Meet Junky, the old new to me Model 9C

Stumbled upon a CL ad and seen a dilapidated lathe but didn't realize it was a South Bend until Johnoder and Kinto pointed it out. So I figured for $60 total I paid for it, I couldn't let Junky become scrap metal. At first I thought it was going to be used and abused, I would just clean it and put it off to the side in case I ever needed a part on a better quality one once I find it but after carefully looking at Junky, he seems in great shape.

Long story short, the seller's great grandfather bought it new tinkered on it a little he passed away in the 40's, which left it to his son which splattered it with a grease gun at some point but never used and gave it to his son who left it in the barn untouched until he passed away just recently with no children and a nephew inherited the farm and was about to send it to the scrapyard if no one responded on CL.

So a little hop, skip, jump and 2 hour drive later.. Junky is in the trunk of the wife's Outlander (she wasn't impressed), which now is leading to my dilemma. He's in good shape, missing a few parts (countershaft, rear cover, spindle handle, tool post), a bit handicapped with a broken foot but the good things are: no broken or damaged teeth, ways look great to me still need to do some testing with dial indicator, no heavy rust anywhere since it was caked in grease, no play, and has a full set of manual gears by some miracle, everything moves and seen no visible wear in the apron plus some minor tooling.

Anyways enough rambling here is the pictures(excuse the mess of a garage, just moved in)


Let me know if anyone wants any close ups of certain areas in case I missed something, I only played with mini lathes making pins/shafts/bearings or fittings for other antique equipment that I restored. Should I bother rebuilding him a little or just set off to the side?

If you don't have a lathe, I'd clean it up and see if it's in good enough shape to use. Sounds like it should be. Clean it up, change felts and re-lube everything and it'll likely be ready to roll. You'll probably want a smaller chuck for it, that one is pushing the limit. And I'm not sure what a "spindle handle" is but all the other parts you're missing can be had. Nice score for $60!

honestly its a money pit.
as long as you know that going in and you want to do it, its such a simple machine you can certainly bring it back.

i say money pit because-
change gears - 250
gear covers- 50
drive system- 400
odds and ends- 100

plus tooling- 500
time invloved- ?
this is assuming what you do have is serviceable.

so you have to ask yourself if its worth 1500 to you to make it useable.

it may or may not be.....you might be able to find one ready to go with tooling for that money.

I'd start by getting it cleaned and oiled, find a counter-shaft assembly (ebay), and get it wired on a stand/bench it can call home. From there just start filling in blanks as you go until you're making parts. Once you have an idea of it's functionality, you can decide if you'd like to paint it up or make any upgrades to it.

IMO change gear lathes aren't that bad unless you cut threads of different sizes every day. Otherwise you can set it up with a nice general feed ratio and it'll work fine.

working on that lathe is better then setting watching football or basketball. plus when done you will have something to show for the time.

Thanks guys, I figured it may be a little bit of a money pit but I decided to go ahead with it after chatting with a few different people and sending some close ups. The major decision point was because I had all change gears, ways are good, don't currently have a lathe and well I am semi retired so my time isn't costing me anything.

So far into Junky is (including shipping):
Complete Counter shaft assembly with belt tension $160
Foot riser $25
Covers $65
Serpentine Belt $22

Still need:
Quick change tool post
Tailstock wrench
Tailstock lock handle? (I accidentally typed it in as spindle handle, not sure of the proper name)
5 or 6" Chuck going to set the 8" one off to the side

Hi Rouke, sounds like an interesting project, please post pictures as you go along, I for one always enjoy this type of machine rescue/rehab. Jim

Keep Ol' Junky

First, it's too bad that someone let it get to that condition in the first place, but as many have said, you can bring it back to working condition.
I recently picked up a 9B model, and I call it a "rescue". Luckily it had been stored complete in a warehouse, and only missing a couple of easily replaced parts. (Unfortunately, the thread dial indicator was gone, dammit. The real ones are a bit pricey these days).
Another 9" Rescued!!

I already have a '46 9" A-Model (I inherited) in great shape, so this "new" one was just for the sake of having a good winter project and giving it a good home. I have no illusions about selling it for big bucks because the only people interested in these vintage machines are old guys like me. These were for my Dad's generation. You can really never get back the labor on any restoration project, especially vintage cars and vintage lathes. But if you clean it up and make it work well, then you can probably find someone who would like to have it; hopefully a responsible young man with a mechanical mind....seemingly hard to find these days.

Threading is a nice capability to have and QC gearboxes make it so easy. But I think you will find that you probably won't be doing many threading operations on your lathe as opposed to just turning. So I wouldn't kill myself to find a set of gears right off the bat (easy for me to say).
But there's just something about the look of these little 9" lathes with all the gears and handles and knobs...they are simply cool, useful, and very well-made little machines. And they can be very precise! Most definitely get a copy of "How To Run A Lathe".

For me, one of the most important things about these SB 9" lathes is that they are easily broken down to components (in under an hour) and transportable by one man. Comes in handy when you move or get another house. As much as I love the 10K models, they are just too heavy for easy relocation without a crew and a lot of trouble.

Keep it well-oiled and covered. Spend some time watching a bunch of 9" lathe videos on YouBoobTube.

Remember, ol' Junky chose you!

PMc

Hi, Rouke, and welcome to PM.

I suggest you take a look at James Clough's Electronic Leadscrew videos on YouTube. His ELS, combined with a VFD will give your old lathe a new life!

Jan (Yan)

Yan Wo said:

Hi, Rouke, and welcome to PM.

I suggest you take a look at James Clough's Electronic Leadscrew videos on YouTube. His ELS, combined with a VFD will give your old lathe a new life!

Jan (Yan)

Click to expand...

I did take a look at the videos and that is quite fascinating, and seems to work very well. Seems kinda complicated from an electronic standpoint, but clearly something that can be learned.
I really don't know what would be involved in attaching/conforming to a SB 9", but looks like its certainly doable. Of course, his is a new model lathe.
The lathe sure seems noisy though....probably because gear cover is wide open.
Thanks for passing along. If a kit were offered, I would be interested.

PMc

Yan Wo said:

Hi, Rouke, and welcome to PM.

I suggest you take a look at James Clough's Electronic Leadscrew videos on YouTube. His ELS, combined with a VFD will give your old lathe a new life!

Jan (Yan)

Click to expand...

Thanks Yan, I was actually going to install a Nema motor to turn the screw already but this will definitely become a future upgrade. For now I plan to get everything cleaned, turning and painted then start to modify.

Little update - Just learned SB changed the height of bed risers over the years and the replacement riser I ordered is 1/2" higher than the original. So Junky is getting a new pair of legs next week!

just so you know....that looks like an early enough one that a model a or b conversion is not a simple parts swap away.
it has the big lip running the full length along the bottom of the bed...that lip will not allow the power feed apron of the model a or b, the apron clutch "bulge" will hit that lip.

the little servo motor drive on the leadscrew is a good option for power feed, although a lot of guys just learn to feed by hand.

to be clear, im not knockin ol junkie...just wanted you to know what to expect.

have fun with it!!

Thanks, so far I am. I ran the serial number from the bed, did the math to determine it was 1936 so probably assembled in 1937. I have operated lathes but never really knew how they worked so going for a complete rebuild is fun. Never planned on doing a quick gear change, it would be cheaper to just have purchased a model A rather than converting this one but with Yan pointing out the video it opens a few possibilities down the road to modernize it but I am months away from that.

Rouke said:

"... it would be cheaper to just have purchased a model A rather than converting this one, but with Yan pointing out the video, it opens a few possibilities down the road to modernize it but I am months away from that.

Click to expand...

Well, maybe yes and maybe no on finding a 9" Model A for the sake of getting a QCGB. But there's something to be said for spending a little more for a newer model in possibly better shape. Maybe clean and freshen your '36 up, sell it, and get a SB Model A (or even a NEW SB bench top lathe from Grizzly if you're new to lathes).

Definitely, the direct drive electronic system is quite cool, but can't be cheap ultimately. My problem with a system like that is how will the next owner know how to use it? To me, it's sort of like putting an American engine into a British classic car. None of the wiring matches nor the connectors, and you end up with a chopped up classic British car that you can neither sell, nor one that the next owner can tell heads from tails when there's an electrical problem. Wiring schematic useless. Just saying.

PMc