Bench recommendations for a 9A?

GM26J · Apr 20, 2021

Hello everyone - I was fortunate to pick up a very nice South Bend 9A and I'm looking for suggestions on a workbench for it - size and any specific features you wish you had. I've searched here a bit and didn't find any specific answers although I saw some nice benches that posters had made/purchased.

I don't have a bench for it at all so anything is a possibility. I will need to move this occasionally, so that will be a factor. Rear motor mount. And at this point I'm thinking more "buy" rather than "make". I've attached a couple of pictures.

Thanks in advance.
Glenn

pavt · Apr 20, 2021

Welcome to the club! I've got the same machine.

Due to the depth required to mount the horizontal drive properly, you may be stuck with making one. Unless you get real lucky on craig list or something. I made my bench out of a single sheet of plywood, the top is 30x48 and it just barely made it. I set it on a couple bookshelves that i already had.

Maybe you can find somebody scrapping out a kitchen island or something and put it on that? Only other thing I know for sure is, the more solid you can make the top, the better.

I can move mine by myself, although it would be in pieces. I got it up on the bench myself without assistance, just muscle power.
I chose to use an automotive serpentine belt between the rear drive and the spindle, it was the best thing I ever did.

Hope this helps.

GM26J · Apr 21, 2021

Thanks for the welcome and the dimensions. And for the belt tip - the old belt does need replacing so that's on the early to-do list. I have found 30" deep workbenches out there so seeing you are able to make it work with that dimension is encouraging.

I'm thinking of putting a set of retractable castors on the legs for moving. I've used them for some other heavy benches and have had good luck with them.

This will be the first lathe I've owned so I have a lot of learning to do.

pavt · Apr 21, 2021

GM26J said:
Thanks for the welcome and the dimensions. And for the belt tip - the old belt does need replacing so that's on the early to-do list. I have found 30" deep workbenches out there so seeing you are able to make it work with that dimension is encouraging.

I'm thinking of putting a set of retractable castors on the legs for moving. I've used them for some other heavy benches and have had good luck with them.

This will be the first lathe I've owned so I have a lot of learning to do.

Just be aware that if you go with the serpentine automotive belt, you will need to pull the spindle, the back gear, and the countershaft to get it on in one piece. At least, that's how I did it.

With a 30x48 bench, the lathe is flush to the front, and the drive is flush on the back. I can get the numbers off the belt if you need them, or you could just use a piece of string to get the measurement and then order an industrial belt from McMaster Carr.

Dobermann · Apr 21, 2021

Whatever you decided to do for a bench, just make sure it's stiff and rigid because the lathe isn't. A flexible base will have the lathe flexing which you do not want.

The last bench I made for a 9 Workshop lathe was made from 2 X 6 lumber for a perimeter frame and legs and diagonal bracing. The top is 1" plywood (hard to find at the big box stores) covered with 1/4" tempered Masonite for oil resistance. The top is 36 X 60 because it's a long bed lathe.

I always get a little uneasy when folks start talking about "wheels" for the lathe bench. Once you get the bench built and the lathe attached to it and leveled, you're not going to want to be wheeling it around because you will lose the leveling that you just did. I recognize that there are times when space limitations force you to moving the lathe around but it's not really a good idea.

Rex TX · Apr 21, 2021

Lathe bench

I have rebuilt several of those, and similar lathes from other makes. I was always on the lookout for benches that looked "period". A few years ago Costco sold what I thought was the perfect lathe bench.

The brand is Whalen. The top is 24x72 MDF (or similar), the rest is steel. It's heavy but it's on good casters. I don't worry about level, the lathe bed is straight.
The lathe in the picture is a Logan 9x28, just a little shorter than a long-bed 9A. The countershaft pulley does hang over the back edge, so the bench is spaced out from the wall.
I've bought 4 so far and would buy another if they show up locally at a reasonable price. CL is your friend here. There are also smaller sizes plus a tall cabinet.
My garage is fully furnished in these

mattthemuppet · Apr 21, 2021

Rex that looks very period correct too!

Glenn, you can make something out of wood if you wish, or steel if you're handy with a welder. For the top, 2 pieces of nice 3/4" plywood glued and screwed together will make a stiff and relatively stable surface. Treadmill bases are pretty darn nice too. My work bench is make of 4x4 fence posts tied together with 2x4 (side to side) and 2x6 or 4x4(front to back). The bit under my current lathe is 1.5" thick (ply then treadmill mdf) but I need to reinforce the rest of the bench before putting my SB9 on it. It only has a melamine top and a few pieces of thin board under it (ran out of material!) and is a bit bouncy. In between then and now I found another couple of nice 3/4" plywood pieces so they'll get stuffed in there soon

Kevin T · Apr 21, 2021

Rex TX said:
I have rebuilt several of those, and similar lathes from other makes. I was always on the lookout for benches that looked "period". A few years ago Costco sold what I thought was the perfect lathe bench.

The brand is Whalen. The top is 24x72 MDF (or similar), the rest is steel. It's heavy but it's on good casters. I don't worry about level, the lathe bed is straight.
The lathe in the picture is a Logan 9x28, just a little shorter than a long-bed 9A. The countershaft pulley does hang over the back edge, so the bench is spaced out from the wall.
I've bought 4 so far and would buy another if they show up locally at a reasonable price. CL is your friend here. There are also smaller sizes plus a tall cabinet.
My garage is fully furnished in these

I remember seeing those! Nice

Rex TX · Apr 21, 2021

Yeah, they were a bargain at $300. Can't buy them for that now.

GM26J · Apr 22, 2021

Is there an advantage to a serpentine belt? I have seen 1" flat original style belts available.

GM26J · Apr 22, 2021

And thank you everyone for the responses - much appreciated. I will build a bench if necessary (have built quite a few over the years and usually do a double-glued 3/4" plywood top as someone mentioned), but I do like the idea of saving a day by just purchasing one. I will scour CL via SearchTempest and see what's out there in the NE area.

Looking forward to seeing this lathe run - appears to have had very little use.

mcload · Apr 22, 2021

Build Your OWN!

GM26J said:
And thank you everyone for the responses - much appreciated. I will build a bench if necessary (have built quite a few over the years and usually do a double-glued 3/4" plywood top as someone mentioned), but I do like the idea of saving a day by just purchasing one. I will scour CL via SearchTempest and see what's out there in the NE area.
Looking forward to seeing this lathe run - appears to have had very little use.

You will be massively disappointed in what's available; most "internet options" have spindly, wobbly pressed-steel legs that will require additional bracing, and still cost too much.
Not designed in the least for a spinning 450 pound lathe...more like for folding clothes or shipping work table for taping up boxes. I doubt you will be happy with a used junk IKEA desk either.

If capable, build your own...it's the only way to get what you want and need. Stay away from pine and Home Depot; use Poplar if painting; Red Oak if staining and clear Poly finish.
I got my wood from a mill (Houston Hardwoods), precision-cut straight with sharp 90-degree edges.

Below, framework of the custom oak bench I am building for my 9" Mod A (in progress). Stout, heavy, and the right height. Drawers will go under headstock.
Fashioned after the bench for my 1946 Model-A 9", but will be all natural wood grain showing. One-inch by 3-inch OD Delrin pucks under legs for easy scooting around.
For sure it will take time, work, and patience.

I don't consider my vintage machines as being junk, so I don't like to assemble them on crappy, pre-fab benches that cost an arm/leg to begin with.
I'd rather put that money towards quality wood (or rectangular tubing if you go the metal route). (And by the way, forget wood on any SB lathe larger than a 9")

Just saying and IMHO.

PMc

GM26J · Apr 22, 2021

mcload said:
You will be massively disappointed in what's available; most "internet options" have spindly, wobbly pressed-steel legs that will require additional bracing, and still cost too much.
Not designed in the least for a spinning 450 pound lathe...more like for folding clothes or shipping work table for taping up boxes. I doubt you will be happy with a used junk IKEA desk either.

If capable, build your own...it's the only way to get what you want and need. Stay away from pine and Home Depot; use Poplar if painting; Red Oak if staining and clear Poly finish.
I got my wood from a mill (Houston Hardwoods), precision-cut straight with sharp 90-degree edges.

Below, framework of the custom oak bench I am building for my 9" Mod A (in progress). Stout, heavy, and the right height. Drawers will go under headstock.
Fashioned after the bench for my 1946 Model-A 9", but will be all natural wood grain showing. One-inch by 3-inch OD Delrin pucks under legs for easy scooting around.
For sure it will take time, work, and patience.

I don't consider my vintage machines as being junk, so I don't like to assemble them on crappy, pre-fab benches that cost an arm/leg to begin with.
I'd rather put that money towards quality wood (or rectangular tubing if you go the metal route). (And by the way, forget wood on any SB lathe larger than a 9")

Just saying and IMHO.

PMc

I definitely won't being checking Ikea for anything, lol. But I appreciate the guidance. And that's a beautiful job you're doing with the oak - what height are you setting up for?

chipss · Apr 22, 2021

Rex that Costco bench looks hella stout for a purchased dealio.
Quite the simple solution. Buy it, screw it together and use it.

Mine's an undermount drive machine so it has it's own free standing cabinet support.

mcload · Apr 22, 2021

GM26J said:
I definitely won't being checking Ikea for anything, lol. But I appreciate the guidance. And that's a beautiful job you're doing with the oak - what height are you setting up for?

Basically, I want the centerline of the spindle to be about chest high. I'm 6'-2" BTW.

The uprights (4x4's) as you see them are cut 35.5". Add one-inch pucks on the bottom uprights; and say a top that is about 1.5" and we're at 38".
Adding the lathe is 14.5" from extended feet to spindle centerline, putting us at about 52" to centerline of spindle on the
bench being built.

The floor to center spindle distance on the machine on the painted bench is 49", and is a good height for me. If I don't make extension
pads for the feet of my "new" lathe, then we're just about at the same height.

So anything in the 50" range from floor to lathe spindle centerline is good for me.

Thank you sir.

PMc

BTW, in regards to serpentine belts, there are a LOT of threads about them, so maybe do a search. I think the consensus is that they work very well,
but are hard to glue together and/or to connect via pin-type latches. Seems to really need to get one from an auto store, fit it up, and use it without cutting.
But as you are aware, you have to take a lot of pieces apart to get it threaded whole onto pulley shafts. Personally, I like the idea of being able to remove
the belt without taking everything apart. Once someone figures out a way to produce and sell serpentine belts that are pinned, then I would try them.
So for the meantime, I just use a 53" synthetic (or sometimes leather) pinned belt. Lots of pros and cons tho.

pavt · Apr 23, 2021

GM26J said:
Is there an advantage to a serpentine belt? I have seen 1" flat original style belts available.

I think they grab better. Definitely cheaper too.

pavt · Apr 23, 2021

Regarding the bench strength: Anything you can do to make it stiff is good. The SB lathes are not known for their inherent rigidity, so you have to help it out by making the bench as stiff as possible.

On mine, I used solid hardwood plywood, doubled up to 1.5" thick with glue and screws, 30x48 with screws on 12" centers and an entire bottle of glue. In the future I would like to pour a couple inches of concrete on top of that. This was actually recommended by South Bend during WW2 for maximum stiffness, accuracy, and output.

stephen thomas · Apr 24, 2021

Whatever you decided to do for a bench, just make sure it's stiff and rigid because the lathe isn't. A flexible base will have the lathe flexing which you do not want

Amen.

My 10K (essentially same lathe) came mounted on a 3 x 6' bench with a solid 3/4" thick steel plate top.
I would definitely replicate that if ever doing it again; though the top could be narrower & slightly shorter. If the base is triangulated, putting wheels under it won't be a problem.

Alternately, (not sure of length of your lathe base-to-base?) finding a Hardinge cabinet base would be lighter but at least as stiff. The SB backstand drive might (or might not) take a bit of finagling but should be simple to add. If you are moderately tall, wheels will probably put that bench about the right height for comfortable working, instead of the crouch-inducing original height.

Every now and then i have tried to buy new-source solutions to save time for stuff like this.
They usually turn out to be a waste of time and money and seldom satisfactory.
I have found suitable machine bases "shopping" local scrap yards. Though seldom at the time needed "right now".

smt

GM26J · Apr 24, 2021

stephen thomas said:
Amen.

My 10K (essentially same lathe) came mounted on a 3 x 6' bench with a solid 3/4" thick steel plate top.
I would definitely replicate that if ever doing it again; though the top could be narrower & slightly shorter. If the base is triangulated, putting wheels under it won't be a problem.

Alternately, (not sure of length of your lathe base-to-base?) finding a Hardinge cabinet base would be lighter but at least as stiff. The SB backstand drive might (or might not) take a bit of finagling but should be simple to add. If you are moderately tall, wheels will probably put that bench about the right height for comfortable working, instead of the crouch-inducing original height.

Every now and then i have tried to buy new-source solutions to save time for stuff like this.
They usually turn out to be a waste of time and money and seldom satisfactory.
I have found suitable machine bases "shopping" local scrap yards. Though seldom at the time needed "right now".

smt

This 9A has a 4 foot bed. And yes, I may not be able to buy something satisfactory and therefore may end up making a cabinet. In my younger days I would have just assumed I'd make it but at this point handing someone some cash and just having it appear is compelling

pavt · Apr 24, 2021

Grizzly tools has a decent deal on the classic solid maple work bench tops, the ones that are 2" thick like a butcher block. Dunno if that would work for you. Same kind of thing they used to use in high-school shops. They also have replicas of the original style cast iron legs, but they're a bit expensive. You can get the stamped steel legs as well. Those are the types of benches that were offered with these lathes when they were brand new.

Bench recommendations for a 9A?

Plastic

Attachments

Stainless

Plastic

Stainless

Hot Rolled

Titanium

Attachments

Stainless

Stainless

Titanium

Plastic

Plastic

Hot Rolled

Plastic

Cast Iron

Hot Rolled

Stainless

Stainless

Diamond

Plastic

Stainless

Similar threads