Southbend 9A Lathe

[Jeeper75]

Hello everyone, just picked up a southbend 9A lathe with a 36" bed. I am posting some pics of it to see if someone can help determine some of the pieces I got with it. I am fairly new to lathes, only ran one a few times a few years ago. Hopefully this turns out to be a pretty good lathe for me. Anyone have any info on replacing the felt wicks in them? Thanks for any info. BTW I paid 250 for everything including the table.

Not sure what these items are. The grinder thing says tool grinder?


These also came with it but I know what these are

 

[Monkey Milk]

You done good- really good. I would give you a "you ****" at that price!
Pic 1

Tool post grinder
dog legs + driving plate
milling vise
boring bars
slitting saw arbor

pic 2
pretty much self explanatory, WTF is with the center rest? I guess if you need one on the spot.

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

$250?

You ****!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[rk5n]

That is a massive chuck, are they meant to be run all the time with that one installed or should you primarily use a 5"?

 

[VoodooCLD]

I'm guessing the grinder attaches to the tool post somehow. Then you can spin the work at slow speed in the chuck and do precision grinding. Pretty cool!

The circular cutter below the grinder looks like it might be a dovetail cutter.

Next picture is: a spare pulley for the counter shaft. Wrenches for adjusting the machine. A tool holder. Chucks with extra jaws for internal part holding. A steady rest which will keep long parts with small diameters from whipping while your machining.

There is a homemade micrometer carriage stop on the machine. Useful for cutting precise depth shoulders.

Quite a bit of tooling. Nice score.

 

[larry_g]

You easily got the $250 worth on the first picture, the rest was free...

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Jeeper75]

He said the steady rest was homemade. It came out of a place that repaired industrial sewing machines, and when I was talking to him I found out he lived like a minute away from the house, small world.

 

[Jeeper75]

That is a massive chuck, are they meant to be run all the time with that one installed or should you primarily use a 5"?

Not sure, both the 3 jaw and 4 jaw are the same size?

 

[Harv]

Here in Cleveland that's 1200 all day long.

Yea you ****.

John

 

[DenisG]

In pic #4, is there another switch on the backside of the one that's shown? On/Off and Fwd/Rev? Homemade drum switch alternative?

 

[Jeeper75]

In pic #4, is there another switch on the backside of the one that's shown? On/Off and Fwd/Rev? Homemade drum switch?

No, it is just a plug outlet.

 

[DenisG]

No, it is just a plug outlet.

Ok. Maybe the plug outlet is for the tool post grinder or a light.
You got a great deal on that lathe!

 

[paulsomlo]

In the 1st pic, roughly CW: tool grinder, mounts to compound, looks like you'll need belts for it; dog drivers (4); jaws for milling attachment (2); armstrong type boring bar holder w/boring bar; dog driver plate to go with dog drivers; morse taper adapter, probably from MT3 to MT2 for headstock dead center; milling attachment, mounts to compound; morse taper arbor w/slitting saw; cutter for horizontal mill. A few other misc. items that I can't ID from the pic, but hang onto them.

2nd pic, roughly CW: large pulley for countershaft, doesn't appear to be original South Bend; four jaw faceplate chuck; four jaw chuck; home made stead rest; handle for milling attachment; wrenches for rocker tool post, carriage lock, reverse tumbler, possibly the vice on the milling attachment (5); armstrong tool holders, one for knurling (2); chuck for very small drill bits?; hss cutter; jaws for three jaw chuck that's shown on lathe. That does appear to be about an 8" three jaw, which is too large for that lathe, both in weight and with regards to the jaws hitting the ways. A 5" is about perfect.

If you're still confused, that should give you enough buzzwords to google, to get you started.

As far as replacing wicks, this should help: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rebuild-Manual-Kit-for-9-South-Bend-Lathe-Model-A-/150497978527?hash=item230a60e89f:m:mWp5q5H9HsZHpsdTikxF-9Q

You might also go over to PracticalMachinist.com and register - there's a South Bend forum over there with a wealth of knowledge. You'll find numerous threads on the rebuild/rewick process.

I'll add that you absolutely ****, and I mean that in the most sincere manner, as only can be expressed here on Garage Journal - the tool post grinder and the milling attachment are each worth about $250. Enjoy, and keep us informed.

 

[Cima96]

Very nice lathe and very nice accessories, especially the grinder and the milling attachment. As someone as suggested, my point is to mount a smaller chuck. The three jaws in the picture is too large because if you want to hold, for example, a diameter of 3-4 inches you have to open the jaws a lot, so the problem is that they will bump against the bedways.
Another tip is not forgot to lubricate the spindle bronze bushes (in don't know exactly the english word, in italian we say "bronzine") with the right oil, it will preserve the precision of the machine tool.

 

[Jeeper75]

Looks like I will be buying this kit

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rebuild-Manu...sZHpsdTikxF-9Q

Now it looks like I will need a different chuck, Will pretty much any chuck work as long as it is the right threads? (Got to figure out what thread it is. How do you get the chuck off? Thanks

 

[Jeeper75]

Also what about a Quick Change tool post? any recommendations that will fit this?

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Nice score..

Practical Machinist is the place to go, the SBL forum: http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/south-bend-lathes/

Look up SBLatheman, he worked at SBL and has a ton of replacement parts, accessories, knowledge, etc. Good guy to deal with also.

You might want to get the South Bend Lathe booklet: How to Run a Lathe, it will show you many of the uses of the various tools and accessories you have..

 

[paulsomlo]

The spindle should be 1.5" diameter by 8 threads/inch, aka 1 1/2-8. Any chuck with a 1 1/2-8 threaded backplate should fit. The chuck screws off, normal RH thread. They do, with regularity, get stuck. You can lock up the spindle by engaging the back gear with the bull gear pin engaged, then apply force to the chuck with either a strap wrench, or by using a chuck key for leverage. Apply gentle force - DO NOT impact the chuck when using this method, or you may strip teeth off the backgear. This subject comes up a lot, here's a link: http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/south-bend-lathes/how-remove-stuck-chuck-tutorial-165028/.

When you get the chuck off of there, try using the four jaw that came with the lathe, just to get started. New chucks of decent quality are pricey and you'll need the backplate as well. Bison is very good, Gator by Fuerda is probably less good, but a lot cheaper.

Searching over on Practical Machinist will answer a lot of questions. Dennis mentioned "How to Run a Lathe" - it's available for free on the web, just google. Some refer to it as "HTRL".

 

[Jeeper75]

Will using the bigger chuck "Hurt" the lathe or just that larger objects wont fit without hitting the bed?

 

[paulsomlo]

Will using the bigger chuck "Hurt" the lathe or just that larger objects wont fit without hitting the bed?

I can't say for sure, really, but the excess weight does put a lot of downward pressure on the front bearing surface. And you want an oil film there to prevent metal on metal contact. If that oil film gets compromised, you'll end up with wear. When you get it off, compare it's weight to the four jaw. What's the diameter of the three jaw and what's the diameter of the four jaw?

 

[Jeeper75]

I can't say for sure, really, but the excess weight does put a lot of downward pressure on the front bearing surface. And you want an oil film there to prevent metal on metal contact. If that oil film gets compromised, you'll end up with wear. When you get it off, compare it's weight to the four jaw. What's the diameter of the three jaw and what's the diameter of the four jaw?

I will have to check the diameter tomorrow and see if I can get it off.

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

I can't say for sure, really, but the excess weight does put a lot of downward pressure on the front bearing surface. And you want an oil film there to prevent metal on metal contact. If that oil film gets compromised, you'll end up with wear. When you get it off, compare it's weight to the four jaw. What's the diameter of the three jaw and what's the diameter of the four jaw?

Jeepers .. The chuck might not necessarily hurt the performance of the machine that much in the short run, but the long run I'll bet the bearings will eventually get compromised. The increase in load and its bending moment (in rotary operation) is substantially different than the smaller / normal sized chuck.

Also, consider the amount of momentum...the smaller chuck is easier for the lathe to start to turn, and to stop.. from a practical perspective..both pluses and minuses..

I'll bet Ted Pfluger / SBLatheman has smaller chucks available and may be willing to trade for a small upcharge..

Good luck getting the chuck off. In my vocational machine trades class, we used a 4' bar of steel, in-between the chuck jaws.. slow steady downward pressure, and it almost always did the trick..

 

[jerseykat1]

That's a steal at 250 bucks.. I paid 450 for a bare bones southbend 9" without even a quick change gearbox.. I'm jealous.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[Jeeper75]

Thanks for all the info guys, I went out this morning and chuck a piece of square steel in the chuck, locked the drive, put a big pipe wrench on the steel thinking it probably wouldn't budge. Well just the weight of the pipe wrench and a little pull and it popped loose with ease. Though that was going to be the hard part!

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Thanks for all the info guys, I went out this morning and chuck a piece of square steel in the chuck, locked the drive, put a big pipe wrench on the steel thinking it probably wouldn't budge. Well just the weight of the pipe wrench and a little pull and it popped loose with ease. Though that was going to be the hard part!

Success!!!

 

[ttpete]

Thanks for all the info guys, I went out this morning and chuck a piece of square steel in the chuck, locked the drive, put a big pipe wrench on the steel thinking it probably wouldn't budge. Well just the weight of the pipe wrench and a little pull and it popped loose with ease. Though that was going to be the hard part!

When you install a chuck, don't spin it on hard against the shoulder, just snug it up. It'll tighten itself as it's used, and will be easy to get off again.

You might want to make a chuck block out of wood that fits across the ways and is cut out to match the chuck OD and is high enough so it aligns with the spindle nose. Saves straining and banged up fingers, especially with big heavy chucks.

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

I have learned from these posts that if you have various sizes of chucks available for a lathe, its probably better to use a smaller one that works versus a big one all the time.

Is that an appropriate conclusions?

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

I have learned from these posts that if you have various sizes of chucks available for a lathe, its probably better to use a smaller one that works versus a big one all the time.



Is that an appropriate conclusions?

Yeah....I'd buy that....



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Cima96]

Yes ****, you're right, the only problem of having a wide collection of chucks is the cost. You have to consider that the price of a quality 160mm (more or less 6") in Italy is more than 1000€ (more than 1200$). Of course you can buy also low quality tools spending 1/10 but this is not my consuetude, especially for machine tool equipments because often we want to appreciate 1/1000" using them and this is very unconvenient to do with cheap tooling.
The last thing I want to say something about is the quick change toolpost (jeeper has asked some info): this tool is one of the mostly used object on a lathe, so like for the chuck in my opinion quality is essential. The only problem is that of course quality costs, the solution in my opinion is to buy something used but manufactured by a good brand (I don't know American brands but in Europe Multifix, Rapid and Impero produce very good toolposts).

 

[John in OH]

I have learned from these posts that if you have various sizes of chucks available for a lathe, its probably better to use a smaller one that works versus a big one all the time.

Is that an appropriate conclusions?

+1 !! That is a rather massive chuck for that size SB lathe. It can't be doing the spindle bearings any favors. It seems to me that 95% or more of the items I turn are less than 1.5" in diameter so that big a chuck is sure not necessary. Might be nice to keep in a drawer "just in case", but on a day-to-day basis I'd get a chuck of the appropriate original size.

First thing you should do is get a copy of South Bend's "How to Run a Lathe" booklet. An excellent source of information for new and experienced lathe operators. Not sure the best source for the booklet now, maybe eBay, Amazon, or the Practical Machinist site. There are numerous publication dates as the booklet was often updated by SB, but the 1940s editions are pretty good. This is one of the Amazon sources, however, I'm sure you can find it cheaper somewhere else: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029WRSFM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Excellent price at $250, you done good!

 

[bczygan]

A big you **** for that.

First...get on the Yahoo Groups Southbend Lathe groups.


Second, NEVER use that grinder that is for using on a lathe bed. Grinding dust is bad for the ways.

I have that lathe.

Bill

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

+1 !! That is a rather massive chuck for that size SB lathe. It can't be doing the spindle bearings any favors. It seems to me that 95% or more of the items I turn are less than 1.5" in diameter so that big a chuck is sure not necessary. Might be nice to keep in a drawer "just in case", but on a day-to-day basis I'd get a chuck of the appropriate original size.

First thing you should do is get a copy of South Bend's "How to Run a Lathe" booklet. An excellent source of information for new and experienced lathe operators. Not sure the best source for the booklet now, maybe eBay, Amazon, or the Practical Machinist site. There are numerous publication dates as the booklet was often updated by SB, but the 1940s editions are pretty good. This is one of the Amazon sources, however, I'm sure you can find it cheaper somewhere else: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029WRSFM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Excellent price at $250, you done good!

John, good thoughts.. This made me remember that most of what I do on my SBL 10K smaller than 5/8" is done with collets..

Jeeper, you'll need to get the HTRAL to see what the collet arrangement looks like.

Also, the one face plate with the 4x "steps" on them with set screws, that is sort of like a large 4 jaw chuck / face plate. I've got the same one and used it on some larger pipe turning projects..

 

[bczygan]

HTRAL How To Run A Lathe:
http://www.wswells.com/data/htral/1913_htral/1913_htral.pdf

Wells:
http://www.wswells.com/

Fluids:
http://bluechipmachineshop.com/bc_blog/south-bend-lathe-recommended-a-b-c-oils/

Yahoo Group:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/SOUTHBENDLATHE/conversations/messages/95741

More:
http://www.wewilliams.net/SBLibrary.htm

http://bluechipmachineshop.com/bc_blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/How-To-Disassemble-a-South-Bend-Lathe-for-Moving.pdf

Do Google searches.

Bill

 

[bczygan]

Damn!

I just noticed you have a micrometer stop and a thread turning dial too. You even have the tailstock wrench!

First thing to get for it is a Taiwan made modern AXA wedge type toolpost and tool holders like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BOSTAR-AXA-Wedge-Type-Tool-Post-Set-for-Lathe-6-12-With-Two-Extra-Holders/271828309441?_trksid=p2141725.c100338.m3726&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20150313114020%26meid%3D4bbc421d78b047c3bd8237c6286735ae%26pid%3D100338%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D27%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D281827797886

Check the teeth on the back gear and bull gears.

In fact, I would do a complete tear down and rebuild.

Here's a kit and book:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rebuild-Manual-Kit-for-9-South-Bend-Lathe-Model-A-/150497978527

Keep an eye out for a collet closer for it.

Good luck. You've got a gem!

And carefully learn how to operate it, so you don't bust the teeth on the back gear and bull gear. It's common for newbies to damage these.


Bill

 

[Jeeper75]

Damn!

I just noticed you have a micrometer stop and a thread turning dial too. You even have the tailstock wrench!

First thing to get for it is a Taiwan made modern AXA wedge type toolpost and tool holders like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BOSTAR-AXA-Wedge-Type-Tool-Post-Set-for-Lathe-6-12-With-Two-Extra-Holders/271828309441?_trksid=p2141725.c100338.m3726&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20150313114020%26meid%3D4bbc421d78b047c3bd8237c6286735ae%26pid%3D100338%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D27%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D281827797886

Check the teeth on the back gear and bull gears.

In fact, I would do a complete tear down and rebuild.

Here's a kit and book:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rebuild-Manual-Kit-for-9-South-Bend-Lathe-Model-A-/150497978527

Keep an eye out for a collet closer for it.

Good luck. You've got a gem!

And carefully learn how to operate it, so you don't bust the teeth on the back gear and bull gear. It's common for newbies to damage these.


Bill

That is the book and rebuild kit I plan on buying.

 

[justanengineer]

Ignore the worrywarts, those chucks are fine and likely have been on that machine for at least a few decades. The spindle is the strongest part of the machine and yours should have plain bearings which are the strongest type, if you think about the forces imparted by cutting (or worse, using that knurling tool) then you'll realize why worrying about the chuck's weight is silly. Also, if you read many old machine manuals you'll find many like my Clausing which show the spindle as the recommended lifting point for the heavy end. Personally I prefer using a 4-jaw independent for general turning bc you can dial them in dead-nuts concentric fairly quickly/easily with a bit of practice, and bc most 3-jaw scroll chucks have a couple thou runout built in.

Enjoy the machine, be safe, and start making chips already!

 

[Jeeper75]

Ignore the worrywarts, those chucks are fine and likely have been on that machine for at least a few decades. The spindle is the strongest part of the machine and yours should have plain bearings which are the strongest type, if you think about the forces imparted by cutting (or worse, using that knurling tool) then you'll realize why worrying about the chuck's weight is silly. Also, if you read many old machine manuals you'll find many like my Clausing which show the spindle as the recommended lifting point for the heavy end. Personally I prefer using a 4-jaw independent for general turning bc you can dial them in dead-nuts concentric fairly quickly/easily with a bit of practice, and bc most 3-jaw scroll chucks have a couple thou runout built in.

Enjoy the machine, be safe, and start making chips already!

Thanks for the advice, makes me feel better about it, plan on cleaning it up some when the weather gets a little warmer. Might as well use that chuck till I find a smaller one.