What do y'all think about this ?

markba633csi said:
Looks a lot better, I'm jealous too. I'm guessing the color was grey originally?
Mark S.
Click to expand...

Don't really know what the original color is, the Zep Fast 505 Industrial Cleaner night be altering the color somewhat. The cleaner does a great job in getting rid of the oil and grime build up, just spray and lightly wipe down with paper towel.
 
Last edited:
I think I will like this lathe, leveled the HS side, TS end of bed is still not torqued down. made another pass after leveling. Still looking good, taper within measuring error.

Cross slide nut on order, Ken will machine the lead screw for it. I will do the compound screw myself, nut for it is also on order.

The VFD system has been defined by Mark, single braking, no proximity sensor. The spindle control box will just have the EMO, Speed pot and toggle jog. The direction control box will have Forward Stop Reverse switches. The motor is 2HP Marathon, my spare, and the VFD itself will be the Hitachi single phase 2HP.

It should be a fun machine once it is all hot rodded for not a lot of money. Definitely stouter than some Asian offerings in its class.20170628_192231.jpg
20170628_190532.jpg 20170628_190707.jpg
 

Attachments

  • 20170628_190225.mp4
    15.1 MB · Views: 7
Let me give you guys one more boring update on the newly acquired SBL 13. I am just excited about the fact that even for its age, I can find parts for it.

I bought the compound and cross slide nuts from eBay, both for less than a hundred. Last night I installed the compound nut. I was rather surprised of right the fit was with the old lead screw, so I just re-assembled the unit.

This morning a buddy of mine a stopped by for a visit and we end up installimg then croas slide nut. The original plan was for Ken to machine a screw to fit the nut, after test fitting the nut to the old screw, and the fit was just like the compound, I decided to re-assemble the cross slide.

The compound video was taken by me while I was turning the crank. The cross slide was taken by my buddy while I manipulated the crank.

I don't know about you folks, for my use, the backlash, as shown, for both the compound and cross slide is nore than adequate. For a 61 year old machine, I am more than happy.

Next up is the VFD conversion, and you know who the master in VFD conversion is, mksj, already designed the control system. The wheels are rolling

When all is said and done, this lathe will be a fun machine for the years to come. One of its aspects that I really enjoy is the height. I am a sawed off guy, I can operate this one with ergonomic reach to the carriage cranks without employing any platform in front to stand on.


 
Last edited:
You can't beat these old South Bends. Mine is also a 1956 (16" with an 8' bed) with almost zero wear. From the research I found they could be ordered in colors other than the typical grey back then. Mine is the original color. Not pretty but very accurate. I enjoy the parts availability and even found a brand new set of metric transposing gears. Enjoy your new lathe! You'll like the VFD, I'm using a Baldor self contained control with a remote keypad.

IMG_4234.JPG
 
bac1972,

How do you use the clutch lever, engaged all the time? How do you stop when turning to a shoulder, pull out the power feed lever knob? The reason I am asking, the spring loaded knob on the power feed lever on mine is hard to pull out, maybe it just needs some more oiling.
 
Bamban said:
bac1972,

How do you use the clutch lever, engaged all the time? How do you stop when turning to a shoulder, pull out the power feed lever knob? The reason I am asking, the spring loaded knob on the power feed lever on mine is hard to pull out, maybe it just needs some more oiling.
Click to expand...

Most of the early South Bends had the star knob to engage the feed clutch. I always thought you just turned the knob to engage/disengage. Mine was converted over to the toggle cam style at some point. Here is a link I found about the toggle style conversion. It explains the function easier than I can.... http://www.wswells.com/data/parts/992C.pdf Parts may be still available for yours for this option. Grizzly.com owns South Bend now and may still have some parts available.

Sometimes the feed clutch gets sticky. Mine does when its super cold in my garage. I have no problems in warm weather but found some info and plan to do exactly this http://www.wswells.com/data/parts/2003.pdf
 
I understand the clutch, how do you stop to a shoulder when turning, disengage the power feed, disengage the belt, or disengage the clutch?
 
Bamban said:
I understand the clutch, how do you stop to a shoulder when turning, disengage the power feed, disengage the belt, or disengage the clutch?
Click to expand...
On my 9 SBL, mine has the star wheel, I'll stop the feed just shy of hitting the shoulder. I've never had the clutch to lock up and not dis-engage. One thing I recommend, is not to engage hard when engaging. Just gently engage the lever till it grabs and feeds. Not sure if the lever type is adjustable, maybe bac1972 can enlighten us a little.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top