South Bend Heavy 10 (Maybe?)

Just bought a new (to me obviously) South Bend lathe and would appreciate any help identifying it. I'd like to know approx. year of manufacture and what it actually is. Embarrassingly I don't even know where to look for a serial number. The plate on the headstock below the spindle simply says "Swing 10", "Length of Bed 4", and "Cat# 187 A". Any help with specific identification of this machine is greatly appreciated. I want to order the correct manual, then appropriate accessories/tooling. It only came with a 3-jaw chuck and not much else.

Thanks,
Greg

Greg,
I do not know a lot about South Bend lathes but I'll bet you are going to like having the old gem around. Pretty versatile machine with lots of attachments available. I've been told that if the spindle thread is 2-1/4"x 8 then it is referred to as a Heavy 10. There is a section here about South Bend's and they even register serial numbers.
You will probably get a lot of help here on PM. Welcome to the forum.
spaeth

#187 is a Heavy 10. There is no such thing as a SB manual. The closest you'll get is the handbook "How to Run A Lathe", published by South Bend.

There is no such thing as a SB manual

Click to expand...

Like so

http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/1617/17726.pdf

See page 19 here

http://www.wswells.com/data/catalog/1943_reprint_Catalog_100C/1943_reprint_Catalog_100C.pdf

ph

Thanks for the reply. Google searches helped me learn a lot already, like locating the serial number on the tailstock end of the bed (which I thought was perhaps just the bed part number). So finding the stamping 1523RKL9 allowed me to use the South Bend site to determine that this machine is the 1,523rd of this type built, R denotes 10" swing, K means friction feed apron, underneath motor drive, L stands for large spindle hole standard swing, and 9 has something to do with Model Number but then the site encounters an error. So I've learned a lot about it already. Would like to be able to figure out its' age.

Greg

Thank you. The handbook you suggested appears to be what I need and was suggested by a friend as well. Guess I was just concerned it could be to general if not ordered in regard to a specific model but I guess in this case it's a "one size fits all" sort of thing.

Greg

Yes, thank you. I've seen these for sale and will order one today.

Greg

1948 10l. Pb

Packardbill,
Tried to send you a thank you for the info, not sure if it went through. I'm new to this site, trying to figure out how it all works, and unfortunately in the process I fear I may be angering members. Just trying to make sure I thank each individual for their input.

So you were able to determine 1948 from the serial number I posted?

Gregory,you're welcome. If you go to wswells.com you will find a wealth of knowledge about south bend lathes. If you scroll down that page and click on the square at the lower left of the page (south bend serial number database) it will take you to the page that explains the serial number system and list of serial #'s. It starts with the 9 inchers then 10k's then the 10R and 10L's (referred to as "heavy tens),13's, etc.. Steve Wells has done an excellent job combining the information on his page. Hope this helps with your quest fo info. PB

Thanks Packardbill!

Sorry for the delayed reply. Turns out that just before you sent your reply, a friend of mine emailed me the exact page you spoke of so I was able to figure it out!! But that wswells.com source you provided is wonderful. Knowing that date enabled me to order (on eBay) the correct edition of South Bend's "How to Run a Lathe" that best covers my machine. I got a pristine original 55th edition for $15 bucks, and splurged on a larger format (spiral bound 8 1/2 x 11") reproduction from Ozark. The original turned out to be so nice I really don't need that second one. Anyway both manuals arrived today, and here the weather will be so rainy the next few days I can avoid working outside and just play with the lathe! So my excitement for tomorrow made me realize I hadn't looked for further replies on this site, and when I checked in I saw your message. Thanks a lot for your input!

Greg