The $147.71 Green South Bend (something)

[graham-xrf]

Hello all.
I am not only (now) a first time lathe owner, I am also new to this forum. This is in fact my first posting here.
After a late-night adventure on eBay, along with a friend who really is well into hobby machining projects, I acquired the South Bend 9 a bit by accident.

We started messing with it because it seemed ridiculously underpriced. £15 (about $22).
It made it to £99, with my bid hiking it to £101, to find that someone had a high maximum.
It still seemed a bargain, so we bid higher, exploring it up to £260, when, thinking better of it, we quit.
At least the winner would have to pay something less derisory.

I get a big surprise next morning when the owner asks if I "still want it", and another mail from eBay administration explaining that the highest bidder had withdrawn, cancelled, in some way, and the whole thing had "wound back" to when we were bidding, and that I had the right to decline. Instead, I reached for PayPal, to pay the £101
I got my ear bent by my wife, because we forgot that lathes do not usually come free P&P. It was collect from 94 miles away! Fortunately, it fit OK in electrician friend's big white van.

So now I have it, and a whole load of questions, many of which, I am sure, already have answers on this site.
My first thought is - I have to get the paint back to the right colour. What colour is that? Surely this green was never a South Bend offering!

All seems to move smoothly, and seems to have been kept soaked in oil. Given it's age, there are bound to be some things to fix up, but I am just at the beginnings. Not shown, but inside the drawers are various keys, tools, sets of centres, various carbide insert cutters (Sandvik), reamers, drills, borers, chucks, gears, and stuff I have yet to figure out what they do.

One first question is .. the front bed slide has screws along it's length, two of which are only just visible between the saddle and the tailstock. Is that a removable replaceable part?
[I did try file upload, but not sure it worked]
Hmm - somehow there are two pictures, for which I apologise, but I can't fix it.

 

[Uglydog]

Welcome to HM!!
I don't know anything about Southbends. But, somebody will know lots.
It's unclear to exactly the screws to which you are referring.

Daryl
MN

 

[tweinke]

I think you did alright on your purchase! I'm sure one of the resident South Bend experts will chime in shortly.

 

[Andre]

That doesn't look like any South Bend I've ever seen.....but nice little lathe!

My South Bend is factory (well, I think...) painted green. Not too far off of your green.

 

[graham-xrf]

Welcome to HM!!
I don't know anything about Southbends. But, somebody will know lots.
It's unclear to exactly the screws to which you are referring.

That doesn't look like any South Bend I've ever seen.....but nice little lathe!

My South Bend is factory (well, I think...) painted green. Not too far off of your green.

Definitely a South Bend. The metal nameplate says so. I never knew that it was one of the most popular and widely used lathes in the US. Everywhere from schools and factories through to government agencies. In the UK, the Boxford was developed like a South Bend "clone".

 

[Andre]

I can see the South Bend tag on the bed, and the tailstock and carriage look exactly like South Bend castings and parts, but the headstock looks much different than any small South Bend lathe I've ever seen. On second look, the headstock might look different because there is a pulley guard on it...not an original SB part. Maybe homemade? I didn't notice the cover had a knob and so must be hinged in the back.

Looks to be a 9" Workshop model C

 

[graham-xrf]

Welcome to HM!!
I don't know anything about Southbends. But, somebody will know lots.
It's unclear to exactly the screws to which you are referring.

Daryl
MN

Hi Daryl & all
Thanks for the welcome.
I took another picture. You can see the two screws near the right hand extreme past the tailstock, and another just forward of the tailstock.
There are screws like that along the length of the way. I cannot see anything similar on the other far side bed way. It looks very like the whole way is detachable, but my mind is saying "no"! I would have thought a bed way has to be more solid than something fixed down with screws. Before I mess with it, I thought I would ask.

 

[graham-xrf]

I can see the South Bend tag on the bed, and the tailstock and carriage look exactly like South Bend castings and parts, but the headstock looks much different than any small South Bend lathe I've ever seen. On second look, the headstock might look different because there is a pulley guard on it...not an original SB part. Maybe homemade? I didn't notice the cover had a knob and so must be hinged in the back.

Looks to be a 9" Workshop model C

Yes - I have been looking at the catalogue I found on the site. Model "A" was the fanciest, with screw cutting gearbox and powered crossfeed. The pulley guard does hinge up, and is clearly an original casting with a designed hinge pivot. Painted cream inside, just like the gear guard.
"B" was less endowed, and the model "C" used change-out gears. I should have mentioned that the drive arrangement is from underneath.
The previous owner had fixed the motor assembly onto wood, which was screwed to the floor. The diagrams I found show that very drive bracket attached to the underside of the bench. It seems South Bend sent owners a free set of plans for constructing a heavy wooden bench, but none seem to have made it onto our online world (yet).

 

[pineyfolks]

Everything I can see on it looks like my 9c except for the head stock. It is probably different because of it being an underdrive. Get your serial number off the bed on the tailstock end and you can date it on the south bend site. The screws in the photo above are holding the leadscrew support that's underneath it. Did you get a set of change gears?

 

[Charles Spencer]

It was collect from 94 miles away!

I live in one of the small eastern states and I don't consider that very far. I'm sure you're causing some head scratching among other members. I do realize gas is expensive there.

There are screws like that along the length of the way.

Don't mess with them. The serial number is near those last two screws. The serial number database is here:

http://www.wswells.com/sn/sn_db.htm

Outstanding deal, by the way.

Oh, and be sure to check:

http://wswells.com/