# The $147.71 Green South Bend (something)



## graham-xrf (May 28, 2016)

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the owner asks if I "still want it", and another mail from eBay administration explaining that the highest bidder had withdrawn, cancelled, in some way, and the whole thing had "wound back" to when we were bidding, and that I had the right to decline.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.


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## Uglydog (May 28, 2016)

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


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## tweinke (May 28, 2016)

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


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## Andre (May 28, 2016)

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.


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## graham-xrf (May 28, 2016)

Uglydog said:


> 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.
> 
> ...


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## Andre (May 28, 2016)

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


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## graham-xrf (May 28, 2016)

Uglydog said:


> 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.
> 
> ...


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.


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## graham-xrf (May 28, 2016)

Andre said:


> 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).


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## pineyfolks (May 28, 2016)

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?


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## Charles Spencer (May 28, 2016)

graham-xrf said:


> 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.



graham-xrf said:


> 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/


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## David VanNorman (May 28, 2016)

Great buy and good luck.


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## Mark_f (May 28, 2016)

It is a South Bend model c change gear lathe. Yes , those screws hold the lead screw support on . There are two on the other end that hold the other screw support. They are right.... do not mess with them unless you intend to dismantle the machine to restore. It looks to be a nice lathe especially for the price.


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## graham-xrf (May 29, 2016)

Charles Spencer said:


> 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.
> /


Again, my thanks to all for your interest and help. Now that I have it, I am starting to appreciate that it was and is a famous American brand!
Of course, it is immediately useful for the small turning jobs I do (involving vintage airplanes), but I think the lathe itself ultimately deserves attention in it's own right. I will clean up, repair/replace what may be needed. Over time, I suppose it will end up "restored".

Re: the distance. It is not all about the fuel, but to address that first. Fuel here, at one stage hit £1.41/litre.
For a U.S. gallon, that is $8.40. Now it has slid back some to around £1.12/litre ($6.20 per US gallon).
For driving, the scene is a whole lot more wearisome than eating up the miles on a fast road across a US State.
Starting out at 08:00 from London area, to Newcastle is only 300 miles on the road. That is going to take all day!
One is unlikely to see the destination before 17:00.
To try straight across London is a very bad idea, and if the number plate enters the congestion charge area, that is £11.50 ($16.82).

This time, to get to the Essex destination, I had to travel around 20m South of London to meet up with the truck, then a bit South again to get the notorious M25 anti-clockwise, and I was glad I was not on the opposite carriageway (they call them that here). Then the Dartford Tunnel, under the Thames with number-plate recognition toll. Once found, we unbolted it from the bench. I got the "heavy" end!
The reverse journey (+another toll)had to include a food/fuel stop off the motorway.

Maybe 188mile round trip is not such a big deal, especially straight West, but is more significant when, in the face of wifely disapproval, one is hauling "that piece of Yankee machinery" instead of tackling other household jobs. She is OK with it now, and even in "tasteful green", I am liking it. It has to be a bargain! I would expect more to be bid on the two 4-jaw chucks alone.


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## jeff_g1137 (May 29, 2016)

Hi
Welcome, there is a small UK membership, you may find interesting.

Jeff


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## timvercoe (May 29, 2016)

A side note here.............In my part of the world I saw a SB 9 with tooling sell for $2500 US.  I venture to think some of my friends would make the trip from US to UK to pick up a deal like that.  

Tim


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## wildo (Jun 3, 2016)

The two screws in your picture are there to hold the lead screw support to the bed. Removing these screws will release the lead screw support (which is a babbit bearing) and the lead screw can be removed once the gear is removed from the headstock end. The other slightly smaller screws you see along the length of the front way hold the rack gear to the underside of the bed. Removing these screws simply releases the rack gear.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by this question:
"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?"

The lead screw, rack gear, and carriage support are all replaceable. The "front bed slide" -I'm assuming you mean the front way- is not a removable or replaceable part. The ways are ground into the bed. You can have the ways reground, but it's extraordinarily expensive, generally costing more than these lathes are worth. It should be noted that South Bend 9 beds did not have hardened ways, and thus it is quite common to find wear on them.


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## Glenn Brooks (Feb 20, 2017)

The green looks very British to me.  I would just name it "Green Goddess"  and start making parts!

BTW.   There is a renown U.K. Antique machinery web site that has an extensive South Bend section. See http://www.lathes.co.uk/southbend/index.html    and look for South Bend 9 info.

 As I remember, several U.K. Manufactures reproduced South Bend clones during the war years, that were nearly exact duplicates, save for some of the gear protective housings.  Tony will know something about them.  He will respond to your email, if you desire to inquire.  Maybe yours is one of these !  

Cheer-O!
Glenn


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