On 12/18/2009 1:48 AM, Jon Danniken wrote:

You mean there isn't a "real" bearing so much as it is just steel running on
cast iron? I'm pretty ignorant about metallurgy, and I apologize if I'm not
educated enough to notice sarcasm, but am I correct in thinking that is a
bad thing?

It is a "real" bearing that works quite well at the low speeds at which
these lathes operate. The competition of the time (Atlas) used ball
bearings to avoid precision finishing and make the lathe cheaper to
manufacture. The 9" Workshop was sold for around 40 years, and may very
well be the most popular lathe on the planet.

Here is Mr. Wells repository of SB data:
http://www.wswells.com/index.html

Kevin Gallimore