9 inch south bend workshop lathe

bookbinder · Apr 4, 2020

I just inherited a 9 inch sout bend work shop model lathe. It has been fitted with a new-all quick change gear box. New to this machine need to clean it up and put it back together, are there any areas that need attention when I set it up?

mcload · Apr 4, 2020

bookbinder said:
I just inherited a 9 inch sout bend work shop model lathe. It has been fitted with a new-all quick change gear box. New to this machine need to clean it up and put it back together, are there any areas that need attention when I set it up?

Congrats on your new lathe. Plenty of people on this website with an awful lot of experience with 9" lathes.
Where to start is kind of up to you. You don't say if it's in pieces or not. Photos of current condition would help.
Personally, I would go under the assumption that it needs to be fully disassembled and cleaned. These lathes rely on
felt pieces to deliver oil to various areas in the lathe. Unless you know that these felts have been replaced in the
last decade, I would go to the trouble of replacing them. (Felt sets and "must have" restoration book are available on-line).

I would also first spend a lot of time on YouTube watching various videos of 9" lathes being taken apart and cleaned. Look for "Mr. Pete 222" videos, or perhaps this one (there are many):

YouTube

YouTube

If you just want to set it up and get it running, then have at it....but whatever you do, oil the hell out of it first!

It also helps the folks on this forum to post lots of photos and ask specific questions.

PMc

bookbinder · Apr 4, 2020

I plan on getting some pictures, I am storing it at work, currently waiting for the rest of the parts. I plan on dissambling and going through the whole lathe. I already know I have to replace at least one bushing in the quick change gearbox. Thw felt wipers seem to be easy to find, but I can't seem to find much on the quick change gearbox. If my research is good it is a retro fit.

mcload · Apr 5, 2020

While you're waiting, you might want to get a serial number "card" from South Bend. With any luck, it will tell you what model 9" your lathe was. The link below provides some info on doing that. These days, rather than entering info in the little boxes, it's much better to call them and talk to a technical assist guy. There's only one or two people that do the serial number searches. They will send you a PDF scan of the card.

Serial Card for South Bend Lathe - Grizzly.com

Again, YouTube will probably be your best info on gearbox rebuild. It's not as hard as it looks like it might be.
Just take plenty of pics while it's coming apart and keep little parts in small plastic bags. As you probably know,
there are no "new" parts available from SB...only used on EPay.

PMc

View attachment 283970

bookbinder · Apr 6, 2020

Got some pictures, the rust cleaned up quite easily with wd40 and a little super fine steel wool. I am still waiting for my brother to drop off the rest of the parts and tooling. The headstock is tight,but the bed has some ware will know more when get it running.

mcload · Apr 6, 2020

Interesting; I've never seen that gearbox before.
Good luck with it.

PMc

bookbinder · Apr 6, 2020

mcload said:
Interesting; I've never seen that gearbox before.
Good luck with it.

PMc

From what I can find on the web,they were a popular retrofit for Atlas Craftsman, and Logan lathes inthe mid 40s and earyy 50s. I can't find much else. I guess when more moderm machines came with quick change options the demand droped.

mcload · Apr 7, 2020

I'm guessing it's older than a 1946....maybe late 30's?
The cap screw on the top of each headstock bearing is a clue, and
I've not seen square internal ribs between the ways. But I'm far from
being an expert on lathe identification. Can you read the serial number at
the far end of the bed? (It would look something like this)

View attachment 284250

bookbinder · Apr 8, 2020

mcload said:
I'm guessing it's older than a 1946....maybe late 30's?
The cap screw on the top of each headstock bearing is a clue, and
I've not seen square internal ribs between the ways. But I'm far from
being an expert on lathe identification. Can you read the serial number at
the far end of the bed? (It would look something like this)

View attachment 284250

From my research it is late 1934 or early 1935. It has some ware on it. The head stock is tight, I need to get it up and running so I can make a few cuts to check it out. A bed regrind could be in order, but for its age it seems ok.

iwananew10K · Apr 8, 2020

some more detailed pics will help in identifying the model.
suspect it is a model 15 variant- eg...415a.......the a denoting the 4ft bed.

bookbinder · Apr 8, 2020

New picture

iwananew10K · Apr 8, 2020

straight on would help

lay on your nose and snap one.

Gregory Blank · Apr 8, 2020

Looking at the attached photo is it normal or lets say appropriate for the teeth of the gears within the quick change box not to all perfectly align. Reason being I want to disassemble my own and mine also seem not to perfectly align across the ridges.

Gregory Blank · Apr 8, 2020

I bought what I thought was a 9A only to find out its the 10K version, it was advertised on Ebay as a 9A. I decided to go full out crazy and completely disassemble and rebuild paint it all

I just rewelded the Compound which someone more than once apparently rammed the chuck with. I got special Cast iron Tig wire that requires 0 preheat...seems to have worked pretty good.

bookbinder · Apr 9, 2020

Serial number 57689

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