# 15inch South Bend problem



## Fred (Apr 2, 2013)

Hello, I have a 1936 15 inch South Bend lathe. It works great and I love it. Now......... I may want to buy some tooling or parts for the lathe. So, I start looking and find out there are almost No 15 inch South Bend lathes out there. 
  Almost all are 9 or 10 inch. Will tooling and, or parts for a 141/2 or 16 inch fit on my lathe.? If so, how will I know what will fit and what will not fit on my 15 inch.
 Does anyone out there have a 15 inch South Bend lathe ???????  Thank you in advance for your help.  Fred


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## Splat (Apr 2, 2013)

Welcome to the board Fred. You may also find some info on the 15 over in the Yahoo *SouthBendlathe* group. Good luck.


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## HSS (Apr 2, 2013)

Sorry Fred, mine's a 13"

Patrick


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## Ulma Doctor (Apr 5, 2013)

sorry, fred i have an 11"

try    plazamachinery.com  


they had other rare items


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## ScrapMetal (Apr 5, 2013)

As the owner of another odd-ball (11" SB), I think it would be really nice if there was some kind of "cross reference" showing what, if any, parts are interchangeable between different models/sizes of SB lathes.  So far, to my knowledge, there is no such resource.

The best a guy can do is to keep watch on e-bay for the occasional parts or, if in a pinch, take good measurements for the part you need and put the word out on the forum what you are looking for.

-Ron


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## Ulma Doctor (Apr 5, 2013)

i have considered the same thing Ron, about a cross reference chart(?)

i'm of the understanding that a lot of the 9,11,13,14 1/2,15,16,16-24 swings are similar, Pre WWII, until you get to the aprons
my book shows a Series O,N,R&T,9"Jr,11"Jr,8"Jr,9"toolmaker lathes
type O aprons aren't looking to be compatible apron wise with anything.
type N seems to be there own animal
types R&T appear to be compatible, apron wise .
9"Jr,11"Jr appear to be compatible, apron wise
8"Jr,9"toolmaker appear to be compatible, apron wise as well.
Tool Post,Saddle,Compound Rest parts for series O and Jr models appear to be compatible.
series N is ist's own animal T.P.,Saddle,Compound Rest.
T.P.,Saddle,Compound Series R,T appear to be compatible for saddle
Q.C. Gearbox O,N,R,T are all apparently compatible for QC Gearbox
Reg Change Gears O,N,R,T,Jr  apparently compatible
Countershaft(Double Friction type) O,N,R,T,Jr apparently compatible

when i'm saying compatible, i'm intending this for PRE WWII machines....
 i may be making an assumption based on the part numbers given in the South Bend price list/parts diagram. The Parts List did also say to include the serial number when ordering parts, which tells me changes were made along the way. but the same part numbers were given for "compatible" types.
i have an interesting casting number on the saddle underside, 11-60... 60 is the part number, 11 is the model:thinking:
would a 15" saddle have 15-60 on the underside, or 13-60 for a 13", and so on????? are they the same dimensions for the 13 and 15" or between the 11 and 13" and so on.
i'd be happy to participate in a search for the truth, as i freely admit that my statements are based on a lot of indirect evidence.


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## ScrapMetal (Apr 6, 2013)

Well, I may be completely off base but I have the feeling that there was some cross over between certain models.  For evidence I have my SB factory card...




Things like Bed "1", Saddle "12", Apron "7", etc. etc. leads me to believe they were pulling parts from a common source for all the lathes as there seems to be no designation for an 11" specifically.  I guess it all depends on how they did their numbering system though.  I wonder if Steve Wells has enough information compiled on these old lathes where he could start to put some of this together?

-Ron


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## Fred (Apr 6, 2013)

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  That is exactly the information that I am looking for. I am not the only one with an odd duck. Maybe with a little help from a few people. We will all benifit from this information.  Thanks again,                        Fred


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## Clausing (Apr 7, 2013)

Fred,

 I feel for us. 
 I have a SB 14.5 X 16 and located in the middle of Montana. I thought I had the only orphaned SB in America. I have lived on E-bay for the last two years since purchase, and I can tell you orphaned SB's are a real challenge.

 Good luck and keep us updated with some pictures please.


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