Good evening all, The statement "all South Bend lathes heavy 10" to 16" having the same spindle thread, 2-1/4x8. is not true. I have a 14-1/2" 8' bed South Bend mfg 1961 that has a spindle thread of 2-3/8x6. Face and chuck plates are very hard to get. MSC only sells a 10" chuck plate with that thread. The spindle taper is the South Bend one that is about the size of a Morse #5. I have never measured it as I have 2 adapters, Morse #3 and #4. I would like to find a 12" or a 14" face plate for it but have not been able to locate one. Before South Bend was sold I talked to the lady that worked in parts forever (can't remember her name at the moment). Gave her the ser# and she said I was wrong as it dated 1961 and she said the last 14-1/2" lathes were made in I think 1958. She called me back a few day's later and said a small qty. about 30 were made that year and she was wrong. She said she had the parts I asked for. I then asked her about the spindle thread and she said from her memory all 14-1/2s had that size. A couple friends work for a large company in Denver and they had a 14-1/2" South Bend with a 12 foot bed and it had the same spindle as mine as I got a 8" face plate from them that they never used. I thought mine was long as most I have heard about are 6 foot, about 40" between centers. I can get 66" in mine, 60"x 3" in a 10" chuck. Does anyone have a 14-1/2" with a 2-1/4x8 spindle? Take Care, Rick