This item just came up on Craig's list in town.

No information on it from the owners except the usual "one careful lady
owner" etc.

Looking at the net there is a paucity of info: All I gather is that it was
likely made in 1947 or thereabouts and is 9"x36".

I am going to look at it tomorrow having memorized the Dave Fricken article.

I am not even sure I will be able to fit it into my garage but assuming the
answer is affirmative I would appreciate any advice from resident sages,
particularly those who have direct experience with this lathe.

Thanks,

--
Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

"Michael Koblic" wrote in message
...
This item just came up on Craig's list in town.

No information on it from the owners except the usual "one careful lady
owner" etc.

Looking at the net there is a paucity of info: All I gather is that it was
likely made in 1947 or thereabouts and is 9"x36".

I am going to look at it tomorrow having memorized the Dave Fricken
article.

I am not even sure I will be able to fit it into my garage but assuming
the answer is affirmative I would appreciate any advice from resident
sages, particularly those who have direct experience with this lathe.

Thanks,

--
Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC
I'm definitely no sage, but I would suggest perusing the "southbendlathe"
group on yahoo. I own a Heavy 10 from 1953, IIRC, with a 48" bed, it's not a
big lathe. If the lathe doesn't come with anything, don't underestimate the
cost of lathe tooling and accessories, a nice working package deal might
seem pricey but will probably be cheaper than a thousand nicks and cuts on
ebay.

"ATP*" wrote in message
...

"Michael Koblic" wrote in message
...
This item just came up on Craig's list in town.

No information on it from the owners except the usual "one careful lady
owner" etc.

Looking at the net there is a paucity of info: All I gather is that it
was likely made in 1947 or thereabouts and is 9"x36".

I am going to look at it tomorrow having memorized the Dave Fricken
article.

I am not even sure I will be able to fit it into my garage but assuming
the answer is affirmative I would appreciate any advice from resident
sages, particularly those who have direct experience with this lathe.

Thanks,

--
Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC
I'm definitely no sage, but I would suggest perusing the "southbendlathe"
group on yahoo. I own a Heavy 10 from 1953, IIRC, with a 48" bed, it's not
a big lathe. If the lathe doesn't come with anything, don't underestimate
the cost of lathe tooling and accessories, a nice working package deal
might seem pricey but will probably be cheaper than a thousand nicks and
cuts on ebay.
Thanks. I spent inordinate amount of time yesterday on the Southbendlathe
group as well as few others.
I went to see the beast today. In the end I passed. Here are the reasons, I
am open to critique of my reasoning:

1) The lather was stored in a Rent-a-container with no access to power. Even
if there were power, the wiring box was exposed with wires disconnected.
2) The owner knew nothing about the lathe except that he bought it some
years ago from a company that went out of business and "only used to turn
electrical copper armatures on it". He himself, apparently, never used it.
There was some confusion who actually owned the machine, he or his friend
who seemed to do most of the talking. No idea who the original owners were
(this machine is - guessing - 50 years old).
3) I was given a "manual" supposedly for this machine. it was clearly
labelled "Jet lathe".
4) The machine was covered in chips and swarf, not copper either, a fact
somewhat at odds with (2).
5) After cleaning the ways, there was rust, chips and dents. The carriage
could be lifted off the ways near the headstock but not in the middle.
Tightening the carriage clamp to the ways near the headstock so I could
still move it and moving the carriage to the middle the passage became
progressively more difficult. I interpreted all this as evidence of
significant wear of the ways.
6) The three way chuck was lightly rusted. One jaw was loose and almost fell
out. I was able to replace it but trying to tighten the chuck the jaws did
not even come close to meeting.
7) The gear box was exposed. There was grease on the gears with a liberal
helping of chips. I did not see any superficial damage to the gears.

At this point I felt sufficiently uncomfortable about the whole thing and
passed. I suspect there are many here who would have seen this lathe as a
deal of the century at $650. Equally likely, many would have discovered
issues that I missed. Interestingly, when we parted amicably with the owner
he expressed his intention to change the pricing on the craigs list to $800.

The other issue with the machine was it size. When I checked the dimensions
in relations to the available space I would have been pushed to be able to
use some of my other tools, mainly due to its depth of almost 3 feet.

Still, it was a useful experience. I am sure there will be next time...

--
Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

"Michael Koblic" wrote in message
...

"ATP*" wrote in message
...

"Michael Koblic" wrote in message
...
This item just came up on Craig's list in town.

No information on it from the owners except the usual "one careful lady
owner" etc.

Looking at the net there is a paucity of info: All I gather is that it
was likely made in 1947 or thereabouts and is 9"x36".

I am going to look at it tomorrow having memorized the Dave Fricken
article.

I am not even sure I will be able to fit it into my garage but assuming
the answer is affirmative I would appreciate any advice from resident
sages, particularly those who have direct experience with this lathe.

Thanks,

--
Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC
I'm definitely no sage, but I would suggest perusing the "southbendlathe"
group on yahoo. I own a Heavy 10 from 1953, IIRC, with a 48" bed, it's
not a big lathe. If the lathe doesn't come with anything, don't
underestimate the cost of lathe tooling and accessories, a nice working
package deal might seem pricey but will probably be cheaper than a
thousand nicks and cuts on ebay.
Thanks. I spent inordinate amount of time yesterday on the Southbendlathe
group as well as few others.
I went to see the beast today. In the end I passed. Here are the reasons,
I am open to critique of my reasoning:

1) The lather was stored in a Rent-a-container with no access to power.
Even if there were power, the wiring box was exposed with wires
disconnected.
2) The owner knew nothing about the lathe except that he bought it some
years ago from a company that went out of business and "only used to turn
electrical copper armatures on it". He himself, apparently, never used it.
There was some confusion who actually owned the machine, he or his friend
who seemed to do most of the talking. No idea who the original owners were
(this machine is - guessing - 50 years old).
3) I was given a "manual" supposedly for this machine. it was clearly
labelled "Jet lathe".
4) The machine was covered in chips and swarf, not copper either, a fact
somewhat at odds with (2).
5) After cleaning the ways, there was rust, chips and dents. The carriage
could be lifted off the ways near the headstock but not in the middle.
Tightening the carriage clamp to the ways near the headstock so I could
still move it and moving the carriage to the middle the passage became
progressively more difficult. I interpreted all this as evidence of
significant wear of the ways.
6) The three way chuck was lightly rusted. One jaw was loose and almost
fell out. I was able to replace it but trying to tighten the chuck the
jaws did not even come close to meeting.
7) The gear box was exposed. There was grease on the gears with a liberal
helping of chips. I did not see any superficial damage to the gears.

At this point I felt sufficiently uncomfortable about the whole thing and
passed. I suspect there are many here who would have seen this lathe as a
deal of the century at $650. Equally likely, many would have discovered
issues that I missed. Interestingly, when we parted amicably with the
owner he expressed his intention to change the pricing on the craigs list
to $800.

The other issue with the machine was it size. When I checked the
dimensions in relations to the available space I would have been pushed to
be able to use some of my other tools, mainly due to its depth of almost 3
feet.

Still, it was a useful experience. I am sure there will be next time...

--
Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC
I don't know the market in BC. In the Northeast US, that would not be a good
price for a 9" lathe not under power and showing significant wear.

On 2009-01-18, Michael Koblic wrote:

"ATP*" wrote in message
...

"Michael Koblic" wrote in message
...
This item just came up on Craig's list in town.

No information on it from the owners except the usual "one careful lady
owner" etc.

Looking at the net there is a paucity of info: All I gather is that it
was likely made in 1947 or thereabouts and is 9"x36".

A good size, actually.

[ ... ]

Thanks. I spent inordinate amount of time yesterday on the Southbendlathe
group as well as few others.
I went to see the beast today. In the end I passed. Here are the reasons, I
am open to critique of my reasoning:

1) The lather was stored in a Rent-a-container with no access to power. Even
if there were power, the wiring box was exposed with wires disconnected.

First minor critique -- it is a "lathe" not a "lahter". The
work done on it is called "turning" not "lathing".

Wiring status is fairly common on machines removed from
commercial shop service, as they were typically wired directly to the
power line (through the breaker box, of course), and thus did not have a
power cord with a plug.

Whether it would have been disconnected at the wall or at the
box on the back of the lathe is a tossup and does not signify much.

2) The owner knew nothing about the lathe except that he bought it some
years ago from a company that went out of business and "only used to turn
electrical copper armatures on it". He himself, apparently, never used it.
There was some confusion who actually owned the machine, he or his friend
who seemed to do most of the talking. No idea who the original owners were
(this machine is - guessing - 50 years old).

O.K. 50 years old is not a problem, if it is in good condition.
My Clausing (12x24") is now 52 years old and quite useful.

3) I was given a "manual" supposedly for this machine. it was clearly
labelled "Jet lathe".

Clueless -- or they expected you to be clueless. :-)

4) The machine was covered in chips and swarf, not copper either, a fact
somewhat at odds with (2).

So -- they lied. Were the chips aluminum or steel/iron?

5) After cleaning the ways, there was rust, chips and dents. The carriage
could be lifted off the ways near the headstock but not in the middle.
Tightening the carriage clamp to the ways near the headstock so I could
still move it and moving the carriage to the middle the passage became
progressively more difficult. I interpreted all this as evidence of
significant wear of the ways.

This is the significant thing of what you have said. That much
wear is probably too much.

6) The three way chuck

Three *jaw* chuck?

was lightly rusted.

Not a serious problem if the rust is not in the ways for the
jaws, or in the scroll. Light surface rust is not really a problem
there.

One jaw was loose and almost fell
out. I was able to replace it but trying to tighten the chuck the jaws did
not even come close to meeting.

The jaws need to be installed in a specific order (they should
be marked '1', '2', and '3'). If the chuck body has similar markings,
then the jaws should go into the slots with the same number.

You have to have them all fully out, then look in the slot for
'1', and turn the key clockwise until you see the outer end of the
scroll thread pass the slot. Then turn it back until it is just before
the slot, and slide in jaw '1', and turn the key clockwise to get the
first jaw captured by the thread. Then turn the chuck until you see the
'2' slot, and turn the key the same way until you again see the end of
the scroll thread. Again, back this up, insert the #2 jaw, and turn to
capture it, then go to slot 3 and repeat.

Now -- once the jaws are turned to the inmost position, they
should meet fairly closely and close to center.

Of course, if the jaws slide in very easily, they and the chuck
may well be worn enough to indicate that you would want a new chuck
anyway.

7) The gear box was exposed. There was grease on the gears with a liberal
helping of chips. I did not see any superficial damage to the gears.

You mean the one at the end of the headstock away from the ways,
or the quick-change gearbox (if any) on the front of the headstock?

Grease on the gears is *good*. Chips on the gears are not. But
if they are aluminum chips, are probably not a serious problem. Tough
steel chips which have been captured and squished by the chips between
teeth are bad news.

At this point I felt sufficiently uncomfortable about the whole thing and
passed. I suspect there are many here who would have seen this lathe as a
deal of the century at $650. Equally likely, many would have discovered
issues that I missed. Interestingly, when we parted amicably with the owner
he expressed his intention to change the pricing on the craigs list to $800.

At $650 -- *if* it did not have the worn bed, and if it *did*
have the quick-change gearbox (instead of having to change the gears on
the assembly at the left hand end for every change) it would be a good
price. Howeer, as it is, I think that you did well to skip it. If you
could have talked him down to $400 or so, it still might be worth it to
learn on, if not for precision work.

I don't think that they are going to get their $800.00 --
especially if they don't take the time to clean it up significantly and
lube the ways with Vactra No. 2.

The other issue with the machine was it size. When I checked the dimensions
in relations to the available space I would have been pushed to be able to
use some of my other tools, mainly due to its depth of almost 3 feet.

It is what I consider the minimum size of a useful lathe.
Figure out how to *make* room for a machine of this size.

Still, it was a useful experience. I am sure there will be next time...

Certainly. At which point, you will either continue to find
reasons to not buy, or you will dive in and start learning with an
inexpensive machine.

Good luck,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

"DoN. Nichols" wrote in message
...
First minor critique -- it is a "lathe" not a "lahter". The
work done on it is called "turning" not "lathing".

Actually it was "lather". Alcohol and typing do not mix...

Wiring status is fairly common on machines removed from
commercial shop service, as they were typically wired directly to the
power line (through the breaker box, of course), and thus did not have a
power cord with a plug.

Whether it would have been disconnected at the wall or at the
box on the back of the lathe is a tossup and does not signify much.

Either way - could not be run.

O.K. 50 years old is not a problem, if it is in good condition.
My Clausing (12x24") is now 52 years old and quite useful.

The point was that I doubted that the people he had bought it from were the
original owners (turning copper armatures only).

3) I was given a "manual" supposedly for this machine. it was clearly
labelled "Jet lathe".

Clueless -- or they expected you to be clueless. :-)

Take a pick...

4) The machine was covered in chips and swarf, not copper either, a fact
somewhat at odds with (2).

So -- they lied. Were the chips aluminum or steel/iron?

Did not think to identify. In retrospect I would say steel but cannot be
sure.

5) After cleaning the ways, there was rust, chips and dents. The carriage
could be lifted off the ways near the headstock but not in the middle.
Tightening the carriage clamp to the ways near the headstock so I could
still move it and moving the carriage to the middle the passage became
progressively more difficult. I interpreted all this as evidence of
significant wear of the ways.

This is the significant thing of what you have said. That much
wear is probably too much.

So the article told me...

6) The three way chuck

Three *jaw* chuck?

Let us declare war on demon alcohol for he murders our best men!

was lightly rusted.

Not a serious problem if the rust is not in the ways for the
jaws, or in the scroll. Light surface rust is not really a problem
there.

big snip


Of course, if the jaws slide in very easily, they and the chuck
may well be worn enough to indicate that you would want a new chuck
anyway.

I thought that the fact that the owner could not be bothered to put the
chuck back together in the proper order spoke (amongst other things) to the
likely care the whole machine had received.

7) The gear box was exposed. There was grease on the gears with a liberal
helping of chips. I did not see any superficial damage to the gears.

You mean the one at the end of the headstock away from the ways,
or the quick-change gearbox (if any) on the front of the headstock?

End of headstock. I could not see inside the quick-change gear box (which
was indeed present). By this time I did not bother.

Grease on the gears is *good*. Chips on the gears are not. But
if they are aluminum chips, are probably not a serious problem. Tough
steel chips which have been captured and squished by the chips between
teeth are bad news.

There are those that say that grease in the gearbox is evil because it
attracts chips.

At this point I felt sufficiently uncomfortable about the whole thing and
passed. I suspect there are many here who would have seen this lathe as a
deal of the century at $650. Equally likely, many would have discovered
issues that I missed. Interestingly, when we parted amicably with the
owner
he expressed his intention to change the pricing on the craigs list to
$800.

At $650 -- *if* it did not have the worn bed, and if it *did*
have the quick-change gearbox (instead of having to change the gears on
the assembly at the left hand end for every change) it would be a good
price. Howeer, as it is, I think that you did well to skip it. If you
could have talked him down to $400 or so, it still might be worth it to
learn on, if not for precision work.

I don't think that they are going to get their $800.00 --
especially if they don't take the time to clean it up significantly and
lube the ways with Vactra No. 2.

I am sure at this stage a knowledgeable person would know what could be
repaired and what could not. I know enough to see that the ways would make
it prohibitive.

The other issue with the machine was it size. When I checked the
dimensions
in relations to the available space I would have been pushed to be able
to
use some of my other tools, mainly due to its depth of almost 3 feet.

It is what I consider the minimum size of a useful lathe.
Figure out how to *make* room for a machine of this size.

I am thinking building a bigger house. Well, a bigger garage.

Still, it was a useful experience. I am sure there will be next time...

Certainly. At which point, you will either continue to find
reasons to not buy, or you will dive in and start learning with an
inexpensive machine.

This is a third one I had a look at. I stumbled on the first one about a
year ago. If I knew then what I know now I would have probably bought it.
The second one was in an auction house and falling apart. I went to the
auction just to see what will happen to it. Nobody would touch it

--
Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

On 2009-01-19, Michael Koblic wrote:

"DoN. Nichols" wrote in message
...
First minor critique -- it is a "lathe" not a "lahter". The
work done on it is called "turning" not "lathing".

Actually it was "lather". Alcohol and typing do not mix...

Alcohol and machining even less so IMHO.

Wiring status is fairly common on machines removed from
commercial shop service, as they were typically wired directly to the
power line (through the breaker box, of course), and thus did not have a
power cord with a plug.

Whether it would have been disconnected at the wall or at the
box on the back of the lathe is a tossup and does not signify much.

Either way - could not be run.

Not that you would have been able to anyway in a storage
facility. They tend to be rather shy on outlets. :-)

O.K. 50 years old is not a problem, if it is in good condition.
My Clausing (12x24") is now 52 years old and quite useful.

The point was that I doubted that the people he had bought it from were the
original owners (turning copper armatures only).

Agreed -- unless someone had tested it with other materials
before putting it in storage.

[ ... ]

4) The machine was covered in chips and swarf, not copper either, a fact
somewhat at odds with (2).

So -- they lied. Were the chips aluminum or steel/iron?

Did not think to identify. In retrospect I would say steel but cannot be
sure.

O.K. Heavier work than aluminum. If it were just from test
turning, it probably would not matter, but if it had many years of work
with serious metals, that is different.

And I think that it probably has had many years, given the bed
wear.

[ ... ]

Of course, if the jaws slide in very easily, they and the chuck
may well be worn enough to indicate that you would want a new chuck
anyway.

I thought that the fact that the owner could not be bothered to put the
chuck back together in the proper order spoke (amongst other things) to the
likely care the whole machine had received.

Of course -- it could be that another potential purchaser had
removed the jaws, and seen enough wear there (and elsewhere) so he
decided to skip that machine.

7) The gear box was exposed. There was grease on the gears with a liberal
helping of chips. I did not see any superficial damage to the gears.

You mean the one at the end of the headstock away from the ways,
or the quick-change gearbox (if any) on the front of the headstock?

End of headstock. I could not see inside the quick-change gear box (which
was indeed present). By this time I did not bother.

O.K. The quick-change was a plus -- and could have been used to
upgrade another machine of the same make and size -- if the price were
low enough. And it is helpful to have a small mirror along to allow you
to view the gears through the typically open bottom.

Grease on the gears is *good*. Chips on the gears are not. But
if they are aluminum chips, are probably not a serious problem. Tough
steel chips which have been captured and squished by the chips between
teeth are bad news.

There are those that say that grease in the gearbox is evil because it
attracts chips.

Well ... grease on the gears, and a closed cover to keep the
chips away. Just oil is usually too light, and tends to be lost too
quickly. A light grease tends to stay put where it is needed.

[ ... ]

I don't think that they are going to get their $800.00 --
especially if they don't take the time to clean it up significantly and
lube the ways with Vactra No. 2.

I am sure at this stage a knowledgeable person would know what could be
repaired and what could not.

And what can be used to repair other machines.

I know enough to see that the ways would make
it prohibitive.

Unless another machine is around to provide a relatively unworn
bed, to be combined with other parts from this machine. You can often
pick up a change-gear style SouthBend for a lot lower price, and if you
have another set of parts to switch in, you can upgrade an otherwise
useful machine.

The other issue with the machine was it size. When I checked the
dimensions
in relations to the available space I would have been pushed to be able
to
use some of my other tools, mainly due to its depth of almost 3 feet.

It is what I consider the minimum size of a useful lathe.
Figure out how to *make* room for a machine of this size.

I am thinking building a bigger house. Well, a bigger garage.

O.K.

Still, it was a useful experience. I am sure there will be next time...

Certainly. At which point, you will either continue to find
reasons to not buy, or you will dive in and start learning with an
inexpensive machine.

This is a third one I had a look at. I stumbled on the first one about a
year ago. If I knew then what I know now I would have probably bought it.
The second one was in an auction house and falling apart. I went to the
auction just to see what will happen to it. Nobody would touch it

O.K. So your judgement on that second one was pretty good.

Good Luck,
DoN.

--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

DoN. Nichols wrote:
On 2009-01-19, Michael Koblic wrote:

"DoN. Nichols" wrote in message
...
First minor critique -- it is a "lathe" not a "lahter". The
work done on it is called "turning" not "lathing".

Actually it was "lather". Alcohol and typing do not mix...

Alcohol and machining even less so IMHO.

You are right! All those empties around the shop, why, I could trip and hurt
myself! OTOH a case of 24 has its merits as a stop on the X-axis. But only
if it's full. It becomes less effective as the day progreses :-)

It is what I consider the minimum size of a useful lathe.
Figure out how to *make* room for a machine of this size.

I am thinking building a bigger house. Well, a bigger garage.

O.K.

Or I could shift the empties...

On a more serious note I see that the seller has not altered his price on
the Craig's list yet...

--
Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

replying to Michael Koblic, racengr wrote:
mkoblic wrote:

You are right! All those empties around the shop, why, I could trip and
hurt
myself! OTOH a case of 24 has its merits as a stop on the X-axis. But only
if it's full. It becomes less effective as the day progreses :-)
Or I could shift the empties...
On a more serious note I see that the seller has not altered his price on
the Craig's list yet...


any chance you still have the lathe and may be parting it out? I'm
interested in the quick change gearbox and lead screw if reasonable. reply
to . If a 3 foot bed the gearbox model should be 644-y.

--
posted from
http://www.polytechforum.com/metalwo...4a-162180-.htm
using PolytechForum's Web, RSS and Social Media Interface to
rec.crafts.metalworking and other engineering groups

replying to racengr, racengr wrote:
racengr wrote:

any chance you still have the lathe and may be parting it out? I'm
interested in
the quick change gearbox and lead screw if reasonable. reply to
. If a 3 foot bed the gearbox model should be 644-y.


Sorry, re-read the post and see you never purchased the lathe.

--
posted from
http://www.polytechforum.com/metalwo...4a-162180-.htm
using PolytechForum's Web, RSS and Social Media Interface to
rec.crafts.metalworking and other engineering groups