Semi-restoration on SB Junior

Well after all my questions I think its finally time to show something for all the great info you guys have this forum. Im no where near done with this project but today I finished up a shelf and I decided its showing enough progress for me to do a mock up that I can show.

I started by tearing the lathe apart and cleaning all the old grease and oil off the bare metal, and using the wire brush to take all the painted areas back to the metal. Then I did my best to partially polish most of the parts that seem like they should be polished, these were then taped off and shot with some rustoleum hammered finish. I know this isnt the proper color (I believe this model is actually supposed to be black though Im not sure) but I really like this color combination. Also this lathe is going to a functional part of my workshop and several other tools have this paint. I have found it to be very durable and covers any surface imperfections very well.

(you probably have seen most of the pictures before but Id like them all in one thread)

The picture I got of it from the previous owner.


Everything assembled once I got it with my own motor on it.


Heres how its looking now, everything is moving great but Im still going to polish all the bare metal up to nicer shine. The shelf is just some 1" pine, I managed to mount it without drilling any holes into legs so if I choose to replace or remove it theres no damage to the legs.


Still working on the apron, luckily its very simple because apparently this lathe was never meant to have power feeds so no half nut levers or other stuff clean up. Once I get a new motor I think I will run the switches through the large holed the previous owner cut in the legs to try to cover them up in a useful way. After the main lathe is done I will concentrate my efforts on fixing up all the tooling that come with it.

Looks good, and you're right the original color was more then likely black depending on the year.

Very nice restoration on that lathe, I'll be looking for the finished product. Should serve you well...

Paul

Go with a colour you like, the original may have been black, but it must have been a nightmare to see what you were doing on it. I haven't repainted anything on my 13" so there are quite large areas of bare grey cast iron, it's amazing how they absorb the light, if I do ever bother to repaint, I will be choosing a nice light colour, not necessarily anything original or harking back to it's history.

Looking through the "things I have made for my southbend" thread you will probably notice that when it comes to collet chucks and stuff, a lot of guys paint the non working areas white to reflect light onto the work, I'll probably do that to my collet chuck at some point, maybe the drive plate when I finish it.

Please post close up photos of your compound and cross slide. I know that someone posted that the were off an Atlas but I find it hard to believe that someone was able to comvert them for use on a South Bend.

By the way, nice job so far. Gary P. Hansen

I will grab some pictures as soon as I get home gary.

Also I just picked up a nice new motor for this lathe a 1/3 hp with that is very easily reversible, managed to get it for 20 bucks from my local restore. The only issue is that it is only 1625 rpms, not the 1725 rpms the standard motor uses. However I think I can make up for this by using a larger pulley on the motors shaft. So Im wondering what the puley size was standard on the southbend junior?

thanks

I am not sure everyone knows what this lathe actually is. Its a catalog 320 YA I believe. This lathes head stock is not built to hold a shifter nor did it ever have a lead screw. The apron was a very simple item with only the hand wheel gears. The 20 series lathe was the cheapest lathe that SB built back in the 20's. There was only a head stock tail stock saddle with simple apron. Thats it no more. Unlike the Atlas component lathe of the mid 30's which as you could afford it you could purchase the back gears end gears lead screw and such to make it a complete lathe but in the beginning it was just like this one. SB never intended this lathe to be upgraded so the features needed to do so are not on this lathe.

This is the first 20 series lathe I have seen outside of a couple of catalogs I have.

Yes the compound does look like an Atlas unit as there were other Atlas parts mounted to this lathe when it was found.

By the way if you do post pictures of the cross slide and compound I can verify what they are and I may also have the correct SB replacement parts if you so choose to bring the lathe back to what SB shipped.

Turk

OK well I just got the new motor on and did a couple quick test cuts and it runs great, cant wait till I finish this.

heres the compound


and a couple pics of the motor




Im pretty pleased with a new motor for only 20 bucks.

If that motor was not mounted the way it is I would say that you should rig up some type of guard to keep chips out of it. That compound does sort of look like an Atlas but not exactly like the ones I remember. Dennis will know for sure. Gary P. Hansen

OK the compound cross slide and cross slide extension are right off a 10 D or 10F Atlas. This is interesting as it looks like the saddle still has its original cross slide screw. The dial ring hand crank and the way its secured with a special nut is pure SB. The odd thing is SB as we all know used a 7/16 - 10 left hand thread on the cross slide. Atlas on the other hand used a 1/2 - 10 LH thread. So how is the two married together?

The Atlas nut mounts differently than the SB does. You just have to wonder were some of these old lathes have been.

OH and you cant call this a Jr. model as its not a Jr. lathe. I need to look in my catalogs and get the correct nomenclature for this model. Again guys this is a very rare lathe and actually one of the rarest of all SB machines even though simple as it is.

Turk

Here is what the original silent chain drive would have looked like on this lathe and also the compound and cross side with extrention.

Turk

If it is so rare, let's not call it cheap, instead it should be termed inexpensive. I think jor2daje should be commended for finding this baby and putting her back together as she was intended to be.

I'm curious, is the apron off of an Atlas as well? If so, is there still a rack attached to the bed that is the original rack?

garyphansen said:

If that motor was not mounted the way it is I would say that you should rig up some type of guard to keep chips out of it. That compound does sort of look like an Atlas but not exactly like the ones I remember. Dennis will know for sure. Gary P. Hansen

Click to expand...

The wires also need to be put in some type of flex conduct.

Its very interesting that this was origonally meant as a chain drive, the previous owner must have been quite handy with v-belts as he used them on prettty much everything.

Sorry I didnt say all the things you told me through emails in the origonal post Dennis but I was unclear on a few things, I will definetly change the name once you find out the proper one.

Quick question before I finish preping the apron for paint, was it meant to have threaded holes where the half nut lever is on other sb's?

Dennis Turk said:

Again guys this is a very rare lathe and actually one of the rarest of all SB machines even though simple as it is.

Turk

Click to expand...

Great find!

So have I understood correctly:
Rare SB bed with original saddle and probably original cross feed screw (and apron?)
Atlas cross slide adapted to fit the saddle and cross feed screw, with Atlas compound rest and chip guard. Also retrofitted Atlas reverse box and leadscrew (apron? or have half nuts been added to the orginal?)

It sounds like a pretty impressive bit of mix and match to me. Presumably an early or original owner decided they wanted a lead screw after a few years and because SB didn't sell upgrade parts they went with the Atlas stuff instead?

In some ways I like the 'Frankenlathe' aspect of it - suggests it has an interesting history, as well as a long one!

No. 20 9 inch South Bend Special back geared turning lathe

Hi Guys

Well I found this lathe in my 1927 catalog. This is the only catalog I find it listed in and interestingly this lathe was built in 1927. Makes you wonder if it was the only year they built this model. OK why the lathe got the Atlas cross slide and compound. The original lathe did not have a compound rather it had a tall cross slide with a tool post T slot at the top. Dalton did this on there TL model pattern makers lathe. The counter shaft that was provided with this lathe was also unique to this model. the counter shaft used a tight and lose pulley with a shifter to move the belt from the free pulley to the drive pulley. There was also a three step cone pulley for the drive to the lathe. There was no provisions in the counter shaft for a reveres clutch as there was on the standard counter shaft. The apron is smooth on the front with no holes around the area were the half nut lever would have been. The tail stock looks to be the standard Jr or tool room model

Sorry I cant get a image of it posted as I cant seam to find the drivers to my scanner and my attempts to down load them from the INTERNET has been a bust. Damn they make things so difficult. I have looked all over my office and I be darned if I can find the installation disks for the scanner. Anyone got a driver for an Epsom 2580 scanner?

Turk

scanner drivers

Dennis try here:

Epson Perfection 2580 Photo, Drivers & Downloads - Technical Support - Epson America, Inc.

Paychk said:

Dennis try here:

Epson Perfection 2580 Photo, Drivers & Downloads - Technical Support - Epson America, Inc.

Click to expand...

Well now that worked just great. That was a different site than I was trying to use.

Here is a scan of the 9 inch special plain turning lathe we have been looking at in this thread.

Nice work Dennis, I don't think anyone else would have spotted that!

So it's not a cheap lathe to be cheap, it's a special lathe for doing the most common work, and is simply cheap because all the rarely used bits are left off?

Thanks for that picture, Im definetly going to print that out because its a very cool part of this lathes history. The only real differences I see in the picture and my lathe other than the compound and cross slide, is the location of the southbend badge, and the 4 raised squares on the apron, although these are probably due to artistic license from the artist that drew it.