# New to me



## Justmillingaround (Apr 20, 2021)

Hey folks, new around here and just realized that there was a manufacturer specific area!  I have recently stumbled onto this old South Bend lathe and it was a deal I couldn’t pass on.  I have not had a chance to get it home yet, but I am trying to do some homework on it so that I may know more once I get it home.  I don’t know much about it, but maybe you guys can help point me in the right direction.

I didn’t peek under that moving blanket, but I am hoping the tailstock is under there.


----------



## Lastwagen (Apr 20, 2021)

Very nice! Looks to be an early A model. I’d look over at vintagemachinery.org in the South Bend section for a matching model. Someone else here will chime in soon and tell you what it is. Enjoy... and I hope that tail stock is under that blanket. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## mattthemuppet2 (Apr 20, 2021)

ooh, that's a lovely old girl - 1925-1930 by the looks of it. Clean the dust/ grit off and then oil the bejesus out of it everywhere before using it


----------



## Lastwagen (Apr 20, 2021)

It’s more difficult to identify what lathe you have without a serial number, but looking through the old SB catalogs it appears to be a 1940s vintage, maybe a 10” Toolroom lathe. The underneath drive cabinet in that style lathe appears in the 100A 1941 catalog. However, the headstock bearing oilers are centered over the top of the bearing in the photo and they are front-side in the catalog...???


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Lastwagen (Apr 20, 2021)

Another thought, in its original configuration it may have been a turret lathe which has no tail stock. The turret held a number of tool holders or tools that fit into the turret. Mainly for production work where the operator could quickly change cutters based on a repeated sequence of cuts to complete a part. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Justmillingaround (Apr 20, 2021)

Well, after scouring through the archives over at vintagemachine.org for the last few hours, my best guess is that this old girl is 1938-1939 13' tool room lathe.  It looks like the standard package on it would have been a collet and drawbar set up with the threading dial, micrometer stop, and taper attachment, which unfortunately it seems that all of those parts have been removed.  It also means there should be a tail stock somewhere for it, and again I am crossing my fingers that it is wrapped in that blanket under the machine.  Now that I know what to look for and what I am looking at, I cannot wait to get this thing home and start digging in deeper.  I will be doing a full investigation of the shop where it sits now looking for the missing pieces but sadly I'm going to guess that they were lost long ago considering the age.  Time will tell.  I'll update again once I have more info.


----------



## Lastwagen (Apr 20, 2021)

OK, if I were a betting man, I would say that it’s a 13” Toolroom lathe. The 1943 100C catalog, page 16, has the same lathe shown.  In the 5th photo of the gear box badge, there is “13” embossed, second row from top, extreme right and left. Well, almost positive because the headstock spindle oilers are the older top-side style, not the capillary front-side style shown for 1943. Also where the lead screw exits the gearbox, there is some kind of housing that I’m not sure why it’s there. The Atlas lathes had a lead screw clutch in that location, for changing directions, fwd/rev. So I’m no SB expert, just love doing detective work, solving the unknown.  Maybe it was a war-time model or special. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Lastwagen (Apr 20, 2021)

Yes, you’re spot on, 1938-39 13” Toolroom. Nice work! It will be a nice project!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Tim9 (Apr 21, 2021)

__





						Model ID Index
					





					www.wswells.com
				



Wells had the best South Bend registry in my opinion. But the site is lacking now. Not sure what has happened to it.


----------



## Lastwagen (Apr 22, 2021)

Go to wswells.com and click on the hyperlink “New SN Database”...see photo below 








Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Janderso (Apr 22, 2021)

I had a 13, mine was December of 1941. I had the double lever gear box. I wonder when they changed to two?
That's a sweet old girl. Yes, let's hope the Tailstock is around.
If not, Lost creek machine may have one.


----------



## frankly2 (Apr 22, 2021)

You can get the Mfg. card from Grizzly for a fee. send them the S/N and they provide the info of original manufacture and the distributer to the end user. Here is a pic of the one I received on mine.


----------



## Justmillingaround (Apr 23, 2021)

I am planning to get in front of it again tomorrow, and now that I know where to look, get the serial number.  I also plan to take a thorough look around the shop and see how many pieces I can find.  More updates to come.  Happy Friday!


----------



## LucknowKen (Apr 23, 2021)

That lathe would be just the right size for my shop.
Looks like a money maker.


----------



## Justmillingaround (Apr 24, 2021)

On site with the old girl today to start the recovery effort.  So far no sign of the tail stock but I got a serial number!  2222 TKX a quick search of the. Wswells database puts it in 1951 maybe, don’t really have time to dig deeper right now, but I will later on.


----------



## Justmillingaround (May 3, 2021)

Well folks, the saga continues...  I ordered the serial card from Grizzly and received it, however it only raises more of the same questions.  The number stamped in the bed is 2222 TKX, but when I submitted that to Grizzly they returned the card for a 2222 TKL 9.  I know with the way the numbering system works, these should be the same machine.  Here's where it gets interesting...  The card says it is a catalog number CL8145B, which is a 13"x 5' Tool Room Lathe, except this lathe has a 4' bed and not 5'.  In the catalog, the 13" tool room model wasn't even offered on a 4' bed, but maybe that's where the X in the actual serial number comes in?  The card also shows a build date of 4/2/1951, but looking through catalog scans and other pictures of machines from '50-'52, there are several discrepancies.  The placement of the oil cups on the spindle bearing caps is on top, which best I can figure out, looks like that placement was changed about 1940 to the front.  The quick change gear box is a single lever, which looks to be of an earlier generation as well.  The spindle speed chart appears to be hand stamped into a piece of brass shim stock, and the speeds indicated don't match any catalog that I can find, again maybe these things are all part of the "special" indication of the X in the serial number?  So I am still not really sure what I have exactly, but I am guessing that the numbers for the components on the back of the serial card are casting number, maybe someone can confirm that?  As I start tearing things apart, I will check for casting numbers to see if any match the card.  

Another note, it bums me out to see that this old girl came with lots of goodies that are not missing: Micro stop, collet setup, collet rack, taper attachment, tail stock, steady rest, and follower rest.  I did find the treading dial.

Stay tuned....


----------



## LucknowKen (May 6, 2021)

Justmillingaround said:


> Here's where it gets interesting...  The card says it is a catalog number CL8145B, which is a 13"x 5' Tool Room Lathe, except this lathe has a 4' bed and not 5'.  In the catalog, the 13" tool room model wasn't even offered on a 4' bed, but maybe that's where the X in the actual serial number comes in?


Interesting indeed....


Justmillingaround said:


> The quick change gear box is a single lever, which looks to be of an earlier generation as well.


Would a single lever  QCGB make it a model B?


Justmillingaround said:


> Another note, it bums me out to see that this old girl came with lots of goodies that are not missing: Micro stop, collet setup, collet rack, taper attachment, tail stock, steady rest, and follower rest.


Southbend lathes with missing parts are fairly common.
Toolroom lathes that have had the taper attachment removed and replaced would be fairly rare.


----------



## Justmillingaround (May 6, 2021)

Ken, I think that the head stock and gear box are of an earlier time than the rest of the machine, not sure if it was a custom ordered package or what.  The QCGB and head stock seem to be that of a B model from the late 30's, but the serial number and card show a '51 machine.  I do have feelers out on a few different forums right now, hoping to turn up something.


----------



## Brento (Jul 25, 2021)

How much are the date cards? Id love to get one for mine. I did the same with my little Derbyshire lathe to figure out the date. Now i want to get info on my lathe and my clausing mill


----------



## LucknowKen (Jul 26, 2021)

SBLSerialCard
					

Grizzly Industrial, Inc. is a national retail and internet company providing a wide variety of high-quality woodworking and metalworking machinery, power tools, hand tools and accessories.  By selling directly to end users we provide the best quality products at the best price to professionals...




					www.grizzly.com
				




The information is in a  digital format (.pdf) $25


----------



## SLK001 (Jul 26, 2021)

It looks like your lathe is a Frankenlathe.  The headstock is pre-war, as is the gearbox.  Also, a Toolroom lathe should have a taper attachment, which yours is missing.


----------



## Tim9 (Jul 28, 2021)

The history cards from Grizzly are very cool. I have a small 9” South Bend with a  3’ bed . I think my card said that the lathe was purchased in 1939 by a Commercial Laundry equipment company that was based in Mobile, Al.

  The card also shows the accessories and build specifics. It’s just a cool thing to have. I’ve got another SB but since it’s a war production model, I haven’t ordered a card for that one.


----------

