Quick change tool post for SouthBend 9A lathe

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thequietman

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I'm pretty new to metalworking. I recently got my old South Bend 9A out of storage (long story) and started playing with it again. Very quickly realized that the tool post I have seems to be made for a smaller lathe (if that is even possible) as the tool sits too low to be at the center of the work piece, even if I position the tool all the way at the top of the post. I've managed to shim the post up temporarily to get the tools positioned properly. I will need to come up with a more permanent solution.

I started thinking about getting a quick change tool post with appropriate tool holders. Needless to say, there isn't one made for my specific lathe (it's about 60 years old), and whatever generic stuff I can find is expensive.

I did come across this item in Grizzly catalog at a more reasonable price : http://www.grizzly.com/products/17-Piece-Quick-Change-Tool-Post-Set/T10166. Is that a decent set to get started with, or should I save my money and look for something more reliable? What would be a good one to get for a 9" lathe?
 
Since you already have it, I'd probably make a dedicated shim to get the tool post up on spindle centerline and run with it. Somewhere down the road you may find need for a bigger tool post, but maybe not. Is the body of your current tool post made of steel, or is one of those aluminum deals for the 7" mini lathes? If it's steel, I'd definitely stick with it for the time being.
 
thequietman said:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/17-Piece-Quick-Change-Tool-Post-Set/T10166. Is that a decent set to get started with, or should I save my money and look for something more reliable? What would be a good one to get for a 9" lathe?
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I'd recommend a wedge style QCTP, the one you have a link to is a plunge type.
As far as price, this is the cheapest I found on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/AXA-Size-We...082491?hash=item4b1367463b:g:Y3cAAOSw2xRYm1AI
A photo might help ID issue with QCTP you have.
 
Little machine shop sells nice quality tool posts. I think you will need an AXA size TP for your SB 9". I have an OXA on my 7" Dalton and it is just right -it is one size smaller than an AXA, and would be to small for the SB 9" lathe I am restoring. The SB 9" are beefier machines and respond well to larger size tooling: 3/8" tool bits, for example. Which is an ideal size for the AXA tool post and 9" lathe.

The other important factor is tool height. You can measure your lathe, from top of the compound to the tip of a dead center stuck in your headstock. This height should govern what size tool post you select.

BTW, it is common to mill a spacer to raise the tool post a bit -3/8" to maybe 5/8" - off the cross slide base for older lathes. I have three lathes, all different sizes, each with a shop made spacer to allow a range of tool height adjustment.

Glenn
 
If you can shim your tools enough to make a real difference, then your tools are likely on the small side for the tool holders. Tool bit stock that is the nominal size for the tool holder does not leave much room for shims. So, naturally, a smaller than nominal tool will require shimming to get it up to the same height as a nominal tool. There is nothing wrong with that, and it is done all the time. If you do not have at least a couple tools in your arsenal that are the nominal size and pretty much fill up the tool slot, get some, grind a tool, and then notice how much smoother and more rigidly they can cut. That is especially useful when you are trying for depths of cuts and feed rates in the upper range of what your machine is able to handle.
 
Aloris recommends the AXA post for the South Bend 9 and 10 inch lathes. Aloris and Dorian are at the high end of the range. The asian AXA posts seem to work fine from the comments I've seen but I'm not familiar with which brand works better than the others. Size-wise, I think most of the import AXA posts should work for you.
 
Bob Korves said:
If you can shim your tools enough to make a real difference, then your tools are likely on the small side for the tool holders.
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Unfortunately, even with the tool shimmed all the way to the top of the tool holder, it is still below the center line of the lathe. I had to shim the tool holder up by about 1/8" to be able to get the tools positioned properly. That is all I had laying around, but that is also little too much. Some of my larger tools are now too high with no shims. I can see some custom shims in my future.

Glenn Brooks said:
Little machine shop sells nice quality tool posts. I think you will need an AXA size TP for your SB 9". I have an OXA on my 7" Dalton and it is just right -it is one size smaller than an AXA, and would be to small for the SB 9" lathe I am restoring. The SB 9" are beefier machines and respond well to larger size tooling: 3/8" tool bits, for example. Which is an ideal size for the AXA tool post and 9" lathe.
Click to expand...

Live and learn. Last two days I found out more about tool holders than I knew existed. :D I already figured I will need AXA size (two days ago I didn't even know they had sizes, let alone nomenclature). Little Machine shop sells two AXA holders. One is USA made and way out of my price range. The other one is probably Chinese and more reasonably priced. But I don't see that it is any different then the one I see on Amazon for $18 less and with free shipping.

Glenn Brooks said:
BTW, it is common to mill a spacer to raise the tool post a bit -3/8" to maybe 5/8" - off the cross slide base for older lathes. I have three lathes, all different sizes, each with a shop made spacer to allow a range of tool height adjustment.
Click to expand...

That is good to know. I knew about shimming the tools, but I never heard about shimming the tool holder. I think I will be making some more shims to fine tune the holder height.
 
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