Okay, time to start thinking about next steps. I've already been thinking about moving the lathe, and there will be more on that in the coming weeks. For now, though, I'm starting to think about tooling. I see that Precision Matthews sells what I assume to be reasonably well vetted tool-posts and tooling and reasonable prices. I'm considering a BXA toolpost, shown here:
www.precisionmatthews.com
This includes a knurling tool--push type--which I think the 14-1/2" South Bend can probably handle. And it includes a couple of turning holders, a boring bar holder, and a parting tool holder. I think the size is probably about right--the lathe might handle the larger CXA, but that makes a deeper hole in the wallet probably for no good reason for what I will do.
And then I'm considering PM's insert indexable tooling:
www.precisionmatthews.com
To this, I'd need to add the threading tool:
www.precisionmatthews.com
All of this would be less than half a kilobuck and it would be pretty comprehensive. Anything else I needed I could grind from HSS.
So, is this a reasonable line of thinking? I know that carbide tooling works best on lathes that can take a heavier cut, but I think this South Bend is up to that.
I also know that many prefer the Multifix-style tool post rather than the Aloris-style tool post, but the only source of those at reasonable cost seem to not be shipped from U.S. addresses, if you know what I mean. Maybe I'll rethink that in the future, but I sure see lots of people working very effectively with the more common Aloris-style tool post.
I will be looking at the lathe more this weekend, and will try to get a sense of what tooling is coming with it. But I know that it only has a lantern post and nothing in the line of quick-change tool posts. The main thing I'm curious about is the collet holder sleeve and drawbar, which should have been included with this toolroom-spec lathe. I want to put eyes on that stuff. There should be a follow rest that I also haven't seen.
Rick "advice appreciated" Denney