Looking for info/advice on my SB 9" lathe

barrakudaman · Feb 3, 2014

I had a buddy who owns a machine shop help me pick this lathe out. It seems like it came with plenty of tooling. I have wanted a lathe for a while, and this one seems to be in great shape. I like that it came with a milling attachment. Can anyone tell me where they would start with this lathe as far as cleaning/ maintaining it? I would love to make it look like new. I am looking forward to seeing how everything attaches and functions. My buddy will be showing me the basics.

barrakudaman · Feb 3, 2014

some more pics

barrakudaman · Feb 3, 2014

The first two pics show some gears on the end of the lathe that are not aligned right. Anyone know how to adjust them and make them right? I know if has to do with the cross feed for threading.

Ken-Bergen · Feb 3, 2014

barrakudaman said:
The first two pics show some gears on the end of the lathe that are not aligned right. Anyone know how to adjust them and make them right? I know if has to do with the cross feed for threading.

Welcome to the forum.

That's a sweet looking lathe. I'm jealous of the 4 1/2' bed and the milling vice.

On the left side of your picture "lathe 061.jpg" you see a square head bolt, loosen that and move the arm up to engage the gears then tighten the bolt. The gears should have a little back lash which can be gauged with thin paper between them.

Ken from Canada.

gulloj · Feb 3, 2014

barrakudaman,

That is a really nice lathe. Not sure what you paid for it, but you got a TON of bits & pieces with it including the milling attachment, the thread dial indicator, and steady rest. Also, it is nicely featured with the quick change gearbox, v-belt drive, and 4-1/2 ft bed.

South Bend recommended different oils for different parts of the machine. There are a lot of places online to read about oiling your South Bend lathe. South Bend classified the four oils as A, B, C & way oil. Nowadays there are modern-day oils that meet those requirements set down by South Bend when they made the machines. If you do a google search for "south bend oils", the first hit that comes up is a link to a guy's ebay store who sells 16 oz containers of the four oils. I bought these oils from the same seller when I cleaned up my 9" SBL a couple months ago.

Good luck, and enjoy making chips.
-Justin

M.Baldwin · Feb 4, 2014

Depending on the overall condition and how far you plan to tear it apart, the rebuild kit and manual available on e-bay are a good idea. I'm just getting started on doing mine.
Unless you're a woodworker, you can put that saw vise on CL and get $20 back from your purchase price.

barrakudaman · Feb 4, 2014

Thanks for all the advice and info guys. I will adjust the gears tonight so I can play with it some more. I paid $1600 for it with everything pictured. I want to clean everything up a bit on the machine, it has been sitting for a while and everything moves pretty slow.

BobRenz · Feb 4, 2014

barrakudaman said:
Thanks for all the advice and info guys. I will adjust the gears tonight so I can play with it some more. I paid $1600 for it with everything pictured. I want to clean everything up a bit on the machine, it has been sitting for a while and everything moves pretty slow.

My first lathe was a 9" SB that wasn't nearly as nice as the one you found - and it cost me $ 900 forty years ago!

Even though we always read about someone finding a lathe somewhere for a few hundred dollars, based on the photos, $ 1600 is certainly a fair price. As the saying goes: You get what you pay for. Always remember that anything included with a machine tool is probably as cheap as it will ever be. Price a SB milling attachment on E Bay, then figure what you paid for yours.

Buy the rebuild manual, buy a copy of How To Run A Lathe (or download one from a SB forum). Sit down with a cuppa coffee and read them cover to cover. See how the lathe runs - look for noise, vibration, rattles. If it runs smoothly and quietly, then your rebuild probably got a lot easier. Looking at the photos, the lathe probably hasn't seen rough service and looks to be in decent shape.

Paint can be anything you want, all the way from a spray can to a catalyzed enamel. If you look at some of the threads here, you'll see that many have been painted with a brush and tractor enamel, but do what works for you. Spray cans can handle a small lathe like a 9" SB with no problem, plus they make it easy to paint-as-you-go.

SpongeRich · Feb 5, 2014

Very nice. That milling attachment looks like an Atlas/Craftsman one to me, but if it fits on your cross slide, there's not reason it shouldn't work.

I had my South Bend for about a year before I was convinced to invest in a quick change tool post. Best tooling investment I ever made. Getting accurate setups is just so much easier and any additional rigidity in a small lathe pays big dividends. If money is no object, Aloris/Dorians are wonderful. I have a Phase II import and it's actually quite well made and more than worth the $200 or so.

tommy1010 · Feb 5, 2014

Nice find. Have to agree with SpongeRich above. That is an Atlas milling attachment. I have one just like it on my SB9. Clean it up and start making chips. A quick change toolpost is a good investment. Check out CDCO tools. They are not that expensive. Many forum members make stuff for this machine and SBlatheman has a lot of NOS stuff. Fleabay has most everything. Judging from the pictures you really don't need anything to make chips. Mount it on a bench and have at it.

barrakudaman · Feb 7, 2014

Yes, I think I will leave the machine as is and not try and paint stuff up. Once I get some time I am going to go over everything and get it all set up in its space. Thanks for the info.

michiganbuck · Feb 7, 2014

Nice find. It looks fairly clean and way to dry so the first thing take a lightly oiled rag and wipe everything exposed. Try to wipe clean and drip oil can rather than spray cans. Don’t be quick to run spindle with not being sure it is well oiled. *Might be good to pull head caps and be sure oil ways are clear and spindle OD is not rusted. You can not do much about rust pitting so perhaps a soft wire brushing to clean exposed metal that is non functional (not removing any metal just cleaning up rust and the like). Functional metal like numbered-places, or fit-places, spindle OD, ways, bearing and shaft, need special care so don’t touch (except for clean and oil) until you know what you are to do for each.

note...
Best to not wire brush numbered parts like dials tail stock quill ect.

Sand paper cleaning requires much caution as you don't want grit in the works so an oiled new honing stone can sometimes be better for flats and diameters.

barrakudaman · Feb 12, 2014

Started cleaning a bit tonight, just with windex/dental pick/brush to get oil off. There are some rust spots. I have pictures of the rust spots, please let me know your thoughts on the best way to deal with it. Do you really need to use 5 different types of oil on a lathe? When you say pull the head caps and make sure its oiled and free of debree: you have a link that explains the process? Should I just oil the ways with regular oil once I get them cleaned? 10w-30 car oil;-/ Thanks

paulsomlo · Feb 12, 2014

Use 4/0 steel wool on the rust spots, nothing more abrasive than that.

It's actually four different oils: http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/south-bend-lathes/south-bend-recommended-lubricants-238033/ You'll find these on ebay in small quantities, or in gallon jugs at Enco.

Here's a link to a rebuild kit and manual that's been used by many of us, the seller is also a forum member: Rebuild Manual Kit for 9? South Bend Lathe Model A | eBay

Paul

SpongeRich · Feb 12, 2014

Another option for dealing with the rust is to use some Evaporust. (Available at most auto parts stores). You can soak a rag and cover it with some plastic wrap. Let it sit overnight and it should clean that rust up without any abrasives. I've soaked parts in it for over a week and it won't touch any good metal, but removes the rust quite well.

barrakudaman · Feb 13, 2014

Thanks for the info. I ordered both kits. I will try that evaporust I think. I'll keep you guys updated with the progress. Thanks for the input.

paulsomlo said:
Use 4/0 steel wool on the rust spots, nothing more abrasive than that.

It's actually four different oils: http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/south-bend-lathes/south-bend-recommended-lubricants-238033/ You'll find these on ebay in small quantities, or in gallon jugs at Enco.

Here's a link to a rebuild kit and manual that's been used by many of us, the seller is also a forum member: Rebuild Manual Kit for 9? South Bend Lathe Model A | eBay

Paul

packrat2 · Feb 13, 2014

I am cleaning up a 10 inch lathe I just got, it is real greasy and gummed up but no rust, its a chore but kind of fun to clean it
and see what I got for my $$$$..

barrakudaman · Feb 13, 2014

Is it a no no to use a dental pick to scrape the thick grease off the ways? The bristle tooth brusk only does so much ;-)

freeclimbmtb · Feb 20, 2014

First off for your gear alignment issue, the square head bolt on the reverse lever wont fix that allignment... it looks to me like the banjo bracket is bumped down (the bracket with 2 long slotted arms that holds the idler gear). There should be a socket head cap screw burried down between the quick change gearbox and the circular guard. Loosen that screw, rotate the bracket up, tighten the screw. Ive also heard that bracket should be kept a little loose so if the feed jams the gears push out of engagement instead of breaking teeth...

Rex TX · Feb 20, 2014

SpongeRich said:
Another option for dealing with the rust is to use some Evaporust. (Available at most auto parts stores). You can soak a rag and cover it with some plastic wrap. Let it sit overnight and it should clean that rust up without any abrasives. I've soaked parts in it for over a week and it won't touch any good metal, but removes the rust quite well.

I just pulled a 9" Logan bed out of an overnight Evaporust soak. It was MUCH worse than yours. Looks nearly new today

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