Tell me about this 14-1/2 x 6’

[rwdenney]

I’m not taking stuff off other than the chucks, which I’ve already moved. I’ll slide the carriage down to the tailstock and lock it there (the carriage clamp that just arrived is the correct part for the 14-1/2). I’ll probably run the micrometer stop down there as a secondary lock. That will help balance the lathe lengthwise.

I have reserved a trailer with a 7000 lb gross weight and a tilting bed. The trailer is the full legal width and 16 feet long—I think it would be hard for the lathe to turn it over except in a crash, in which case I’ll have other problems. My rigging straps are rated at 8000 pounds working load. I’ll screw stops down to the trailer bed to keep it from sliding.

I will be building a pallet similar to the one South Bend used originally—2/12s mounted across two 4x4s. The anchor holes will rest on the 2/12s, which extend front to back of the lathe. The 4x4s run the length of the lathe. The lathe will be bolted down using half-inch lag bolts—same as what SB used in their crates. I’ll use machine skates under the 4/4s, held from slipping with half inch bolts through the 4/4s and into the skates.



The pallet will prevent sudden lateral loads on one of the tail legs, and will provide a bumper.

Once in position with floor stops screwed down, I’ll pull it down using the ratchet straps. Like I said, these are big—I use them for tying down tractors.

Distance is about 40 miles. Move is planned for Thanksgiving weekend, when I can get the trailer for fives days for the one-day price.

It’s certainly not the first top-heavy load I have rigged.

Rick “listening to advice carefully” Denney

 

[rwdenney]

I have received the collet drawbar and sleeve, the correct carriage clamp, and a bonus micrometer stop. That was an easy refurb and it works nicely. I’ll compare it to the one on the lathe to decide which is the keeper.

Rick “progress” Denney

 

[rwdenney]

Grizzly surprised me today by delivering the serial number card after warning that they were indefinitely back-ordered.



It’s a year older than I thought. The first owner was Bethlehem Steel for use in their electric shop at the Sparrows Point plant near Baltimore, which at the time was the largest steel mill in the world. But the plant’s technology was obsolete and attempts to modernize it in the 80’s were unsuccessful.

The lathe has never made it farther from its first customer than Hagerstown, MD. My shop in Virginia will actually be closer.

They also had later delivery slips for a steady rest (which I have) and a follow rest (which is missing). I also don’t have the collet rack. (But I have found a drawbar and sleeve, plus a limited starter selection of Hardinge 4C collets.)

Maybe someone can interpret the meaning of the notice that the machine was sold for a customer-supplies motor, despite that a motor description is hand-written in with a date 10 months after the lathe was first sold. Maybe the dealer installed the motor and provided the information for the warranty card. In any case, the motor is, as I thought, not original, if the 2HP 1410-RPM 3-phase motor that is described was indeed original. The current motor is a 120-volt single-phase 2HP motor (1725 RPM). It’s an old Dayton—old enough for the two-digit postal code to appear in the address in the motor tag—60’s or earlier.

It may be that when Bethlehem Steel sold it, they also sold it without the motor and that’s when a new motor was installed. I’ll have to show this to Uncle in case it case it sparks a memory, especially for dates.

Rick “making a spot in the shop” Denney

 

[Janderso]

Wouldn't it be fun to find an original SB like this one in a crate, brand new.
That would be really neat.

 

[rwdenney]

A note on the original dealer: Carey Machinery was located in Baltimore from 1900 to 1998, but descendants still exist. It was apparently a large concern with a number of branches. Some of the forum members from that area may remember more.

I found what is probably an old catalog, but too expensive to scratch the curiosity itch.



Rick “more apt to recognize suppliers like this in Southeast Texas” Denney

 

[rwdenney]

Updates:

The carriage clamp turned out to be the clamp for a micrometer stop. But I found a carriage clamp for a 16 that worked after I spent some time with it at the grinding wheel. The collet stuff is perfect and I now have 4C collets in sizes I’ll need. Readjusting the gib on the compound solved the stiffness issue it had, but there’s a little more to do there—the gib screw doesn’t screw in far enough to reach the grub screw that locks it.

The shop-built carriage stop I found turned out to be the stop used on the taper attachment, so now I can lock the carriage on both sides of the bed. I think that will be a good thing when I mount the milling adapter.

Adjusting the belt solved the slipping problem and all speeds work as they should.

But the big news is that I’ve removed about 80% of the grime and mounted it on a skid that is mounted on machine skates, which allowed me to roll it out into the main hangar. It’s ready for the move in a couple of weeks.


On the skid.


The skid is made from 4/4 runners with 2x12 cross bars, lagged into the 4x4’s with three 3/8x4” lag screws on each end. The lathe is lagged down to the skid using 3/8 lag screws similar to what the factory uses.

I got the skates on eBay. They are 3” channels sideways with a couple half-inch bolts through the webs. Each holds four bearings, and my only issue with them was the small size of the wheels, which could trip in a grain of sand. But they have a great feature—a nut welded in the channel that accepts a bolt. That keeps the skate from slipping out. Once I got it onto the smooth hangar floor, it was very easy to roll.


The lathe was on the left, adjacent to the compressor (which meant access on the left was limited—I couldn’t test the 4C drawbar until I rolled it out.


Waiting for Thanksgiving weekend, when we’ll pull the plane and the ‘49 Woody out.

Rick “the only real repair needed now is the power feed shifter” Denney

 

[rwdenney]

Well, disaster. The rigging was perfect, it was solid on the trailer, and it was easy to move into my shop and get it into position.

The disaster happened when lifting it off the skid. I lifted the head end with a toe jack to install leveling feet, and was lowering it back down when it tipped. I still don’t know how it tipped—I was at a good balance point. Went over on its back.

The taper attachment shattered, and the cross slide screw is ruined. No other casualties, but that’s bad enough. The saddle moves perfectly, so no real damage there.

We were able to hoist it back upright using my engine hoist, and it’s now on its feet.

Now I have to find some parts, but for now it’s turkey time.

Rick “film at 11” Denney

 

[rwdenney]

The move:

Rigged for travel at origin:

In my shop, on trailer, last night:

Untrailering, this morning:

Positioning:

The Disaster:

}%^#%!!:

Missed the tractor, the GMC, and the people:

Two hours later, hoisted back upright, and finally on its leveling feet (the hoist was not nearly this extended for uprighting it):

The taper attachment castings are toast. I can live without that. But the cross slide screw is also a goner:

Rick “feeling like a dumba$$” Denney

 

[francist]

Ugh, that’s not pretty. One minor grace is that it went over backwards and spared all the front controls. Doesn’t ease the pain though.

That balance is a funny thing. I remember hoisting a stone finial up to a parapet wall one afternoon — everything was good with what we thought was the heavy side down. Uh yeah, you can guess the rest. Darn thing near did a complete somersault mid-air before I managed to get an arm on to steady it. Goofy!

Glad nobody was hurt, that could really have ended badly.

-frank

 

[Shotgun]

It is a sick feeling as you watch a machine line that roll over onto it's side. Seems like slow motion. It happened to me when I got my first lathe about 15yrs ago.

Now, if I'm going to lift, move or shift the machines in any way, I'll hook up the engine lift as a safety. Nah, it isn't strong enough to lift the entire machine, but, God willing, it will stop any tipping at the incipient stage.