Where to start with rescued lathe

This is my first post on this forum and I am new to the lathe world. I have been reading a little and this appears to be where all the experts hang out. I am mechanically inclined and not afraid to get my hands dirty, but I will be the first to admit that I know almost zero about lathes. That being said, I am a quick learner and look forward to learning about this new addition to the garage.

This past weekend, I finally was able to rescue a South Bend lathe that has been sitting in my dad's garage for the past ~25 years. The lathe has an interesting history and I have wanted to get it running for a long time, but haven't had the space.

According to South Bend, it was manufactured in 1929. My grandfather (who passed away long before I was born) originally bought the lathe for machinery maintenance in the Coca Cola bottling company that he managed in Louisiana. You will notice the Coke sign that covers the table the lathe is mounted on. I don't know if he bought the lathe new or exactly when it was purchased. If he bought it used, it was probably in the 1930's. When he passed away in the mid 1950's, my dad's guardian gave it a home and it eventually made it's way to Tennessee. About 25 years ago, my dad wanted to get the lathe so he did not loose control of it, so we brought it back to SC. It has been sitting in his garage collecting dust ever since.

I have no idea when it was last run, but it is good to see it out in the open and not stuck back in a corner. I’ll admit that I haven’t done much searching, but I am a little at a loss of where to even start. I figure it needs to be disassembled, cleaned and oiled, but wanted to get people’s thoughts before I got any hair brain ideas.

I would love to hear people's input on what exactly I have and what steps need to be taken to get it operational. I have read that the motor may need to be replaced or changes made and I imagine the oil is long since gone. For these reasons, I have not even tried to power it up.

Below are some pictures. I tried to embed the photos, but apparently I couldn't make it work. I'll be glad to take any additional photos.



Thanks again
Joe

And a couple more pics.

The first two things I can recommend are to get/download a copy of South Bend's "How to Run a Lathe" (click on link for .pdf download - 155M so a bit long) and to get a copy of the rebuild manual off e-bay - Rebuild Manual Kit for 9

He also offers a copy of the manual without the "kit", however you want to go. Your machine may differ from the manual somewhat but it's a great place to start.

Hope that helps,

-Ron

It is a 9 Junior, 1929 sounds right. 1928 catalog is here: catalog 15R

It takes the same spindle and tailstock tooling (chucks, collets, centers etc) as the later 9 inch workshop machines. Not much else interchanges. I hope you got the pile of changegears...

I would skip the manual on ebay, it does not cover this machine.

allan

I'd grab a fire extinguisher and plug the motor in. If it runs, then keep until it dies. If there are oilers for the bearings, squirt some oil in before you start it.
As for the lathe, I wouldn't necessarily jump to disassembly. Start with a good cleaning... simple green or one of the orange based cleaners should get the oil/grease/crud off. Avoid anything abrasive on the ways or other machined surfaces. Check the condition of the oil wicks that feed the spindle. If they look like they're in OK shape you can clean them with some brake cleaner... spray a liberal amount in, let it drain and dry and then re-oil them. Lubricate everything well and then fire her up.

As far as spindle lubrication, there are no wicks, but that brings up another question - where did the oil cups go? If you look at the bearing caps, between the two hex bolts, there should be a through hole to the spindle bearing surface - that's where the oil cups normally go. And speaking of oil, here's some info: http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/south-bend-lathes/south-bend-recommended-lubricants-238033/

I agree with allan - the rebuild manual will not have a lot in it regarding your lathe, due to its age. Most of the info you need, you can get on the internet. And as far as the felts for lubrication, there's not many in there, and what there is, you can probably get from one of the members here, or McMaster-Carr.

Paul

First oil all the oil cups and oil every part that moves. Roll and move every thing by hand that moves and oil again using lubrication oil. Check the motor to see if it has oil screws near the bearing hubs, add oil there also.
Look at the gears in the headstock and scrape out the grit that may be in the teeth. Wipe all the shafts you can reach close to the bearings but don’t use a spray cleaner as that pushes grit into the shaft bearings. When all is wiped clean put a few drops of oil at each shaft bearing or bearing point.
For washing painted areas you can use any cleaner but add a tablespoon baking soda to each pint of mix and damp wipe never flood to not get washing agents or grit in tight places. When it is well oiled check the looks of the wiring to see no bare wires that might short. Spin the chuck by hand to be sure no gears are binding and fire it up. If the motor sounds good it is good. Dont change gears while running untill you know what gear changing is safe. You may need to add a ground wire if it is a non-grounded motor.
I would refrain from tearing it down unless you are a machine mechanic. Things have to be put back just so or you do more damage by over or under tightening things. You can get a maintenance book and then only tear down what you understand.

I would get some Kroil oil {kanolaboratories.com}and clean the lathe up first, and oil moving parts like others have said. that 1/3 HP motor may be a little week for the lathe.? I would say that the Coke sign might be worth some money if you can remove it without doing more damage..

What it does NOT need is a silly, fluffy, buffy paint job. After all, it is a lathe, not a piece of living room furniture! Wipe her down with light oil and elbow grease, lubricate it as others have suggested, then use it. If one has not guessed, Rolls Royce quality paint jobs are a pet peeve of mine. Faded, skinned paint is a badge of honor.

locoguy said:

What it does NOT need is a silly, fluffy, buffy paint job. After all, it is a lathe, not a piece of living room furniture! Wipe her down with light oil and elbow grease, lubricate it as others have suggested, then use it. If one has not guessed, Rolls Royce quality paint jobs are a pet peeve of mine. Faded, skinned paint is a badge of honor.

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Totally disagree on the paint. These machines are getting old and anything that can help them last on another 100 years is worth doing. With todays paint a good paint job will stay on and help make cleaning of the lathe much easier, and with the right paint job and work it can even bring the value up. IMHO as long as its not a spray bomb paint job it can even make the lathe safer by helping those around it distinguish between the movable parts. In a home shop everything from kids to the next door none mechanical borrowing neighbor could be within hands reach and not only will a paint job highlight the separate parts, but may help those around understand its more than just a old cheap machine setting in the corner (and may keep there hands off).


All though I do agree with the badge of honor, its just a different thing when one puts machines in there home shop where they are the only ones to run and care for the machine, instead of a shop full of people that don't care because its not there money. And in some cases such as mine, the shop is even in a room in the house so keeping things cleaner is more important. All though when work starts, there is only so much you can do. But it is much easier with clean painted equipment. And as I already mentioned with todays paint they can take a lot of abuse and still wipe down and be purdy very quick.


Jess

Thanks for all the input! I will be printing the "How to Run a Lathe" this morning and start educating myself. I will also be reading the link to the lubricants. I am glad to hear that the opinions are to not take it apart to clean and lubricate it. I'm not afraid to do so, but leaving it all together is easier and more desirable. Looks like I will be getting out the Simple Green, some rags and a tooth brush and start cleaning while I read about it's operation.

There are a few spots that have just a touch of surface rust. Can I use a tooth brush sized wire brush to knock the rust off and then put a light coat of oil over it? Sorry for the basic questions, but I would don't want to do something stupid.

Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction!! I will keep you guys updated with the progress and I am sure I will be back with more questions.

Joe

jmills said:

There are a few spots that have just a touch of surface rust. Can I use a tooth brush sized wire brush to knock the rust off and then put a light coat of oil over it? Sorry for the basic questions, but I would don't want to do something stupid.

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I usually knock the loose rust off with a brass brush, then soak a rag in some EvapoRust and let it sit on the rusty area for a few hours.
A light coat of oil just about everywhere is always a good idea.

Kroil oil and a rag will take off light rust..use a brass brush like spongerich has said....

Gently clean it, oil it, and replace faulty wiring and belts. That's about it. The coke sign table is cool. It would make a collector choke but to late now it already has holes in it.

I use wd40 to clean with. buy a gallon plus a trigger spray bottle
For light rust use 0000 steel wool and wd40
for non-precision bare surfaces such as hand wheels and dials use gray Scotchbrite ....and wd40
once everything is clean, use lubricating oil EVERYwhere until its dripping wet
if anything is tight, use a heat gun plus oil until it frees up
you can use ATF initially but get some correct oil ordered
once its running and everything checks out, turn it off and wipe it down.
then re-oil and run it for an extended period, adding oil to the spindle and counter shaft as needed.
be very careful when doing so as that rotating machinery is more dangerous than it looks

good for you for rescuing a family machine

Thanks for all the cleaning tips. Now it's time to get my hands dirty!

The sign is neat since the lathe was originally in a Coke bottling company, but I know collectors are cringing. It has a couple of holes drilled in it from mounting the lathe and associated parts and the edges are bent over edges of the table which caused the paint to come off, so it's not in top condition. I plan to leave the sign in place since it adds to the history and I wouldn't want to sell the sign anyway.

That sign would be worth more than the lathe it is a porceline sign from the 30s. I have one and I payed 1200 bucks for it 10 years ago.

The noob is back with an update. I have been cleaning as time permits and familiarizing myself with this lathe. It's not perfectly clean, but is greatly improved. I did fire up the motor for a quick second and everything sounds good. I only ran it for a second because I need to oil everything first. I think I see all the places that need to be oiled, but wanted to post these pics and get your opinions. I have circled the places that I think need to be oiled.



Did I circle all the correct spots or are there some additional ones? In a prior post, someone mentioned oiling with ATF. Are you referring to automatic transmission fluid? I know there are specific oils, but I just need something temporarily until I can get the lathe fully operational. Sorry for the basic questions, but I have zero prior experience with lathes, so it is all new to me. I will get there eventually.

Now to the bad news. Somewhere during the time the lathe passed through the family, the change gears were lost. When I turn the belt and headstock by hand, the lead screw does not turn. It appears that there is a gear missing. See the attached photos. The apparent missing gear is in the first photo. The second photo shows all the gears that I have.



The gears are not the only missing part(s). The handle that engages the lead screw (sorry for the not knowing the correct terms) has nothing behind it. The handle just spins and there are no gears, etc. behind it. This is the handle that I am referring to:


Do any of you guys sell any of these missing parts/gears or am I out of luck? I know there should be a number of change gears, so any leads would be great.

Thanks again for all the assistance.

Don't know what the change gear setup looks like on the early 9" lathes, but I'm sure that someone here does.
The handle you show on the apron engages the "half nuts" or "split nuts". They're just what they sound like.. a large nut that's split in half. The lever moves a cam that opens and closes the halves onto the lead screw. If it's the same as the ones used on the later 9" and 10K, you're in luck.... they show up on eBay all the time and aren't all that expensive. If they're unique to the 9Jr, they might be hard to source.