, on the other hand, might be nice.

I do like the overall size of the 10K for a home shop. While I covet a 10L, as a practical matter for my shop the 10K is a better fit. It's just that much smaller and lighter to be easier to deal with.

Mainer,
I think that the heavy 10s and the 9a's ( with a same length bed) take up the same amount of space( the UMD cabinet models). If the heavy 10 is bigger the space difference is negligible.


Sean

I have a horizontal drive 9" and also a 10L. The 9" takes up more space than the 10L

Jim B.

I bought a new 10K in 1981 and still have and use it . But would love to get some more 6k collets for it in 64 sizes. I have read every post and hopes this all works out . I might just buy a new larger South Bend.

Just a note to say how exciting this thread is. As far as I'm concerned, it's all about quality machinery. Beyond that, I don't care where it comes from. Some comments:

1) The cross slide might look like a Myford, i.e. a milling table so you can line bore, mill, etc.

2) Is it to much to ask that the spindle accept 5c collets?

3) cam lock spindle.

4) An understanding that whatever you do, you work at helping those who already have South Bend lathes, and this might simply include making prints available of their parts so they can make stuff for themselves, or a listing on your website of those who are making parts for older South Bend lathes now, like Metal Lathe Accessories or Tools 4 Cheap. What's required here is a subtle, informed strategy that will ultimately lead to more sales.

5) T-shirts and bumper stickers. Go ahead, laugh, but we love them.

A comment: I have followed the South Bend story for years, and remember well the comments of a Wall Street analyst/ friend who had visited the factory 25 years ago and told me to forget it, the brand was dead. I think if Papagrizzly can bring it back with some quality and employ a bunch of people to do it, then I salute him, he is my friend, and I'll buy one. The electric flavor of this thread has to do with a manufacturer talking to customers and finding out what they want.

How strange.

How radical.

I know this is crazytalk, but just think, everyone might benefit...

cheers, Charles Morrill

How about a limited edition 1" Starrett Mic with the SB logo?
Payson.

From the Off-The-Wall Department:

I just remembered that I have a deck of SBL playing cards in the "book" drawer of one of the Gerstners!

Don't get much use in a one man shop, though Solitare is looking more likely.

I just remembered this while reading another thread.
When the primary tool holding mechanism was the Rocker tool post the bit was more or less centered in the compound/cross feed. With the advent of the Aloris type QCTP the cutting tool is well off to the side.
The classic SB follower rest is then well behind the cutting too. When feeding in toward the chuck the fingers and consequently the support are/is messed by the swarf. The follower rest needs to be changed to move it more in line with the tool on a QC toolpost.


Here is an example. In this case I am feeding left to right, I put the tool on the right side of the tool post to get more travel and support. I still have the issue of the swarf moving the rod. I suppose I could make a spacer for the Right side situation, but the tool on the left side is way off.
It would be nice if the follower rest could accommodate tools both on the left and the right but as it presently is designed its not right for either.

That's a 10L and I am cutting a 1" by 4 tpi LH square thread.

When Jeff Beck was patterning his versions I mentioned this to him but He wanted a SB knockoff

Jim B.

I ran into this exact same problem - I ended up buying a lantern type rocker toolpost for the times when I need to use the follow rest. I agree it would be nice to have the rest work properly with the QCTP.

Blob

If the cross slide had slots across it, like many folks want, then a follower rest that mounted in a slot could be positioned anywhere it needed to be to support the work opposite the tool.

Make sense?

Pete

I wonder if there will be overseas agents so people in countries other then the US can buy them, the MODEL SB1015
16" x 60" VARIABLE SPEED TOOLROOM LATHE looks like a nice machine..

I'll second this idea. It may not directly contribute the new lathe sales; but, could create a lot of goodwill.

Maybe the blueprints could be limited to out-of-production parts?

Regards,

Brian

South Bend stated on the new website http://www.southbendlathe.com/parts.aspx "And, no, we do not sell copies of our blueprints, nor do we make them available to the public."

I understand this completely. Those prints would be considered trade secrets of the corporation and a foundation on which the business is built, in my opinion.

I have refrained from posting on this thread until now, but I agree with most of us that this is an exciting development. I was an early customer of Shiraz's other company, Grizzly, and have been using one of their tablesaws and jointers since 1988. There has been a steady improvement in their tools, and they have some state-of-the-art features in the current lineup. Woodworking magazines have rated some of Grizzly's tools highly.

I'd love to play one of your acoustic guitars someday, Shiraz. Best of luck with South Bend.

I agree with keeping the blueprints for anything recent and/or still in production as that is to be considered, as you say, "trade secrets."

But, what about something that will never be made by SouthBend again? In that case, it is more of a "public service" to make the old, obsolete, blueprints available (even for a small fee and/or PDF download) in the event somebody needs to make a new part for a 90 year old machine. i.e. Somebody buys an old machine, with some missing parts, and cannot find any examples to copy in order to make a part for the machine or buy the part anywhere. So they download, purchase, etc., the original blueprint(s) and make the part to get the machine in working order.

An example of this, in the computer field, is Id Software. They released the source code (blueprints) of Doom. A game that was originally released in the early nineties. They made a lot of money off of the game, at that time. But, when it was obsolete, they released the source code as they were no longer going to be making any money off of it again.

Of course, the decision is Shiraz's and I wish him luck either way.

Regards,

Brian

I didn't think of it that way......

It would be nice, but I guess there is still some intellectual property value in those drawings. Maybe once they get it all figured out.

I'll bet some of those old blueprints are works of art.

Remember when all we had to do was sell the Chinese or Japanese manufacturers one of anything to find that product lining our shelves the next year?

My first lathe was a 14" South Bend which and seen duty in WWII. Wear on lead screw was so heavy your finger would be nicked with contact. Yet it cut accurate short threads and produced a satisfactory surface finish. A warm spot in the heart still for this machine.
Beyond that, I am taken aback that a businessman with the resources of Mr Balolia would solicit and seriously respond to detailed queries of specific machines in a product line. In the US, corporations are controlled by legal and marketing. CEO's spend time in legal process, not determining spindle taper.

A final word- I was born into the turmoil of post war Germany and straight away placed in orphanage. Ten years later was awarded document of US citizenship-my greatest possession. I know little about Mr SB, but if he also is naturalized citizen, I suspect he shares similar sentiment.
jh

Hey PapaGrizz,

Lotta good guys here givin YOU a lotta good insights. Wonder if you could give US some insight into the foreign machinery trade? What's the average chinese machinery builders' skill level? If you were to go into their plants and troubleshoot their industry, what would you say they need to do to bring their quality up to a level that would match South bend's industry standard at the peak of its hey day?