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Should I buy this Model A Precision?
- Thread starter IHateMayonnaise
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2016
- Messages
- 21
You guys are going to hate me....
Got the lathe for $1000. Appeared to be in very good shape, in as far as I can tell. The machine is from 1942 (guy paid Grizzly to get the serial number card, see below). The lathe came with a well-organized notebook with every piece of information he could find, every receipt, contact, notes, everything. Apparently he bought it in 2014 for $1700 (with milling attachment, which came with it), not including the bench or any accessories. The leather belt looks to be in great shape, but didn't try to turn it on. Carriage is smooth, and there doesn't appear to be much wear on the bed that I could tell (hand-tighten nut @ headstock for barely free movement, move towards tailstock). Not a bit of rust ANYWHERE, this guy loved his tools!!
Aside from the lathe being a killer deal, they were getting rid of his other equipment for pennies on the dollar, mostly because they didn't know what most of the stuff was. I got brand new Huot indexes (fractional, number, and letter) for $2 each, for instance. Mostly everyone there was focused on his amassment of guns/ammo, and there was little attention paid to his machinary. In essence, I made out like a bandit, and it's been quite a while since I've done so well at one of these sales.
Now that you hate me, I need your help:
I need to make the lathe as light as possible in order to transport it. The bench itself weighs a ton, even with only the lathe on it. I've got a Johnson Bar and some dollies, but moving it is going to require some creativity. I am going to see about renting a truck with a lift gate, however I'm concerned that I won't be able to back it down close enough to help much (driveway is gravel), because the garage is after a bend in the driveway. I've got a new subaru outback and could rent a trailer, however getting it onto the trailer will be quite difficult I imagine, but at least I can park it right at the opening of the garage.
Here's the other problem: My driveway SUCKS -- it's paved, sure, but is extremely steep and angled at the top (UPS/USPS don't even try going up, if that gives you any indication). When I moved in to my house in October, it took an army of folks and lots of hurt backs to move my equipment in, and I am extremely worried about getting the lathe safely into my garage, while mitigating every possible risk. I can back a trailer up to my garage at the top, but can't go in (not tall enough), so I'll have to unhook it from the hitch and slowly lower it. I've done this before and am confident I can do it again. All this is justification for what I'm about to ask...
I would like to take as many things off from the lathe before moving it to make it easier to transport (and less top heavy). I've already removed the tailstock, and I can remove the 3-jaw chuck when I go back tomorrow. I'm looking to remove things that are possible to put back pretty straightforwardly, however I will say that I am very technologically/mechanically savvy, I just don't know anything about lathes. What I don't want to do is get myself into a pickle due to my ignorance. I'm not thinking of doing anything with the leadscrew, for instance, but I am thinking about the following:
1) Carriage/apron assembly
2) Motor/pulley assemblies
3) Gearbox
4) Anything in the headstock
I'm eager to hear whether or not any of these are a terrible idea, or if anyone has any advice on best practices/things to watch out for. I have the parts diagrams, which I will be studying this evening to better understand things. I'll see what I can find on the youtubes as well. I think that the best case scenario would be if I could light the lathe enough, I could get it in the back of my car, and just load the bench in the trailer.
Any advice, thoughts, or prayers would be deeply appreciated!
Cheers,
IHateMayonnaise
Got the lathe for $1000. Appeared to be in very good shape, in as far as I can tell. The machine is from 1942 (guy paid Grizzly to get the serial number card, see below). The lathe came with a well-organized notebook with every piece of information he could find, every receipt, contact, notes, everything. Apparently he bought it in 2014 for $1700 (with milling attachment, which came with it), not including the bench or any accessories. The leather belt looks to be in great shape, but didn't try to turn it on. Carriage is smooth, and there doesn't appear to be much wear on the bed that I could tell (hand-tighten nut @ headstock for barely free movement, move towards tailstock). Not a bit of rust ANYWHERE, this guy loved his tools!!
Aside from the lathe being a killer deal, they were getting rid of his other equipment for pennies on the dollar, mostly because they didn't know what most of the stuff was. I got brand new Huot indexes (fractional, number, and letter) for $2 each, for instance. Mostly everyone there was focused on his amassment of guns/ammo, and there was little attention paid to his machinary. In essence, I made out like a bandit, and it's been quite a while since I've done so well at one of these sales.
Now that you hate me, I need your help:
I need to make the lathe as light as possible in order to transport it. The bench itself weighs a ton, even with only the lathe on it. I've got a Johnson Bar and some dollies, but moving it is going to require some creativity. I am going to see about renting a truck with a lift gate, however I'm concerned that I won't be able to back it down close enough to help much (driveway is gravel), because the garage is after a bend in the driveway. I've got a new subaru outback and could rent a trailer, however getting it onto the trailer will be quite difficult I imagine, but at least I can park it right at the opening of the garage.
Here's the other problem: My driveway SUCKS -- it's paved, sure, but is extremely steep and angled at the top (UPS/USPS don't even try going up, if that gives you any indication). When I moved in to my house in October, it took an army of folks and lots of hurt backs to move my equipment in, and I am extremely worried about getting the lathe safely into my garage, while mitigating every possible risk. I can back a trailer up to my garage at the top, but can't go in (not tall enough), so I'll have to unhook it from the hitch and slowly lower it. I've done this before and am confident I can do it again. All this is justification for what I'm about to ask...
I would like to take as many things off from the lathe before moving it to make it easier to transport (and less top heavy). I've already removed the tailstock, and I can remove the 3-jaw chuck when I go back tomorrow. I'm looking to remove things that are possible to put back pretty straightforwardly, however I will say that I am very technologically/mechanically savvy, I just don't know anything about lathes. What I don't want to do is get myself into a pickle due to my ignorance. I'm not thinking of doing anything with the leadscrew, for instance, but I am thinking about the following:
1) Carriage/apron assembly
2) Motor/pulley assemblies
3) Gearbox
4) Anything in the headstock
I'm eager to hear whether or not any of these are a terrible idea, or if anyone has any advice on best practices/things to watch out for. I have the parts diagrams, which I will be studying this evening to better understand things. I'll see what I can find on the youtubes as well. I think that the best case scenario would be if I could light the lathe enough, I could get it in the back of my car, and just load the bench in the trailer.
Any advice, thoughts, or prayers would be deeply appreciated!
Cheers,
IHateMayonnaise
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2016
- Messages
- 21
Yikes, it seems like removing the gearbox requires removing the leadscrew, which doesn't sound all that exciting: http://www.lathes.co.uk/southbend/1954-south-bend-rebuild.pdf
There are 1 or 2 allen head set screws that hold the pully to the countershaft, loosen them and punch out the shaft which will allow you to separate the countershaft assembly from the headstock without cutting the belt. If u have to cut it, its easy to get a replacement.
Remove headstock: there are 2 9/16 bolts underneath it, you'll need a short extension bar, may also need to move the banjo and gears to get access to the front bolt, a screw driver and crescent wrench will do.
Remove carriage: Remove leadscrew support near tailstock and simply slide the whole carriage off.
I'd leave the gearbox and leadscrew on, but re-connect the leadscrew support before moving.
Two guys should be able to carry the bed/gearbox fairly easily even with the carriage on.
I was able to transport mine in a 4 door sedan with ease.
Remove headstock: there are 2 9/16 bolts underneath it, you'll need a short extension bar, may also need to move the banjo and gears to get access to the front bolt, a screw driver and crescent wrench will do.
Remove carriage: Remove leadscrew support near tailstock and simply slide the whole carriage off.
I'd leave the gearbox and leadscrew on, but re-connect the leadscrew support before moving.
Two guys should be able to carry the bed/gearbox fairly easily even with the carriage on.
I was able to transport mine in a 4 door sedan with ease.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2013
- Messages
- 4,318
good for you, congrats!
For transporting the lathe, 3 words: drop deck trailer. Makes life sooo much easier. Pulled one behind my outback when I got my 6x26 mill, a drill press and a 4x6 bandsaw
For transporting the lathe, 3 words: drop deck trailer. Makes life sooo much easier. Pulled one behind my outback when I got my 6x26 mill, a drill press and a 4x6 bandsaw
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2016
- Messages
- 21
Success! It was a lot easier than I thought, and I probably didn't need to disassemble it to the degree that I did, however doing so allowed me a closer look at the innards.
All the gears look good, not a missing tooth to be found. I see some normal wear on the gears (apron in particular). The gasket on the apron is toast, I'm glad I caught this because worm gear sets, in my experience, fail quickly if they don't have a good oil well to simmer in. The half-nuts look pretty good in my opinion, also.
There's enough swarf in the apron assembly to make me really want to take it apart and clean it. I ordered the rebuild kit/manual from Stevew on eBay, I'm eager to get cracking!
To be continued...
All the gears look good, not a missing tooth to be found. I see some normal wear on the gears (apron in particular). The gasket on the apron is toast, I'm glad I caught this because worm gear sets, in my experience, fail quickly if they don't have a good oil well to simmer in. The half-nuts look pretty good in my opinion, also.
There's enough swarf in the apron assembly to make me really want to take it apart and clean it. I ordered the rebuild kit/manual from Stevew on eBay, I'm eager to get cracking!
To be continued...
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- Joined
- Jul 3, 2016
- Messages
- 21
I did notice that on the motor pully that the collars are modern, and I believe that there are some spacers that are missing, I'll check the parts list to verify. I'm also missing the cap/spring on the oil plug (see below), anyone know where I can find a replacement?
The leather belt came apart pretty easily, however I'll have to find a replacement thing that splices them together. The orignial one was plastic, I may be able to get it to work again but I'd prefer to find a more perminant solution.
It came with two faceplates, the one attached appears to be modern, probably from Grizzly/Shars (manufacturer of 3/4-jaw chucks that came with it). I assume that the faceplate is pressed in? Doe anyone have any advice on how to remove it?
There was a gear that came in sealed plastic bag in the toolbox that came with the unit (see two images below). It matches one of the gears on the outside of the gearbox, in that it has the same pitch, and ID, and the fact that it says "20" where the oroginal one that I removed says "40". It is certainly a well-loved gear with some crappy wear, but it meshes decently with the original. What functionality does this gear add, does anyone know?
One last thing... several years ago I picked up up a bunch of tools from some guy whos brother died, and it came with a strange gizmo that took me a bit of time to figure out what it was because it had no identifiable markings on it that I could easly search: a South Bend micrometer carriage stop (see below). I've known what it was for a while now, but I'm glad I didn't sell it, because it looks like it fits my 9A. What luck!
The leather belt came apart pretty easily, however I'll have to find a replacement thing that splices them together. The orignial one was plastic, I may be able to get it to work again but I'd prefer to find a more perminant solution.
It came with two faceplates, the one attached appears to be modern, probably from Grizzly/Shars (manufacturer of 3/4-jaw chucks that came with it). I assume that the faceplate is pressed in? Doe anyone have any advice on how to remove it?
There was a gear that came in sealed plastic bag in the toolbox that came with the unit (see two images below). It matches one of the gears on the outside of the gearbox, in that it has the same pitch, and ID, and the fact that it says "20" where the oroginal one that I removed says "40". It is certainly a well-loved gear with some crappy wear, but it meshes decently with the original. What functionality does this gear add, does anyone know?
One last thing... several years ago I picked up up a bunch of tools from some guy whos brother died, and it came with a strange gizmo that took me a bit of time to figure out what it was because it had no identifiable markings on it that I could easly search: a South Bend micrometer carriage stop (see below). I've known what it was for a while now, but I'm glad I didn't sell it, because it looks like it fits my 9A. What luck!
Mcmaster or ebay for that gits oiler or just make a tapered plug with your new lathe 
The 20T gear is the normal stud gear. The 40 is only used for 4-7TPI (see threading plate on gearbox).
Get a 445K6 +/- 1 inch serpentine belt to replace that noisy old joined belt
There appears to be a fair amount of wear and a ridge on your front ways, hopefully it won't affect your accuracy too much.
The 20T gear is the normal stud gear. The 40 is only used for 4-7TPI (see threading plate on gearbox).
Get a 445K6 +/- 1 inch serpentine belt to replace that noisy old joined belt
There appears to be a fair amount of wear and a ridge on your front ways, hopefully it won't affect your accuracy too much.