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School me on Lathes

2K views 18 replies 12 participants last post by  hairy kanary 
#1 ·
I just aquired a lathe from a friend of a friend, for free. Its not set up yet and is missing the motor, but we're pretty sure its hiding in the garage somewhere. I didn't get a manual with it but the sales brochures that were in the crate seem to tell us that its a 1939 South Bend Model B 9-inch "Workshop" lathe. Its got the Full auromatic apron and all the change gears, a number of tool holders, 4 jaw chuck, 3 jaw chuck, faceplate, a couple centers, and just a pile of bits and pieces I haven't had a chance to figure out. Thing is I really dont know anything about metal lathes. I've used, and watched people use them a number of times, so I know the basic mechanics involved, but I'm having a hard time tryin to read through all the info in the brochures cause I dont know what any of the parts are called. I could really use a quick "Lathes for dummies" introduction to what parts are what and what they do. heres a pic I found online of almost the exact model I have. I'll try to get actual pics tomorrow.



BTW these brochures are really pretty damn cool. Its pretty interesting goin through all this stuff from the late 30s, including some really cool photos from the south bend factory, and some other factorys using their lathes. If anyone's interested I may be able to scan some of the pages for you guys to check out.

Dallas
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Let's see how much of this I remember...

A. head stock
B. cross slide
C. apron
D. lead screw
E. tail stock
F. clutch (for the apron)
G. gear shift (runs the apron forward and reverse)
H. jog wheel? I forget, but it runs the apron back and forth manually
I. tool holder
J. bull gear lever (mostly used in thread cutting)

I don't see a lever for the half nut or indicator for thread cutting.
 
#3 ·
in your pic there is a stack of gears under the bed..... those are for you thread cutting....... also those are your feed-rate gears for general cutting.

--I found a book (reprinted) about south bends.... do a search on ebay for
southbend, and lots will come up.

I have an old 16" x 60" toolroom lathe I bought about 5 years. and just this
past week learned something. on my 3 aw chuck, sometimes the work peice
is not spinning concentric. (it would sometimes be out of round)....... I
just noticed on one of the jaw-tooth tightening sockets there was a red-mark
on the chuck face, and I noticed that if I tighten that one first, followed
by the other 2 (if needed) the work is always perfect in the chuck.........doh.


--Sherpa
 
#4 ·
Been doin some online research on this thing and figured out a few things about it. Looks like most of your labels are correct, but a couple are off.

F is the half nut lever
the knob below G is the clutch for the apron I think
G selects cross feed or longitudinal feed on the apron.

Got another question though, I found out the original motor burned up a while back so I started searching for new motors. I found a number of motors that match the specs from the original motor but I'm not sure about the mounting plate. Do most motors of this style have the same bolt patern or am I gonna have to do more searching. Also Harbor freight seems to have the motors, but I cant find a V-belt pulley (or any pulley) to go on the motor shaft. Anyone know where I can find one for a 5/8" shaft. Dont know diameter yet, but fairly small, probably around 2".

Thanks
Dallas
 
#7 ·
StinkBug said:
Got another question though, I found out the original motor burned up a while back so I started searching for new motors. I found a number of motors that match the specs from the original motor but I'm not sure about the mounting plate. Do most motors of this style have the same bolt patern or am I gonna have to do more searching. Also Harbor freight seems to have the motors, but I cant find a V-belt pulley (or any pulley) to go on the motor shaft. Anyone know where I can find one for a 5/8" shaft. Dont know diameter yet, but fairly small, probably around 2".

Thanks
Dallas
Damnit Son,

This the PBB... so you need to go out and find your own ORE. Set up a smelter, then roll your steel. Then you can make up an adpter plate mount up any motor you wish. Got that?

While you are at it, better set up your own foundry to make the pulley you need.



:flipoff2:

Take the motor to a electrical shop. Yep, dirty, smelly place with dim lighting. Ask Bubba (he's behind the counter) to rewind that motor for ya.

Have fun.

Tom :usa:
 
#9 ·
These guys have all the South Bend parts now...check with them. Give them the lathes serial number and they can tell you the exact frame number for the motor you need
http://www.leblondusa.com/
Make SURE you oil the spindle cups awhile before you turn this thing over. The spindle runs in micro polished steel saddles and must have oil. The oil is wicked up into the spindle through felt wicks. If it's been sitting for along time the wicks could be dry and crusty and won't soak up oil right away. I've owned several ol' SB lathes and have always taken them apart to check if the wicks are still in place or plugged up. It's worth the time. These are good ol' lathes and it's a shame to see them get ruined because people don't know the quirks of the old iron.
You may be suprised to find that the lathe only requires a 1/4 or 1/3 hp motor. These are not high speed lathes. You'll fry the spindle with too many rpm. No big deal though. With back gearing and the proper tool grind I can easily take off .125 depth of cut for overall diameter reduction of .250 per pass. My new 3 hp 14"X40" lathe won't do a deep cut any where near that.
If you need more info about that lathe try here
http://www.lathes.co.uk/southbend/index.html
This is prolly the most comprehensive site there is for SB lathes.
If you have any questions, pm me and I'll see if I can help you out.
Russ
 
#12 ·
fj40guy said:
Damnit Son,

This the PBB... so you need to go out and find your own ORE. Set up a smelter, then roll your steel. Then you can make up an adpter plate mount up any motor you wish. Got that?

While you are at it, better set up your own foundry to make the pulley you need.



:flipoff2:

Take the motor to a electrical shop. Yep, dirty, smelly place with dim lighting. Ask Bubba (he's behind the counter) to rewind that motor for ya.

Have fun.

Tom :usa:
http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/index.html

http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/castingpulleys1.html



Sorry for any misinformation. I last touched a lathe ten years ago in high school. there is one at work, but I really don't need to use it for the job.
 
#13 ·
Get a copy of South Bend's "How to run a metal lathe". It'll be the best investment you'll make relative to that lathe. You're gonna love that lathe. Last year I got one similar that even came with the original invoice from 1932.

Don't know what the current status of the company is anymore. Many rumors about the Sheriff taking over the building for unpaid water bills. BUT, there is a guy in town who has many drawings and is building parts from the ground up. I'll look for his card.

How long is the bed of your lathe? The longer ones were fairly rare, but the shorter ones just as useful.
 
#15 ·
Ditto what Hairy Kanary says about the frame number. The frame number on an electric motor is very important. Specifys the shaft length and diameter, weather or not it's threaded, keyed, dimpled, or smooth as well as the mounting plate configuration.

Get that info from a southbend dealer and go here http://www.baldor.com/ to get ya a motor. Baldor motors aren't the best but they are the best for the money. If you want a really nice motor and don't really care about price (cause you got the lathe free :flipoff2: go with Toshiba.

Happy turnin'
 
#16 ·
Well I did it the simple way, just took all the HP RPM and other specs from the southbend info I have, matched that to a motor I found at Harbor Freight, then simply measured the mounting base. And since I dont have a pulley I'll just get one that fits the motor. Simple and cheap. :D What can I say, I'm poor, and cheap.

Dallas
 
#19 ·
Magoo said:
There is also a lever for "Backgear"- think 4LO. I haven't ran a Southbend in a while (I tried to buy the one I used to run ended up with a Jet 9") but I think it's right behind the faceplate in the pic above.
Nope...that lever is for the belt tension for the spindle drive. The back gear lever is on the other side. You also have to engage the pin that's in behind the little flip up cover right behind the faceplate/chuck.
Learning how to use the backgear and the proper way to sharpen HSS bits for this slow speed is a must. This is how you take 1/8" deep cuts with a little SB. All this IS in the SB book. Great book to have.
 
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