Is this a SB lathe ?

tracing · Oct 13, 2021

Hi all,

I needed a lathe to fix my tractor and I got this off craigs list for 500 bucks.

It resembles some of the south bend lathes I have seen, but it has no serial on the ways and has a tag that says American Machine and Tool Co Royersford PA and a serial on that tag of 420

It has a single tumbler (82-r?) quick change gearbox, but it appears to have been hacked onto the lathe using some aluminum angle as there is no holes or room for them on the lathe for the vertical mount screws normally used on the box to connect it to the lathe.

It uses a banjo with a cast of 9-630 but I think this was also added to support the unsupported gear box. Supposedly that banjo is used by the 9 inch junior lathe ?

The wooden feet under the metal feet obviously are there to allow the quick change handle to work otherwise it would hi the table and break off.

Any ideas on what it is ?

tracing · Oct 13, 2021

Here is a quick video from the night I first set it up

texasgeartrain · Oct 13, 2021

No the tag saying "American Machine and Tool Co" helps

Also, you got ripped off according to their 1938 prices

, joking of course:

While I want to see more of it, you are probably better off posting in the Antique section:
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antique-machinery-and-history/

Vintage Machinery's manufacture index listing of that company:
American Machine & Tool Co., Inc. - Publication Reprints | VintageMachinery.org

The 1938 pub I stole pics from:
American Machine & Tool Co., Inc. - Publication Reprints - American Industrial Lathes, American Machine & Tool Co. of Pennsylvania Inc | VintageMachinery.org

The pdf:
http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/29/16786.pdf

That qcgb looks like a South Bend though, someone probably wanted to add more functionality to it.

tracing · Oct 13, 2021

excellent thanks

tracing · Oct 13, 2021

Also, you got ripped off according to their 1938 prices

seriously lol, i paid 5 times the 1938 retail but it did come with a quick change box and they go for hundreds on ebay lol

THANKS AGAIN

ps background
I am overhauling the backhoe on my backhoe, 1972 580 b
i ran into an issue that one part could not be replaced, the trunions that are the bearing pin bushing for the swing cylinders

they were out of round and i found a slightly smaller bushing, but the trunions pins needed to be turned round, rockwell 65 hardened

i went in search for a shop and every machine shop in three counties is tied up for months making replacement parts for chinese construction equipment in the usa

so I ended up buying this lathe, and it did the job

the shop quoted me 600 to turn the four trunions, so i figure I got a free lathe and a hundred bucks

texasgeartrain · Oct 13, 2021

tracing said:
so I ended up buying this lathe, and it did the job

the shop quoted me 600 to turn the four trunions, so i figure I got a free lathe and a hundred bucks

Now that's what I'm talking about ! We need more news and stories like this in our life.

"Git er done"

Paula · Oct 13, 2021

This is really interesting to me! "American Machine & Tool" on the tag threw me for a loop, as I used to own one of their lathes. But is was a wood lathe that I purchased in the mid-sixties for $9.95 (new!) I thought they only made economy woodworking machinery for the home shop woodworker. Phil Rizuto used to do ads for them back then! To me, you got something fairly rare and wonderful.

BTW, my parents were none too pleased that I went and spent "all that money" for this weird tool (wood lathe) without asking them. I had a lot of fun with that thing!

Paula

tracing · Oct 15, 2021

texasgunsmith said:
Now that's what I'm talking about ! We need more news and stories like this in our life.

"Git er done"

Mike DeHart · Oct 15, 2021

I saw that lathe on CL and recognized right away what it was. It is an old AMT as the tag says. Someone hacked the South Bend gearbox onto it. In my posts about rebuilding a SB10L I often mention my "ancient little AMT." I have the same machine, serial number 411. I saw #413 for sale a couple of years ago. It is a decent lathe, but small and therefore limited. The bore thru the spindle is only 1/2" so not much is fitting through it. The spindle is also very small in diameter. I found that it will not tolerate much over about 0.010" depth of cut without chattering. That said, I have made many very nice things on mine. Decorative parts, precision parts, bushings for cuckoo clocks, external threads including tapered specials all set up with change gears, even did projects in wood and a metal spinning piece in it. It took time and patience to hog out material. I learned a lot from that little machine. After 20 years with it I finally got a SB10L as an upgrade. And the AMT made the repair parts for the South Bend. Enjoy the ride.

Mike DeHart · Oct 15, 2021

While I'm here, I have a story about my ancient little AMT. I came home from work and heard it running in the basement. I know I didn't leave it on, so...… I walk down and see my oldest daughter, 16 at the time, running it. "What are you doing?" I ask. She switched it off, waited for it to stop, and turned around. With a smile, she tells me she has her hair in a ponytail tucked into her shirt, short sleeves, no loose clothes, no watch rings or jewelry, and she has her safety glasses on. I smile and tell her she is doing everything exactly right. But what is she DOING? Why is my lathe running and I wasn't asked first? Turns out, she rummaged through my .38-special empties, sorted out all of the nickel plated cases (particularly the ones that were stamped "WESTERN") and she was turning them down to just the case heads. She was making custom "western" jewelry for her friends. She made stud earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelet charms, and refrigerator magnets. I was so impressed with that, I made her a collet closer, drawbar, and 6 custom pot collets to hold shell casings in specific calibers. She was cranking out 9mm, .38spcl, 40S&W, 45ACP, along with shotshell stamps in 410, 20 and 12 gauge. I did teach her to run all of my machines from a young age, along with her younger siblings. She showed me that day that she really was paying attention.

MetalCarnage · Oct 18, 2021

Mike DeHart said:
While I'm here, I have a story about my ancient little AMT. I came home from work and heard it running in the basement. I know I didn't leave it on, so...… I walk down and see my oldest daughter, 16 at the time, running it. "What are you doing?" I ask. She switched it off, waited for it to stop, and turned around. With a smile, she tells me she has her hair in a ponytail tucked into her shirt, short sleeves, no loose clothes, no watch rings or jewelry, and she has her safety glasses on. I smile and tell her she is doing everything exactly right. But what is she DOING? Why is my lathe running and I wasn't asked first? Turns out, she rummaged through my .38-special empties, sorted out all of the nickel plated cases (particularly the ones that were stamped "WESTERN") and she was turning them down to just the case heads. She was making custom "western" jewelry for her friends. She made stud earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelet charms, and refrigerator magnets. I was so impressed with that, I made her a collet closer, drawbar, and 6 custom pot collets to hold shell casings in specific calibers. She was cranking out 9mm, .38spcl, 40S&W, 45ACP, along with shotshell stamps in 410, 20 and 12 gauge. I did teach her to run all of my machines from a young age, along with her younger siblings. She showed me that day that she really was paying attention.

Congrats! It sounds like your daughter is something special. Good job.

-Ron

chipss · Oct 19, 2021

Mike DeHart said:
She was cranking out 9mm, .38spcl, 40S&W, 45ACP, along with shotshell stamps in 410, 20 and 12 gauge. I did teach her to run all of my machines from a young age, along with her younger siblings. She showed me that day that she really was paying attention.

Melts a dad's heart.

Scottl · Oct 19, 2021

It's an AMT lathe. They manufactured a line of lower priced machine tools that were often available in various stages of completion. I bought my first (cast iron) drill press vise from them. It had a sloppily made movable jaw retainer plate made from punched hot rolled steel and had a milled finish (from a surface mill or fly cutter).
I replaced the jaw retainer plate with one made from 6061 and ground the milled surfaces smooth and square using a "vertical surface grinder" (a cup wheel mounted in a drill press, with sheets of typing paper as shims to increase depth of cut).

1yesca · Oct 20, 2021

Mike DeHart said:
While I'm here, I have a story about my ancient little AMT. I came home from work and heard it running in the basement. I know I didn't leave it on, so...… I walk down and see my oldest daughter, 16 at the time, running it. "What are you doing?" I ask. She switched it off, waited for it to stop, and turned around. With a smile, she tells me she has her hair in a ponytail tucked into her shirt, short sleeves, no loose clothes, no watch rings or jewelry, and she has her safety glasses on. I smile and tell her she is doing everything exactly right. But what is she DOING? Why is my lathe running and I wasn't asked first? Turns out, she rummaged through my .38-special empties, sorted out all of the nickel plated cases (particularly the ones that were stamped "WESTERN") and she was turning them down to just the case heads. She was making custom "western" jewelry for her friends. She made stud earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelet charms, and refrigerator magnets. I was so impressed with that, I made her a collet closer, drawbar, and 6 custom pot collets to hold shell casings in specific calibers. She was cranking out 9mm, .38spcl, 40S&W, 45ACP, along with shotshell stamps in 410, 20 and 12 gauge. I did teach her to run all of my machines from a young age, along with her younger siblings. She showed me that day that she really was paying attention.

outstanding . that makes me think of king of the hill . were bobby ask his dad [hank hill] if he could put a rifle rack on his bike .

Mike DeHart · Oct 20, 2021

I had another look at the pics in the OP. Your AMT has back gear. Mine does not. Not sure, but it must have been an option on this machine. I don't have a bull gear on my spindle, so I doubt mine is just missing pieces. Your back gear castings look similar in style to the rest of the machine. I have to presume it to be original equipment. Any chance you could post some detailed pics of the back gear arrangement?

You also have a steady rest. Again, I presume it to be OEM equipment. AMT #413 had a steady rest also. The seller was not interested in selling it apart from the machine. I do not have the steady, either. Could you please post some pics of it? Maybe I will come across one in the wild someday. It would help if I can recognize it when I do.

And thanks, all, for the positive comments. All three kids are handy and creative like that. Maybe one of my best lessons to them was that things CAN be made. That tidbit alone frees them from reliance on the current state of retail markets. Making what is not available is how the state of the art progresses. Hopefully they will hit on an idea that can pay for my retirement.

tracing · Oct 28, 2021

tracing · Oct 28, 2021

also, the steady rest is in the 1938 document linked way above if you need a ref pic of it. And they were only $4.50

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