South bend lathe worth?

[hanly2]

Guys I am cleaning out a garage for someone and I inherited some tools. There is a South Bend lathe model 333-a it is a 11 with 4 swing. I have no idea how much something like this is worth, but it works and has tons of extra gears and chucks and such.
Also had some old craftsman table saw and bench grinder.

 

[hanly2]

 

[trackwelder]

Very cool grinder and saw!!

 

[hanly2]

I know right the vintage gold paint is mint. Gotta be worth something

 

[454ragtop]

Lathe doesn't look to be worth a whole lot, IMO. It has no quick change gear box, or tool post, and is very short, might be the shortest lathe of that size swing I've ever seen. Appears to have a chuck which is much too large for that size lathe also. It would be better than no lathe, but not by much. I'd guess around $150. at most, although your top secret location may affect value also.
Jim

 

[Zrexxer]

Can't tell from the fuzzy picture, but is that backplate welded to the chuck body???

 

[PETE14]

I'm pretty sure the tag in the first pic reads

11 In. Swing 4 Ft. Bed

Swing being the max diameter of work that it can handle, and Bed being the overall length.

Not sure on value.

 

[Adam.C]

Wrong place to ask. Ask this question on one of the hobby machinist sites or practical machinist.com. That looks like some variety of the Southbencd 9, like a 9A with interchange gears. Could be worth quite a lot if complete and depending on condition of ways.

 

[itsme_Bernie]

Wrong place to ask. Ask this question on one of the hobby machinist sites or practical machinist.com. That looks like some variety of the Southbencd 9, like a 9A with interchange gears. Could be worth quite a lot if complete and depending on condition of ways.

+1 on all points.

Bernie

 

[hanly2]

Ok thanks. The bed measures 5', there is a couple extra chucks around. I will check out those forums. The lathe is located outside philadelphia

 

[paulsomlo]

No shortage of South Bend lathes near Philly - $300, maybe $400.

 

[Adam.C]

No shortage of South Bend lathes near Philly - $300, maybe $400.

That's not a rare machine, but nor is it common. Looks like 1930's to me. Down side is that it doesn't share parts with the more common 9" and 10" lathes. Upside, if complete and in good order, it may be a collectable. I would offer it for $1000-1500 and let a knowledgeable collector tell you what it is worth. The parts alone are worth more than $400.

 

[paulsomlo]

Not collectable. There are very few SB lathes that would be considered collectable - maybe the elusive serial number 700, the 1st one built, or if you had one that you could prove was used by the O'brien brothers.

It's a 4 foot bed, as evidenced by the model number and the "4" on the nameplate. It appears in the 1934 catalog, probably not produced much after that. Offering it at $1000-$1500 will pretty much guarantee you own this lathe for the rest of your days. In your part of the world, with a little patience, that kind of money will buy a South Bend Heavy 10, which is far more lathe, and has a 1 3/8" spindle bore, vs. the 7/8" bore on that 11" lathe.

If you don't already have a lathe, take it home and enjoy it - don't part it out. Sounds like it may have a full set of change gears and some tooling. There's a subgroup of 11" owners on the South Bend forum of the Practical Machinist website, http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/south-bend-lathes/. They're quite knowledgeable and can help you get started making chips.

 

[gte718p]

I can't tell you what they are worth b/c I never actually see them sell. However, eBay and Craigslist would lead you to believe they are made of gold and worth about $800 dollars. There are a bunch of them for sale. Strangely I see the same one listed over and over again.

I would love to have it and would drop a couple of hundred on it if the ways and lead screw where in good shape. Having the gearing is important as its pretty much irreplaceable at this point.

 

[zkling]

Evaluating a machine tool, especially something like that is very difficult from a picture, a poor picture at that. Realize, that particular machine is more into the hobby tinkerer realm than someone that really wants to make serious parts. Thus the market is even more narrowed.

Here is a much nicer example for reference. I think you are realistically looking at the sub $500 range, if that. It is not all about what comes with it, but finding someone willing and able to move it from where it currently sits.

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/south-bend-lathes/11-south-bend-need-sell-258306/

Can't tell from the fuzzy picture, but is that backplate welded to the chuck body???

That is the first thing I saw too.

Wrong place to ask. Ask this question on one of the hobby machinist sites or practical machinist.com. That looks like some variety of the Southbencd 9, like a 9A with interchange gears. Could be worth quite a lot if complete and depending on condition of ways.

Just because you don't know, doesn't mean that the people on this forum don't know. FYI the 9A was a later 9" model that had a quick change gear box.

 

[hanly2]

GTe are you local?

 

[bczygan]

I wouldn't go over $200, based on what I've seen and heard.

And the gearing, bed, spindle and motor would all have to be OK.

Just bought a 9A with bad back and bull gear but including 3 and 4 jaw chucks, thread dial, and a hand lever collet closer for $250.

BTW, that one does have a tool post, the old lantern type.

 

[justanengineer]

<$500. Too old, too few features, and too big to be really desireable. The SB name is really all that takes it above scrap value, its kind of like Delta woodwacking tools - not really "collectible" but somewhat desireable.

 

[LoveOldIron]

Can't tell from the fuzzy picture, but is that backplate welded to the chuck body???

Looking at the pics on Craigslist, it looks like someone had an accident. Looks like the the carriage was moved too far too the left, and the spinning chuck hit it. It took a big chunk out of the slide, maybe tore up the bolts holding the chuck to the backplate, and who knows what other damage.

 

[LoveOldIron]

 

[hanly2]

Yeah we did see that it looked like it hit that thing there. But it still works without any problems just seems to be cosmetic damage. So if this is going in a museum it wont be worth as much

 

[zkling]

How much are you asking for the lathe?

 

[hanly2]

Its on CL for $500

 

[LoveOldIron]

A welded chuck, and a sheared slide are cosmetic?

 

[John in OH]

It's really hard to determine the value of machine tools by just looking at a photo or two. Four factors really affect the value .... general age and design; condition of the machined wear surfaces such as the ways and spindle bearings; tooling included with the lathe; and finally the location of the machine.

Even assuming the machine is in good condition and includes a reasonable quantity of tooling, in the Rust Belt, small old lathes are quite plentiful and this lathe is nothing special. Considering the old style spindle oilers and the carriage design I'd guess this is a circa 1920's or so .... maybe earlier. Probably only about 18"-20" between centers. No quick-change, no thread dial. Goofy chuck.

My guess, you might get $250-$300 on a good day.