1922 south bend 9'' lathe restore ......New stuff

[SWIGIN]

Well, 4700 makes it WAY older then 1929 since mine is over #20,000 and it's a 1922. Post the complete number with any letters that might be in it and I'll decipher it. Most people don't quite understand the correct way to decipher these numbers.

A early 9'' South Bend like mine has a very wide bed compared to the more common WW2 and newer lathes so you cant really mix parts.

[randycasting]

I am attaching pictures of my apron and carriage assembly. The serial number stamped into the end of the way is 45237. There is an excel spreadsheet online that indicates thatt his was 1929 and prior to the 1930's there were no letter codes apended to the serial number. I will send pictures of the entire machine in a moment but here is the front and back of the carriage. The apron is photgraphed while upside down. In the phot of the back is a gear with two pins. This is shown after I removed the clutch. On the oposite sid is the large nut with a hole in it where the clutch arbor was. After removing te clutch I can't seem to get the remaining pieces apart. The gear with the pins seems fixed to the nut and turning the nut from the front also turns the gear. I am afraid to just pry anything as it seems connected. If anyone knows how to get tthis apart let me know. The US army manual on line is for a 1940's lathe and the apron is totally different. This is a model C9-10JR according to the gear cover but that may also have been a doner part.
Thanks,
Randy

[randycasting]

[SWIGIN]

Actually they started using letters in the serial numbers in the mid to late 40s....I forget the exact year.

Ok I just looked and it was March 1947, here is the link to the number one South Bend serial number site.

http://www.wswells.com/serial_number.html

Your lathes age is between 7-3-1929 and 11-13-29 and it is not on the list, so if you want to add it and get the low down on your lathe just send Steve (owner of that site) your number he will post it on the list.

Your head does seem to be a newer style since it looks nothing like my 1929 head. These little lathes (back then) used bearing caps for the spindle bearings and your's has the newer style setup with the pinch bolt. The only head that will fit onto the older wide beds is a heavy 10 head. The heavy 10 used the wide bed like the old small lathes and they did not make a 10'' lathe back in the 20s so if yours is a 10''lathe I'd bet thats what happened.

I thought of doing the same thing to mine but I'm happy with it.


It has been awhile since I did mine but I was able to remove everything on the back side of the apron with little problem. I do remember fighting with the peice you still have on the front side. I just went gonzo on it with a large ajustable wrench and broke it loose. Mine, if I remember right, would turn a little each way then stop.

[randycasting]

Thank you for your help. I figured out that the nut is an arbor for the rear clutch gear and it is removed from the front by turning clockwise. The oil in the entiure lathe has dried and left carbon deposits. This and metal debris is what locked up the apron works. I cleaned everything off with diesel and a brass brush, relubed, and have mounted my working carriage back on the clean lathe bed. The only thing I don't care for and South Bend had the good sense to change on later models is the selection lever for the apron drive. I like the positive indent mechanism on the newer lathes rather than having to baby the lever on the older lathe so that I hit the right spot to allow the half nut to clamp. I'm not sure why one would not be able to engage both the half nut and the cross slide drive at the same time but I am not willing to experiment by removing the engagement pin. Also, you are right. This lathe actually has a 10" swing. Whoever built this up knew what they were doing and must have collected parts becasue again it came with every attachment and alot of duplicate parts. There are what apear to be various serial numbers on all the newer parts that fit the later serial number scheme. I believe the gearbox is a newer one but the apron is the same age as the bed, 1929. I have started cleaning the head, and all the gears including the back gear function well. I'll lube the whole thing up, adjust it, and by this weekend I should be able to turn the new bag inlet pipe I need for my Uilleann bagpipes. Then I'll disassemble everything over next Summer and repaint everything so it looks a bit less awful. Also I'll build a new table. I'm really glad it turned out to have a 10" swing. It's heavy enough I can turn the drive wheels for a 1-1/2" scale 0-6-0 live steam locomotive should I ever take back up that hobby. I have also owned a Logan 10X24 and I think both lathes are very well made but I like the longer bed length of my South Bend. $650 may have seemed high for this lathe but without the tooling this lathe, in slightly prettier shape, goes for around $1200-$1700 here in the Pacific Northwest. I think I did alright!
Randy

[SWIGIN]

The secret to hitting the right spot when using the half nuts (for threading only) is of course to use a thread dial. I never miss with my dial installed.

[SWIGIN]

I snagged this off ebay, NOS and has the South bend tag still on it. I got it CHEAP too, if any one is looking for a nice new yet oldschool tough cut off tool holder I sugest looking at these. He had 7 more and they have a Buy it now price of $35....you cant go wrong.








This is how I will be useing it.


This picture is from a fellow machinist from the site I go to. I have the same rear tool holder, I just need to machine it. I got the rear tool holder at the same time as the new cross slide I machined for my lathe. I am just now getting around to makeing the rear tool holder ( almost a year after buying it ...lol) And I figured I'd get a slightly larger cutt off tool to use with it.

[Dirtcrasher]

Your holder is awesome!

Got a link to those, I searched some keywords - couldn't find it. PM me if you have to.

I'd rather have one for my wedge post but I held onto the old rocker post just in case; Like for this.

Thanks!b

[SWIGIN]

Here is the page I used http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[Dirtcrasher]

^ Thanks bud. I'll just have to decide whether I want a tool and holder that fit in my wedge post, or this one that fits in my half moon rocker post.

Honestly, how often do you need a cutoff tool anyhow....... But, when you need it, you need it!! I'll have to re-read the auction thoroughly........

My lathe has more hours on it in the last 6 months than the past 20 years; then while it was rusting away in someone's garage, it ended up in the dump. I'm so lucky to have a complete set of gears and it just took weeks of blood/sweat and tears to get it cutting again.

If I can't cut threads with this machine, I'll be hunting for a gold old "Heavy 10"

I LOVE old school machining tools......

THANK YOU very much for the link bud!!

I'll check it out later when I'm done in the shop.......

[SWIGIN]

Sounds like you got a new to you lathe? I need pics!!!

I have a cutoff holder for my phasell quick release but after reading 50 or so pages on the ''rules'' of parting I have decided to to go with the rear setup. As i'm sure you know, little lathes don't have enough mass to part as good as a large machine will. The idea of rear parting kinda takes all that out of the equation since the cutting blade can no longer dig into the work peice.

Instead of diging in and chattering or breaking the tip now, they say, the tip will move away from the peice and can't dig in or chatter. And they say that the forces the saddle sees during a cut with a normal setup trys to lift the saddle off the V in the bed.

Anyway, I read way to much information on parting and am going to try it from the rear......lol

[Dirtcrasher]

^ Nope, same one, always improving........... Just a new tool post (finally). I run my lead screw with a variable DC drive. I missed a heavy 10 about 40 miles from my home for 400$ - no one bid........I wish I got that one, they all look at lathes like heavy junk they just want to get rid of....

I'll find one with a quick change gear box at some point. Just not looking forward to stripping and painting another one, but it will all be worth it!

You've got more drive than me Swigin, I just get frustrated. But, for 100$, I just couldn't go wrong!

PS, does a SB also cut metric threads? or is there another gear set?

[SWIGIN]

The old SB lathes used a different set of gears to cut metric threads. Try searching google for METRIC TRANSPONDING GEARS.

Maybe you can find a link that shows how you use them. Guys on ebay reproduce those gears but they are $300 last I looked.

Another metric option is to try to find a WW2 SB that was made to only cut metric. These were pretty much sent over seas with a one way ticket...very few made it back to the US.

Those are the only ways I know how to cut metric threads on an old SB.

[SWIGIN]

Tonight I started on the rear mount tool post casting. I basically just have the rough casting all squared up and did some lay out on it.





In the first picture you can see I found a casting flaw in the cast iron. It is small and even though the guy I got it from said he would replace any casting with a flaw I will keep going and if I don't run into it again i will let it go.

[SWIGIN]

OK, here it is basicly finished. I need to order some T nuts and studs so I can mount it for good and get some allen bolts for where the 2 normal bolts are now.

You can see the casting flaw real good in this pic. It is not as bad as it looks and is only about .040 deep.