# Southbend 13 Inch



## dave enrico (May 25, 2016)

as probably everyone knows by now with all my questions ive been looking for a lathe for my home shop,i looked at the southbend 9 and 10, and at a sheldon,now this southbend 13 by 36 popped up 1 3 jaw chuck some cutters not much tooling price is under a thousand dollars,my question is the 13 as good as the 9 and 10, what to watch out for on the 13  compared to the 9 and 10,if i purchase it i will post pics,  thanks dave


----------



## David VanNorman (May 25, 2016)

If the machine run and you can try it see how it works. Most likely it should be good. Look at the wear on the bed  if everything works I'de go for it. See if you can find what kind of life it had.


----------



## benmychree (May 25, 2016)

I have owned tow 13" South Bend Lathes; if anything they are head and shoulders better than the smaller lathes, wider belts, more power, they can do useful work in much better time; all things being equal, accuracy is no different between one and the other, but condition is all important, and the price is not bad at all.  The underneath drive is one thing that would set them apart also.


----------



## RCWorks (May 25, 2016)

Bigger is better, fewer things you can't do because of size. Now it's a matter of giving it a good looking over... You want a dream not someone else's nightmare.

Tooling is nice to get but the price seems good if the machine is in good shape.

I'd be happy with a 10 but I'm poor.


----------



## CraigB1960 (May 25, 2016)

I like a 13" to 15" lathe.  Seems like that size fits well with the things I like to make and does not take up an enormous amount of space.  If the SB is tight and in decent shape, than under $1000 is a good deal on that size lathe.


----------



## woodtickgreg (May 25, 2016)

Only way I would ever sell my 10l is if I found a decent 13.


----------



## Andre (May 25, 2016)

I have one, and considering the heavy bed wear and a sew slight issues, I really like it. Spindle speeds max out at 900 or 1k RPM,  so for the small things a smaller lathe with a higher speed spindle would be desirable.


----------



## dave enrico (Jul 21, 2016)

the wife was recooping from being sick,she went from71 lbs to 82 lbs then fell and broke her rt hip been trying to take care of her and work to,not an easy thing to do that was 3 weeks ago,she has a walker now and moves around like a chihuaha on speed,called the guy with thw lathe he said he still has it will try and get by saturday and insp and get pics      dave


----------



## toolman_ar (Jul 23, 2016)

Dave,
some things to consider on the SB13.

1. Big spindle bore or small?  Mine is from 1940 and has the small bore spindle, 1" I.D.
2. Single tumbler or double? Mine has the single tumbler...
3. Flame hardended bed ways? 
4. Is it under power and can be run for a period of time? If so run it and see how hot the bearing get...
5. Test the Longitudinal feed and cross feed...
6. Grab the lead screw and roll it upward, toward the top of the bed, (by hand while power disconected)  look at the Quick Change gear box shaft... how much play is there in the bushings in the QC gear box shafts.
7. Look at the back of the compound, where the gib sticks out. How much gib is there sticking out? Same thing on Cross Slide...
8. Look in all the oil points to see if there is oil in them... especially the two for the spindle head and the two for the motor spindle.

These are all things I am doing to my lathe and finding some things are good... some not so good. I learn something new every day!

toolman_ar


----------



## benmychree (Jul 23, 2016)

toolman_ar said:


> Dave,
> some things to consider on the SB13.
> 
> 1. Big spindle bore or small?  Mine is from 1940 and has the small bore spindle, 1" I.D.
> ...


In addition to that I would suggest:
9. Engage the half nuts with the lathe stopped and check how much wear there is in the half nuts by rocking the carriage handwheel back and forth.  There should be very little.
10. Run the cross feed to the extremes of travel and note if it is tight at one end or the other and sloppy in the middle.  Ideally, the slide should be snug with no binding at either extreme of travel.
11. Are there score marks on the ways?  If so, best to pass it up.
12. are there any shims under the tailstock (between the tailstock and its base casting).  This would show that the machine has had a lot of use, and probably a lot of wear in other areas.
13.  If the spindle is pried upwards with a dial indicator on top, how much clearance is there?  Should be very little, perhaps a thou. or two.
14.  As suggested in (4), run it on the highest speed and observe bearing heat; if you can hold onto the bearing cap without discomfort, OK.  This is also a good time to have the feed train connected and listen for excessive noise, which can be quite irritating.  Also engage the back gear in the fastest belt speed and note excessive noise, good also to remove the back gear guards and check for broken or missing teeth.
15. Check for excessive wear in the cross feed nut; perhaps 1/8 turn is not so bad, but more is not at all good; this is not a fatal flaw, and can be replaced, but is indicative of excessive wear and tear on the rest of the machine.
16. Check to see if the tailstock quill is sloppy in its bore and if the taper has scores in it, just feel around inside the taper with your finger; if scored, you will never be able to remove and replace the center in the same place with resultant taper problems and possibly chatter.

So far as how much the gibs are sticking out, this is subjective, but if there is nothing left for adjustment, and the slides are still loose, this shows excessive wear, and even worse is to find shims under the gibs.


----------

