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South bend heavy 10

buggsy

Plastic
Joined
Mar 8, 2013
Location
central mass
Hi, I just picked up a 1966 heavy 10 for a good price. Looks a little rough but it's very tight. I got it to resell because I've got 4 lathes already. My question is ,do guys like to fix them up themselves or buy them already done up, cleaned, felts, paint, you know a general refurb?

Buggsy
 
Here's a picture of it. I've the lathe card, but I can't figured out to load a PDF file.20201019_133520.jpg20201019_133251.jpg It looks rough, but it's pretty tight.
 
Hi all, Well I took it apart and inspected and rewicked, new cross slide nut with 10 thou backlash, compound has only 4 thou back lash. Every thing looked real good inside. No surprises no broken teeth or bent shafts.3 1/2 ft hard bed. Delivered to Packard Machinery in Boston 5/11/66. I scraped the ugly blue paint from the lathe, not the cabinet. What do you think it's worth?

Buggsy
 

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A good starter lathe? I’m new to machining—just finishing an entry level manual machining class. First question is about storage climate. I live in temperate New Jersey. I’d house it in an uninsulated, non-climate controlled shed. Clean shed with 220 service and slab floor, but the temperature swings and humidity? Bad idea to even think about getting one if that’s where I’d keep it. Thanks!
 
You have what is arguably the most sought after hobby lathe there is. That doesn’t mean it’s Particularly valuable tho. I bought a Sb heavy 10 (sb10L) for 1000$ but it was worn so bad it wasn’t even good for parts imo so I got my money back, it ended up selling for like 500$ and the buyer stumbled upon this website and found my posts about it, he wasn’t very happy with its condition either.

We need to see the ways on your lathe to know what it’s really worth.

For example this is how I measured my ways, the light under my straight edge is wear in the ways
attachment.php
 
A good starter lathe? I’m new to machining—just finishing an entry level manual machining class. First question is about storage climate. I live in temperate New Jersey. I’d house it in an uninsulated, non-climate controlled shed. Clean shed with 220 service and slab floor, but the temperature swings and humidity? Bad idea to even think about getting one if that’s where I’d keep it. Thanks!

Don't avoid that machine solely based on placing it inthat shed. At the moment I'm keeping a SB heavy 9 (cousin to the lathe under discussion) in a similar slab-floor, unheated frame garage. Key is to keep it covered with a canvas tarp, and run a 60 or 100 watt lamp inside the cabinet all the time to keep the machine always above the dew point.
 
Don't avoid that machine solely based on placing it inthat shed. At the moment I'm keeping a SB heavy 9 (cousin to the lathe under discussion) in a similar slab-floor, unheated frame garage. Key is to keep it covered with a canvas tarp, and run a 60 or 100 watt lamp inside the cabinet all the time to keep the machine always above the dew point.


Or oil! Lots of oil and frequently!
 
Correct me if I’m wrong, but regarding the oil, guessing that would be strictly a lubricant, and not a corrosion inhibitor similar to LPS 3. I use LPS 3 at work, and it leaves a sticky film build-up. Would the build-up interfere with tolerances on the ways, and other slides?
Sorry Buggsy. Hope I’m not diverting from your thread. Just started getting interested in a starter/hobby lathe, and not yet sure if its practical. But I did search for this specific SB 10 lathe because of things I’ve heard about it.
 
Correct me if I’m wrong, but regarding the oil, guessing that would be strictly a lubricant, and not a corrosion inhibitor similar to LPS 3. I use LPS 3 at work, and it leaves a sticky film build-up. Would the build-up interfere with tolerances on the ways, and other slides?
Sorry Buggsy. Hope I’m not diverting from your thread. Just started getting interested in a starter/hobby lathe, and not yet sure if its practical. But I did search for this specific SB 10 lathe because of things I’ve heard about it.

For the generation we’re talking about there was 3 main 10” swing lathes offered by South bend. The 10R the 10K and the 10L but there was also a “engine lathe” line and a “tool room lathe” line.

The 10r and 10L is the same or very similar lathes (to my knowledge) just different spindle through holes

The 10K was a lighter lathe with a smaller thought hole in the head but still equally Capable.

Make sure you know EXACTLY what lathe your looking at.

Disclaimer! I’m just a hobby guy and may be wrong about 0-100% of what I say!! Do your own research for confirmation.

As far as oil goes, I think oil in general inhibits rust to some Extent.
 
+1 on what Jim said above. Keep it covered and oiled (lathe oil, not LPS type of stuff. I don't know about the 60-100 watt bulbs, but there is such a thing as a "piano heater", which raises the temp just enough to help keep moisture at bay. Put rubber machine feet on the bottom (there are holes for them) to keep the machine off the concrete floor. Just take simple precautions and you should be okay. The 10L is a great lathe to use.
 
... Just started getting interested in a starter/hobby lathe, and not yet sure if its practical. ....

This model is quite practical for a beginner. Often a 9" SB is the first machine but the 10L has a larger spindle hole and takes industry standard 5C collets.

The benefit of the 100 watt light bulb in a trouble light housing is, it's inexpensive and most of us have a trouble light like that handy. Disadvantage of course, over the piano or safe heater, is the lamp may burn out. Which requires one to undo the cover periodically, re-oil the machine, and check the heater lamp.

The problem happens when you have a period of cold weather, and everything in the garage cools off. Then when there is a warm damp day (ie, today) when the garage door opens up, the warm moist air hits the cold stuff and condenses on it. If the cover keeps the warm air at bay a bit, and the heater keeps the lathe a bit warmer than than the interior air in the garage, the condensation is much less.
 
Jim has explained it well. I don't mean to insult anyone asking the question - but make sure you are using an old style incandescent light bulb for this application. What you want is the heat generated. The LED or fluorescent bulbs don't give off the required heat.

But then some of us were taught how to use those bulbs for this purpose in old well houses 60 years ago to keep thing from freezing up during the winter. But since then we have climate change and energy efficient light bulbs. And luckily I don't have a well house to worry about either.

Dale
 
Yes, you want the heat... However, I worry about a 100 watt bulb under a canvas cover - especially if the canvas gets too close to the bulb. A piano heater is usually less than 20 watts. The cover can sit right on top of the heater and not have any issues.
 








 
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