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Say It With Faceplates

Paula

Titanium
Joined
Sep 16, 2005
Location
Indiana, USA
This post is to report on the high caliber of individuals that participate on this forum (and yes, to gloat just a little...)


Back in August, I received an email from a forum member ("patriot-mfg"), after he read one of my posts where I happened to mention that I don't have a faceplate for my lathe. He said, “I have one still in the original SB box that you can have if you would like.” Naturally, I was interested, and I asked him how much he wanted for it. “Just knowing it will be taken care of and used is good enough for me.” To make a long story short, he sent me a total of three faceplates, a chuck adapter, and 5” 3-jaw chuck! I practically had to twist his arm to let me pay for the shipping! Here’s what I received:

FACE02.jpg


Without question, the star of the show is this “faceplate chuck”, which is South Bend’s catalog #CL2155NK, shipped in its original box, with all hardware, and even the packing ticket:

FACE03.jpg


FACE08.jpg


FACE11.jpg


Notice that the step-blocks can be mounted in a variety of ways, such that the setscrews can apply clamping pressure inward, outward, or downward, and should prove handy for fixturing odd-shaped workpieces on the lathe. It’s 8” diameter, and very heavily constructed. The second faceplate is 7-3/8” diameter, and has six slots. The third faceplate is 6” diameter, and slotted for dog-driver duty. The 1-1/2”-8 chuck adapter is identical to the one on my 4-jaw independent chuck, and may come in handy on a future project where I need to mount something to the lathe spindle.

The 3-jaw chuck, though badly rusted, is actually fairly tight and smooth operating. Unfortunately, one of the jaws is “sprung” slightly, though overall I’d wager to say that this chuck is in better condition than the majority of chucks its size that sell on eBay for big bucks.

Of course, I had to clean everything up. The faceplates all got a light facing cut, though all ran nearly dead true without it. The hardware for the faceplate chuck was black oxided, and the other two faceplates were painted to match my lathe:

FACE09.jpg


FACE06.jpg


FACE07.jpg


Many thanks to patriot-mfg!!

Paula
 
Paula

As usual a very nice job. Can you provide some details regarding the black oxide finish - did you apply it yourself or have it done? If DIY what products did you use?

If this has already been discussed just point me in the right direction.

Regards
Dennis
10L Lansing
 
I've never ever suspected the existence of such
a beast (faceplate chuck) from all the literature
about SB machines I've seen over the years. It's
a really versatile item clearly. I would imagine
boring or trepanning holes in thin items would
be one task it would really excell at.

Now about that black oxide...?

Jim
 
For black oxiding, I bought a kit from Caswell, and it seems to work pretty well, for a cold process. Results can vary quite a bit, depending on the type of steel, and whether it's been heat-treated. Mild steel seems to have more potential for blackening; alloy and casehardened steels are more resistant. I've done well over a hundred parts so far, and have developed a few techniques to improve the results, such as warming the solution, and heating the part with a heat gun between dunkings. The process can be a bit tedious, especially if the parts are rusty (and you are fussy). This is not intended to be a durable, protective finish -- it's mainly decorative -- but I have found that even some of the commercially applied versions are not all that much better, and in some cases, worse.

Paula
 
WOW! Yes, you are right, Paula, some incredible people here on this forum.

Have black oxided a few items like screws for my levels...

As an aside, 'captured' a Starrett #98 12 inch level (older, shiny japanning)--had a broken cross test vial; called my "vial vendor" and asked if he had one--he asked to check his stock. Returned my call in 15 minutes--confirmed my address, and then said, "I'll send you two, made in 1972 for Starrett's #98--" I asked to pay shipping, too...wouldn't have been much, and then he said, "You've been a great customer...and it's been a pleasure to work with you."

I paused...for what seemed a long time...this vendor used to make Starrett's vials--now Starrett buys from Germany--and those cooters wouldn't even answer the phone when I called them.

Thanks for reminding us...that honor hasn't completely faded away...

Joe
 
Interesting. I've always found that CRS
does not work well at all with the brownell's
oxpho blue cold blueing solution - that high
carbon drill rod seems to give the best outcome.

Next time I need to do CRS or low carbon stuff
I'll try some of the caswells.

Jim
 
Way to go Paula all around -- including showing us pics of an item most of have not seen before.

Would it be inappropriate to mention I'm in need of a nice 8" D1-4 4-jaw chuck? :D

Ken
 
Not inappropriate at all. Unfortunately that is the mixed blessing of owning a lathe with a cam-lock spindle. ;)

Here is a picture of the faceplate chuck from a 1956 catalog:

FPCHUCK.jpg


Paula
 
Nice find Paula, there are some truly gracious folks on this site.
I perked up when I heard about one of my favorite products, Oxpho Blue. I have used this stuff for decades and would like to offer a few pointers. First of all, it doesn’t do well on highly polished parts, 320 grit may be too fine on some steels. The best way I have found to blue small parts is to put a drop or two on an m16-tooth brush and vigorously brush the part until it becomes dry. Prior to figuring this out, I had a lot of trouble with getting an even, blemish free, black finish. Now I keep a bottle by the lathe and blue just about anything that I want black or that I do not want to rust. I even blued the bed on my old Atlas lathe. Absolutely great at preventing rust.
Have a good one, Mike
 
>Not inappropriate at all. Unfortunately that is the mixed blessing of owning a lathe with a cam-lock spindle.

Cam-lock chucks aren't at all hard to find. It's finding the money in my wallet that's the issue.


Faceplates are a bit tougher if you want an original. And in fact I do need an appropriately sized SB cam-lock faceplate.

Cam-lock spindle protectors aren't all that common either, but I have one of those (at least I think it is!).

Ken
 
Quote:

Cam-lock spindle protector's aren't all that common either, but I have one of those (at least I think it is!).

Ken....

Yes you do have a spindle nose protector. It's just to the left of the tailstock wrench in the first photo of your "Painting My Heavy 10" thread.

Only one thing....

It looks like your spindle nose protector has three cam lock studs. Mine has just one stud (and the protector provides only one hole for a stud) and the South Bend Parts Manual shows it having only one stud as well.

alg4884
 
"I'm in need of a nice 8" D1-4 4-jaw chuck?"

Import D1-4" plates are easily available as that is one of the popular sizes used on import lathes, and also some domestic lathes (specially ordered South Bends and Logans, to mention two).

D1-3" and D1-6", used on those lathes from Sidney, OH, are much more difficult to come by.
 
Quite an assortment of tooling and they came out looking like new.That face plate chuck looks as if it would be easy to replicate from a blank face plate.Is it cast iron or perhaps steel? How about some of the basic dimensions of the machined area & the jaws of the plate,since I doubt those come up on the used market too often.I'm sure you just added someone new to Santa's list.
 
"Is it cast iron or perhaps steel?"

I'd expect steel, as hardened socket head cap screws were used to retain the jaws in their ways.

My little Hardinge TL has a somewhat similar fixture plate. Plenty of holes for the retention of irregular work. T-slots, too.
 
“Just knowing it will be taken care of and used is good enough for me.”
From the look of the parts, looks like he was right.

BTW, some of the old British machining / model engineering books actually mention faceplate chucks.

One I was reading last week showed a connecting rod being held in one to bore the large end.

Looks like it would make it easy to line up a part by using the screws like a 4-jaw.

Steve
 
I got one of those faceplate chucks with a 10K I bought last spring, put it away and didn't give it another thought until this post came up. You gave me some interesting suggestions for it's use. Thanks a lot, Bob M
 
Peter said

Import D1-4" plates are easily available as that is one of the popular sizes used on import lathes

So where can one find one of these easily available 8" D1-4" face plates ?

The only ones I see are for 11-13" import lathes and the face plate is 10", a bit large for a SB 10L

Thanks,
Kevin
 
Yes, import D1-4 faceplates are pretty easy to find. I suspect any of the catalog houses carry them. But I haven't really looked, because as I mentioned, I'd like an SB plate.

As for a 4-jaw, I'd probably go with a quality used US made chuck, but possibly a new bison.

Ken
 








 
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