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First post, new member

Winchesterguy

Plastic
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
First post here on the forum. I’ve been reading some things about the Equipment I have on this forum from a google search and this seems to be a great place full of good info, especially for a newbie like myself. I Have been hunting some equipment for the garage and finally acquired a large Jet round column mill/drill and a south bend 14 1/2” lathe. Both free from my place of employment. Both very dirty but complete and solid useable condition. I am a part time gunsmith and tinkerer so I believe both of these machines will serve me well. Very happy to be here and thanks for letting me bum info for free!
 
First post here on the forum. I’ve been reading some things about the Equipment I have on this forum from a google search and this seems to be a great place full of good info, especially for a newbie like myself. I Have been hunting some equipment for the garage and finally acquired a large Jet round column mill/drill and a south bend 14 1/2” lathe. Both free from my place of employment. Both very dirty but complete and solid useable condition. I am a part time gunsmith and tinkerer so I believe both of these machines will serve me well. Very happy to be here and thanks for letting me bum info for free!

To the good? Those two choices will go a long way towards insuring it is only ever "part time"!

Could be a VERY wise move if yah still want to "have a LIFE"

DAMHIKT!

:D
 
Welcome and congrats on the purchase!
I would - as a next step - get in touch with your local industrial supplier and get to know them. Invaluable when you need assistance.
 
To the good? Those two choices will go a long way towards insuring it is only ever "part time"!

Could be a VERY wise move if yah still want to "have a LIFE"

DAMHIKT!

:D

With all due respect, a 14 1/2" South Bend lathe in good condition is capable of excellent work. I got mine in practically new condition because the original owner rarely used it and I put in 40 years on it. At the end of the 40 years I sold it to a local motorcycle shop owner who treats it lovingly. It started with .002" clearance in the bronze spindle bearings and at the end, after gallons of Mobil DTE 24, it was up to .0025". The finger nail test on the front triangular way yielded only a barely detectable ridge. The only reason I sold it was that I had a Monarch 10 EE and a 15" Sheldon, so there was no longer a task for the South Bend. It all comes down to lubrication. Done religiously, the lathe is almost immortal.

I wrote off $2,700 of back pay when the company got into financial trouble and made that back with it year after year since.

The manual went with the lathe but I can get a copy if you need it.

Bill
 
The only reason I sold it was that I had a Monarch 10 EE and a 15" Sheldon, so there was no longer a task for the South Bend.

Skipped the Sheldon, more's the pity. Local guy had a smaller one I hadn't known about until years after I had made a different purchase. Well-built lathes and well spoken of, very obviously a step or three UP from a SB..

Good enough it could have saved me serious money had I NOT gone directly to ...nor onward to ...the 10EE's and the Cazeneuve HBX-360-BC.

I was actually looking for an I/M Clausing Colchester Triumph 2000 at the time!

Wouldn't you know it? One came onto the market locally just a few months after I acquired the first 10EE on a go-fetch to Durham, NC!

Local, and from an employer, must surely have saved the OP a bundle in time and transport, not to mention greatly reduced MYSTERY and the usual gamble on unknown history and condition!

Even so, I'd not go back, NOW!

I may have dodged a bullet on the Triumph 2000 as well!

:D
 
With all due respect, a 14 1/2" South Bend lathe in good condition is capable of excellent work. I got mine in practically new condition because the original owner rarely used it and I put in 40 years on it. At the end of the 40 years I sold it to a local motorcycle shop owner who treats it lovingly. It started with .002" clearance in the bronze spindle bearings and at the end, after gallons of Mobil DTE 24, it was up to .0025". The finger nail test on the front triangular way yielded only a barely detectable ridge. The only reason I sold it was that I had a Monarch 10 EE and a 15" Sheldon, so there was no longer a task for the South Bend. It all comes down to lubrication. Done religiously, the lathe is almost immortal.

I wrote off $2,700 of back pay when the company got into financial trouble and made that back with it year after year since.

The manual went with the lathe but I can get a copy if you need it.

Bill

Many thanks sir, I appreciate the offer of the copy but I have access to a manual for this machine. Everyone I talked to about south bends say they were a great machine if taken care of. I was told this one probably hasn’t ran since the 70s and has been sitting, paints chipping off and greasy but it’s solid and complete. Thanks again
 
If it has been sitting for 50 years, the oil will have drained out of the bearings. You can destroy a bearing in seconds by running it dry. Fill the oil cups, loosen the belt, and turn the spindle by hand enough to distribute the oil. As I said, DTE 24 has worked well but almost any similar light oil will do for the moment. The other bearings on the gears, lead screw, etc. need the treatment but are nowhere near as critical as the spindle.

When you get running, remember to loosen the belt when done for the day and next morning fill the oil cups and turn the spindle a couple of turns before starting up. A little bit of effort there will pay off.

Happy machining,

Bill
 
Many thanks sir, I appreciate the offer of the copy but I have access to a manual for this machine. Everyone I talked to about south bends say they were a great machine if taken care of. I was told this one probably hasn’t ran since the 70s and has been sitting, paints chipping off and greasy but it’s solid and complete. Thanks again

No matter what oil you use on the whole rest of the lathe, use a iso 22 spindle oil to make sure your good to go.
 
If it has been sitting for 50 years, the oil will have drained out of the bearings. You can destroy a bearing in seconds by running it dry. Fill the oil cups, loosen the belt, and turn the spindle by hand enough to distribute the oil. As I said, DTE 24 has worked well but almost any similar light oil will do for the moment. The other bearings on the gears, lead screw, etc. need the treatment but are nowhere near as critical as the spindle.

When you get running, remember to loosen the belt when done for the day and next morning fill the oil cups and turn the spindle a couple of turns before starting up. A little bit of effort there will pay off.

Happy machining,

Bill

Sounds like a plan. I appreciate the info!
 
Sounds like a plan. I appreciate the info!

DTE 24 is iso 32.
Southbend recommends 100 saybolt @ 100F viscosity for the spindle.

The cross reference for 100 saybolt@100 degrees is 0w20-5w30 or iso 22.

So DTE 24 would be about 130-160 saybolt. Too high for a factory machine.

I’m NOT saying 9100 is in any way wrong, just clarifying specs as printed!

6F0ECD62-704F-4200-AC6D-E1D17733D1B3.jpg

Liquid wrench sells a hydraulic jack oil rated for iso 22 at Home Depot!
I haven’t used it and am not recommending it per se, but it’s rated at the correct saybolt/iso

https://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Wrenc...t=&hvlocphy=9015727&hvtargid=pla-583888072310

Here’s a link to the oil I’m talking about.

ONCE AGAIN I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE with this product and only read the bottle
 
Probably close to 50 years ago, someone who was making spindles for class cutting used DTE 24 for their bronze bearings and recommended it for the spindle of an old Reid surface grinder I re-bearinged. It did well there and bearings on the South Bend I acquired several years later seemed to run well on it, just moderately warm as one would expect. Most of the time we did not run it very fast, if for no reason other than the inability of the flat belt to transmit the power for a heavy cut. I kept on with the oil following the adage "Don't take it apart to see why it works, make production." Incidentally, that brings up another problem. The bearings throw oil, not much, but enough to lubricate the belt. The belt is not removable because it goes through holes in the casting so maintenance has to be done in situ. I would loosen the belt and wipe it with a rag soaked in whatever solvent was around, usually lacquer thinner or toluene. An awkward business holding the rag on the inside of the belt and pulling it around with the other hand, but necessary. Then I wiped it with rosin dissolved in alcohol, which improves the grip. I tried some belt dressings with poor results. There are no doubt better ones, but rosin worked, so I didn't pursue the matter further.

Bill
 
DTE 24 is iso 32.
Southbend recommends 100 saybolt @ 100F viscosity for the spindle.

The cross reference for 100 saybolt@100 degrees is 0w20-5w30 or iso 22.

So DTE 24 would be about 130-160 saybolt. Too high for a factory machine.

I’m NOT saying 9100 is in any way wrong, just clarifying specs as printed!

View attachment 315209

Liquid wrench sells a hydraulic jack oil rated for iso 22 at Home Depot!
I haven’t used it and am not recommending it per se, but it’s rated at the correct saybolt/iso

https://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Wrenc...t=&hvlocphy=9015727&hvtargid=pla-583888072310

Here’s a link to the oil I’m talking about.

ONCE AGAIN I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE with this product and only read the bottle

I appreciate your time, thanks.I will look into it
 
Monarch 10EE ELSR speed control box on the back of the lathe.

Hello,
I just purchases to Monarch 10EE. It was made in 1950 Square dial machine, 50-5000RPMS with a ELSR. This particular unit was equipped with a additional speed adjustmeon the rear for he ELSR unit. However, i am have is power issues surging in reverse. From what i can tell the AR Relay in the rear mounted box is not latching and holding causing it to click only in reverse. Once you adjust to POT on the back to low it returns to normal functions.
I would like to removed the extra speed adjustment on the back of the lathe and hope this functional as normal. I have both schematics from the 1950 models showing with and without the extra controls. Can any help ?
I am not sure how to add pictures to the post.Screenshot 2021-03-01 175308.jpgScreenshot 2021-03-01 175328.jpg
 
Don't take it off. It is the speed control for reversing to move back to the starting point when threading. On the tail end of the ways there should be a switch marked forward and reverse. That is the control for the rapid threading feature. You want to keep it.

Bill
 
Welcome to the forum Winchesterguy. This is a great forum and there is a wealth of information available for the asking. Hopefully your import mill won't get this thread locked. It does seem like the moderators have been a little more lenient lately though so you may be OK.

BTW, I'm also sort of a Winchester guy. I still have my first real gun, a Winchester Model 69A. Plenty of other Winchesters too.
 
Welcome to the forum Winchesterguy. This is a great forum and there is a wealth of information available for the asking. Hopefully your import mill won't get this thread locked. It does seem like the moderators have been a little more lenient lately though so you may be OK.

BTW, I'm also sort of a Winchester guy. I still have my first real gun, a Winchester Model 69A. Plenty of other Winchesters too.

Hope not, seems like it’s well built for imported. Always good to hear on the Winchester’s, I have several too. My favorite firearms
 
I agree, I just need to understand why it works fine in low voltage or slow speed. As soon as i increase the reversing speed it starts pop in and out of latching on the reverse. It almost like the coil in the small box cannot keep it latched under a larger current demand. Any help would be great. I will end up moving it to a more convenient spot for sure.
 








 
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