South Bend drill press "Precision Model" (added another drill press December 2024)

[Hoorn]

Picked this up yesterday. Far and away the heaviest bench top drill press I've ever had to move around. Having had no prior experience with a South Bend Lathe Works drill press I was quite surprised at some of the innovative features. This early 1950s drill press actually had a factory installed light inside the head with the motor on/off and light switch mounted on the side of the head.




Note the adjustable belt tension lever. (Which also has a hole for chuck key placement)


When the lever is raised all the tension is released from the belt and the horizontal motor mount tilts forward.


Just about the coolest looking pulley out there. Cast aluminum also, not ultra brittle Zamak.


This is a rather unique spindle lock. I thought maybe the handle was lost and someone added the Phillips head adjustment screw, but that's how it came from South Bend. With the screw turned it pushes against a curved shoe that locks the spindle quite securely.


After removing the spindle assembly and the front South Bend badge I was able to take this picture to show the factory mounted light assembly.




South Bend was very proud of their work light.


Here is the wiring for the motor on off switch and the light on off switch. Normally this would be two toggle switches on the side of the head but this particular drill press was heavy on the accessories. In this case it was a Cutler Hammer push button switch box (already shown in the first picture), with the light switch factory mounted on the front of the receptacle box. This model also had the pulley guard and 4 handle "turnstile" feed handle. As for the feed handle, two of the handles were missing and of the remaining two, only one had an intact Bakelite knob. You may also note two electrical cords coming from the drill press. A PO had installed a three-phase motor on this drill press. I can only assume because I bought it from a machine shop that it was for continuous duty. The circular receptacle box behind the Cutler Hammer box was added by a PO and rewired to facilitate three phase wiring. The light was then run solo with its own dedicated electrical cord.

 

[slowtwitch73]

That's a sweety.....

 

[Packard V8]

Agree, South Bend is the best benchtop DP I've ever seen. They're never seen in this part of the country.

jack vines

 

[Hoorn]

After starting the clean up process, I wanted to share a few of the more interesting parts of the DP.





This pulley is cast aluminum and you can see it's thickness and the machine marks. It's significantly heavier in the hand than the more typical Zamak pulley that are so brittle and chip and break easily.





Here is the light assembly. This mounts underneath the top of the cast iron head. There were two factory holes in a recessed portion of the top of the head to facilitate the nut and bolt.







Here is what South Bend calls the belt tension adjustment lever. The rod slides into the through hole and once your belt is on you push the rod backwards until you have the desired belt tension and then you lock the set screw. (Previous pictures above show this lever mounted on the drill press for orientation) Most other drill presses of this era require you to push backwards on the motor mount and secure the arms protruding into cast holes on the back of the head with bolts. This method seems so effortless and makes belt changes easier.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Given the popularity of their lathes, you'd think there'd be more dp's out there. My guess is there were too many cheaper alternatives.. they seem to have had the lathe market cornered more or less.

 

[Hoorn]

Given the popularity of their lathes, you'd think there'd be more dp's out there. My guess is there were too many cheaper alternatives.. they seem to have had the lathe market cornered more or less.

Agree. But with a company name like "South Bend Lathe Works" I'm sure many men didn't even realize they offered a drill press. Even the South Bend badge on this drill press has a lathe on it.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

That's a very nice and not too common drill press Hoorn. Looks like a great restoration project. South Bend did make several tools besides lathes and drills including a nice small metal shaper and a neat verticle mill. Probably a few others I'm forgetting. I've kept my eyes open for the other tools but so far only have a couple of their lathes.

 

[JoCoSawdust]

Now that is cool!!

 

[Hoorn]

I'll throw a few more pics out there as these are items you don't see everyday.



This three piece assembly is what South Bend calls the quill bearing adjustment. The brass shoe rides against the quill.



You can see the brass shoe is curved the same contour as the quill. Phillips screw is original.
While it works well, the fact that you have to reach for a Phillips head screwdriver is not convenient.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Shouldn't need to do it often....

 

[Provincial]

I find the one (it has an L-shaped handle) on my 1970's Craftsman drill press to be very handy. It depends on what you are doing. That feature is really handy on a drill press that uses taper shank drills, because it lets you lock the quill in a position that gives access for using the drill drift to remove drill bits.

 

[Hoorn]

The cast aluminum pulleys on the South Bend are just awesome. Here is the spindle pulley. Uses New Departure bearings 88016 (16 mm ID, 35 mm OD, 14.4 mm). The left handed thread lock nut secures the spindle sleeve.

 

[Gtown1]

Hoorn!! I just picked up similar model 14 8 4a!!! I'm really excited,it's my first and last drill press!! Mine has a hinged rear pulley cover that doesn't sit quite right but I think I can figure out how to get it together! Thanks for such an informative thread! I'll put up some pics once I grab it!!!

 

[Hoorn]

@Gtown1 can't wait to see pics. It's an awesome dp in every way.

 

[nadogail]

This is my first awareness of a South Bend Drill Press; I am profoundly impressed.

 

[Hoorn]

@nadogail I too was oblivious to the SBLW drill press. Most of us who own vintage drill presses or tinker with them have/had Craftsman, Walker Turner, Atlas, Delta, and maybe a Duro or Sprunger.

This dp impressed me in every way possible. The head casting was thicker and heavier than any other; not just the spindle pulley but also the motor pulley was cast aluminum and not zamak; the motor tension release is superior to all other brands; a factory installed light well before this became common; and a thicker table ridge to facilitate easier clamping. It's almost 20 pounds heavier than a King-Seeley made benchtop Craftsman dp as an example. Only downside is they are almost impossible to find.

 

[1982fxr]

Are those factory balanced pulleys or did someone do that?

 

[Hoorn]

Definitely factory balanced.

 

[rckymtnab]

Great thread. I just used mine to drill out my bench dogs. It looks like your power switch was modified, mine has the toggle switches with the counter-intuitive “down is on” design.

 

[Hoorn]

@rckymtnab great looking South Bend you've got there! When I grabbed my drill press I thought the Cutler Hammer push button on off switch was just another person having screwed a receptacle box on the side, but that is how the early precision model DPs came as I've seen a few pictures of others with the same setup. A push button on off switch with a toggle switch on the side of the receptacle that controlled the light. It works, but I much prefer the clean look of the setup yours has on the later precision models.

 

[Hoorn]

Hoorn!! I just picked up similar model 14 8 4a!!! I'm really excited,it's my first and last drill press!! Mine has a hinged rear pulley cover that doesn't sit quite right but I think I can figure out how to get it together! Thanks for such an informative thread! I'll put up some pics once I grab it!!!

Gtown, were you able to get that drill press?

 

[acer66]

Very cool, thank you for sharing.

 

[Maui]

I have two of these drill presses, and they are more solidly constructed than any other comparable sized drill press I have seen. I am restoring one of them now myself, and it was a bit of a pain to remove the on/off switch plate, wiring, and bulb socket from inside the head without damaging anything. But I did get it done, and am now removing the balance of the original paint and rust. I painted the pully cover with two layers of titanium colored epoxy paint, and it is looking pretty good. I’m really looking forward to getting it done and putting it back to work.

 

[Hoorn]

@Maui cannot wait to see pictures of that!
Finding one South Bend drill press is hard enough and you have two, outstanding.

 

[rckymtnab]

@rckymtnab great looking South Bend you've got there! When I grabbed my drill press I thought the Cutler Hammer push button on off switch was just another person having screwed a receptacle box on the side, but that is how the early precision model DPs came as I've seen a few pictures of others with the same setup. A push button on off switch with a toggle switch on the side of the receptacle that controlled the light. It works, but I much prefer the clean look of the setup yours has on the later precision models.

Great info, thanks for sharing!

 

[rckymtnab]

Has anyone ever compared the Canadian Beaver drill presses to these South Bends? They look nice and I love the old Beaver branding before Rockwell.

 

[Hoorn]

Beaver was introduced by Callander Foundry in 1946, and was bought by Delta in 1953 and renamed "Beaver-Delta division of Rockwell". In the span of a few years Delta began to introduce their product line over what Beaver had been manufacturing. So it's really 7+ years of genuine Beaver concept, design and manufacturing. I think Beaver has a tremendous reputation as being a very solidly built line of tools, but since we are comparing drill presses I would offer the following.

South Bend was not just extremely stout and physically heavier than comparably sized machines, but to me it is their innovation that stands out. Aluminum spindle and motor pulleys, tilt lever system to relieve belt tension at a time when all other manufacturers, Beaver included, had a motor mount with two arms that seat inside the head. Screws had to be cinched down to hold it in place and the motor mount moved forward to release or shoved back to create tension. The South Bend required you to move a lever a few inches and all tension was gone. The South Bend had a factory light mounted inside the head frame which shown directly on the table at a time when some, not all, companies offered lights only as an accessory -and then they had to be mounted on the side of the head and you had to route that cord somewhere. South Bends light switch was located next to the on-off switch on the head with all wiring inside the head casting. The table had a full 3/4" thick wide edge to facilitate easier clamping. And in general, the fit and finish on these machines is of the highest caliber.

I've occasionally seen some pretty rough looking casting on the Walker Turner, Atlas and Craftsman heads, but the head casting on the SB is smooth cast iron! And whatever they used for baked on enamel, man you need a flamethrower to even smudge it. It's just a cut above the other manufacturers, but I'm sure you paid for that as well. I would be surprised if it wasn't one of the most expensive drill presses for that size in the 1940s and early 50s.

South Bend is still making drill presses, they just dropped the "Lathe Works" in their name and are no longer down the street from Notre Dame University. Main office is in Washington and I believe they're being made in Missouri now. If you want one you'll have to dig deep into that wallet, almost 4K deep.

 

[paulsomlo]

South Bend is still making drill presses, they just dropped the "Lathe Works" in their name and are no longer down the street from Notre Dame University. Main office is in Washington and I believe they're being made in Missouri now. If you want one you'll have to dig deep into that wallet, almost 4K deep.

The current South Bend is owned by the same person that owns Grizzly (and others). None of their machinery is made in USA - it either comes from China or Taiwan. All that exists of the original SBL Co. is some intellectual property and some NOS parts - the current owner bought it for the name. From their website:

The South Bend Customer Service and Technical Support Teams are U.S. based. Parts and accessories for the drill press may be available online and shipped from the South Bend parts warehouse in Springfield, MO.

 

[Hoorn]

Great... How typical. Okay I guess parts made overseas are stored in MO. Is nothing sacred?!

 

[Tarnished]

Hoorn: Great DP. First I have seen this one. Is the pulley cover cast as well? Looking forward to seeing it all cleaned up. Thanks for the info.

 

[Hoorn]

@Tarnished yes it is cast aluminum. Front is still cast iron.

 

[pago cruiser]

Hoorn - A little thread resurrection... I like the detailed pics you provided.
Did you perchance happen to take a pic or document the length of the splines on the spindle?

I picked up my SB DP a few months ago; but the spindle (taper) appears to be toast. I started another thread in this forum if you are interested in the gory pic...
Have not yet dissembled mine, but hope to get to it this weekend.
I am talking with a firm to make a replacement, but the "normal means" of using an external broach for the splines will not work because they are only good up to about 3" length. Based upon some other pics I have seen, the SB splines appear about 6" length?
TIA.

 

[Hoorn]

@pago cruiser I did not take any measurements and I have long since flipped it -the only flip I have since regretted.
I'll definitely check out your thread and wish you well. Finding parts for it will be tough so fabrication may be your only option.

 

[pago cruiser]

Bummer. Thanks for the response.
And the quest continues...

 

[Hoorn]

Acquired another South Bend Lathe Works drill press, model 14 B 3 A. This is a later model from the previous, as evidenced by a "B3" model designation and subtle changes.









The original wiring and light bulb base are in very clean condition in comparison to the rest of the drill press. South Bend was putting lights inside the drill press since the 1940s, this model here is circa 1950s and even then most other drill press manufacturers sold a light as an accessory to be attached to the outside.



South Bend MSA pulleys are very difficult to find. The pulley, like those on the drill press, is milled aluminum. The cast iron base is placed over the top half inch of the column and tightened with the knurled knob.





The entire feed stop and cast iron feed stop support has been redesigned in comparison to the previous model I posted.



South Bend made the updated feed stop no longer reliant on the movement of the spindle. Anyone with a 14-in drill press from the 40s or 50s knows the feed stop bracket attached to the spindle can move slightly. South Bend took their design to an enhanced level with no reliance on the moving spindle, reengineering the feed stop bracket to be entirely part of the headstock.



The weight of this drill press cannot be overstated -it's HEAVY.

 

[jjj240]

Acquired another South Bend Lathe Works drill press, model 14 B 3 A. This is a later model from the previous, as evidenced by a "B3" model designation and subtle changes.









The original wiring and light bulb base are in very clean condition in comparison to the rest of the drill press. South Bend was putting lights inside the drill press since the 1940s, this model here is circa 1950s and even then most other drill press manufacturers sold a light as an accessory to be attached to the outside.



South Bend MSA pulleys are very difficult to find. The pulley, like those on the drill press, is milled aluminum. The cast iron base is placed over the top half inch of the column and tightened with the knurled knob.





The entire feed stop and cast iron feed stop support has been redesigned in comparison to the previous model I posted.



South Bend made the updated feed stop no longer reliant on the movement of the spindle. Anyone with a 14-in drill press from the 40s or 50s knows the feed stop bracket attached to the spindle can move slightly. South Bend took their design to an enhanced level with no reliance on the moving spindle, reengineering the feed stop bracket to be entirely part of the headstock.



The weight of this drill press cannot be overstated -it's HEAVY.

I recall someone mentioned that the new design could introduce another source of error from the backlash in the new design. Have you noticed the improvement (or not significant)?

From the photo you have uploaded, I see that the belt is 4L300 for spindle/MSA. What is the belt size between MSA/Motor? The same 4L300?

 

[steelman92027]

I'll throw a few more pics out there as these are items you don't see everyday.



This three piece assembly is what South Bend calls the quill bearing adjustment. The brass shoe rides against the quill.



You can see the brass shoe is curved the same contour as the quill. Phillips screw is original.
While it works well, the fact that you have to reach for a Phillips head screwdriver is not convenient.

 

[steelman92027]

Tracy from California my mechanism is slightly different and is easier to use attached photos
Mine does not have the Phillips. It is a large screw head. Also has a spring in the middle.

 

[Hoorn]

@steelman92027 yours appears to be in great condition, thank you for sharing. I believe all the redesigned second generation South bend DPs had the large flat head screw type quill stop. Although I did not highlight it, you could see here it has the same:

 

[Hoorn]

I found and purchased a third South Bend drill press, this one with a cover and multi-speed attachment.



Here is the South Bend multi-speed attachment, a very hard to find accessory. Surprisingly, this DP was from the exact same retailer "W.T. Wills Machinery" as the previous South Bend drill press I posted.



Updated feed stop.



An outstanding and original to South Bend 3/4 HP Baldor motor. This DP, in its time was the absolute Rolls Royce of drill presses.

Easy access on-off switch, built-in integral light above the table, milled aluminum pulleys, an extremely accurate feed stop, and by far the best motor mount with a belt tension lever. The fit and finish are of of the highest level, as is the overall weight and quality of materials. Just an awesome DP!