Just Acquired a SB 9A. Questions.

[ShagDog]

Thanks all. David, I had read that where letters are included with the serial number were referring to lathes made after they stopped using numbers only, in 1947. Here is the link to the South Bend site.

South Bend Lathe Co.

www.southbendlathe.com

Maybe I am misinterpreting, particularly since I can't find a "J" (part of my serial number) in the letter codes. David, do you still want me to see if I can get a good photos of the #?

 

[DavidR8]

Thanks all. David, I had read that where letters are included with the serial number were referring to lathes made after they stopped using numbers only, in 1947. Here is the link to the South Bend site.

South Bend Lathe Co.

www.southbendlathe.com

Maybe I am misinterpreting, particularly since I can't find a "J" (part of my serial number) in the letter codes. David, do you still want me to see if I can get a good photos of the #?

Yes a photo would be great.

 

[ShagDog]

Yes a photo would be great.

Here's the photo.

 

[ShagDog]

Update: Lathe leveled with a 98-6. Took a test cut on a 1" diameter piece about 3.25" long with no tailstock support, and did some facing of the piece. Did not use the back gear. The taper is only around .0001" over the 3.25" I know it isn't that long a distance. I just wanted to test the lathe. I am pleased .

I did put a live center in the TS to check my tool height; however, it will not come out when I crank it all the way back. Any ideas on how to get it out?

 

[SLK001]

Here's the photo.

Your letters were not put on the lathe by SB. Some previous owner stamped them for some nefarious purpose (to confuse future owners)!

 

[SLK001]

As for your live center, your going to have to extend the TS spindle all the way out (past the end of the screw engagement), pull out the spindle and punch your center out.

 

[DavidR8]

Your letters were not put on the lathe by SB. Some previous owner stamped them for some nefarious purpose (to confuse future owners)!

Yup, @ShagDog I'd suggest that your lathe was originally owned by John Fitzroy Portsmouth.
Or pehaps Jeremiah Floyd Phillips.
Could also have been James Francis Porter.
The possibilities are endless

 

[ShagDog]

As for your live center, your going to have to extend the TS spindle all the way out (past the end of the screw engagement), pull out the spindle and punch your center out.

Thanks. That was easy . Now the question is how do I keep it from doing it again.

So I guess the manufacture date is 1941 as you stated, David. I certainly don't think it was for "nefarious purpose", SLK. Most likely it was someone proud of his lathe, or maybe a gift. In any event, I was starting to think it was someone's initials when none of the letters matched any in the key provided by South Bend. I'm a little embarrassed here. Too bad they are not my initials .

 

[SLK001]

So I guess the manufacture date is 1941 as you stated, David. I certainly don't think it was for "nefarious purpose", SLK. Most likely it was someone proud of his lathe, or maybe a gift. In any event, I was starting to think it was someone's initials when none of the letters matched any in the key provided by South Bend. I'm a little embarrassed here. Too bad they are not my initials .

Since your lathe is a war lathe, it was initially owned by a US Government facility. That means that some government fellow inspected the lathe prior to its shipment to its final destination. The inspectors stamped their initials onto the lathe, in the area around the serial number. Initials found on SB lathes include:

AROTUL USA, DPC 10
DWW, JFP
D.W.W, W.E.F
D.W.W. , F.W.M
D.W.W & J.F.P. U.S.N. Property
D.W.W. , J.F.P. USA-HEW, Defense Plant Corporation tags for Boeing Corp
D.W.W., US, navy stamp (ANCHOR)
D.W.W., D.R.M, US, navy stamp (ANCHOR)
FWM
JAN
JAN, JOD
JBL
J.B.R
JFP
JFP, DWW
JFP, LOR & Flaming Bomb
LQR
LOR, JAN
LOR, JOD
L.O.R., J.F.N., US, navy stamp (ANCHOR)
LOR, JFP
WEF
WBL, DETRO DPC T 505
US 47, J.A.N
Property of USAF 875747

So, as you can see, this J. F. P. inspector fellow got plenty of use out of his initials.

 

[SLK001]

Thanks. That was easy . Now the question is how do I keep it from doing it again.

Newer arbors for things like drill chucks and centers don't have enough meat at the very end to engage the "knock-out" stub in the tail stock. What I have done in the past, is build up to end of the arbor will weld metal until it could be ejected. Crude, I know, but it works and is fairly easy to do.