Show Us Your Lathe

[Maryak]

Below is a photo of my lathe - Made in China and is rebadged to suit the importer into whatever country eg Colchester in the UK and Hare & Forbes in Oz. Probably the only thing in Oz not made in China these days is me, I'm a pommy immigrant from age 13.

Its a 6" Eng 12" USA with 2ft, 600mm between centres came with everything,2 chucks, faceplate, steadies, centres etc. speed range 60-1800, (frightened sh 1 T out of me with the 4 jaw on!!!). What does it lack, a gap bed and a screw cutting gear box. Still when you think about it for as often as threads require machining, change wheels both metric and imperial are not too much of a hassle. :

Whilst on the subject, I have been around lathes for some 45 years now and in Issue 140 of Model Engineers Workshop was an article by the ever publishing Harold Hall covering a carriage stop. Never used one!

What the hell it's not much work so I will make one. Took under 2 hours and he was absolutely correct it is one of the most useful gizmos I have ever made and after less than a week I wonder how I had the insanity to challenge myself for accuracy all those years, when this little gem makes it Oh So Simple.

Thank you Mr Hall and MEW. :- :bow:

 

[Bogstandard]

Maryak,

You are preaching to the converted here with your saddle stop. I have used one since I started machining more than a couple of weeks ago. I do tend to make the rotatable type with at least three stop screws.
We went thru all this a couple of months ago on here, and its seems that there are some that just don't believe in them and struggle on regardless. Their loss.

Nice lathe BTW, I wish I had stayed with my old change gear one now, more versatile.

John

 

[baldrocker]

Thanks Al and CC now to find a manual sure to be something on the net.
Regards
BR

 

[CrewCab]

now to find a manual

Paul,

If you join This Yahoo Group they have loads of manuals, parts diagrams and other useful info available for download in the files section.

CC

 

[baldrocker]

Great
Thanks mate
BR

 

[Maryak]

John,(B/s

Thanks for your comments on my lathe.

Not sure what you mean, (translation-from English to Strine-"haven't got a clue"), about your saddle stop, wouldn't have a piccy by any chance?

Bob

 

[Bogstandard]

Bob,

No need for translations, here is a piccy. This is my old lathe, now gone to a new home.
If you have a multi head one, for production work, you can use slip guages to set up your spacings between the length of each screwed stop, and it is then just a matter of rotating to get to your new cutting length.


John

 

[Maryak]

Thanks again John,

Its true a picture's worth a 1000 words and truly clever things are often the simple ones, which get overlooked.

My book is calling me, its a Dale Brown Dreamland series about cutting edge USAF technology, fact or fiction I'm not sure but it's a damn good read.

Maybe able to use my little engine on one of the robot planes :

 

[John S]

I wish I had stayed with my old change gear one now, more versatile.

John

John,
Although all my current lathes except to C0 and the CNC have gearboxes I do have to revert to special trains on the CVA to get certain pitches.

When I owned a ML7 I always wished for a screwcutting box but they were just too expensive, eventually I managed to get a clunker of a S/H lathe with one on and swapped it over.
It then cost me a shed full of money to get the metric transposing set, only problem with this was it took longer to swap between imperial and metric than just using straight gears :-\

In hindsight I wish I had stayed with the change gear model and saved all the hassle and money.

I'm very fortunate at the moment as the big TOS can do imperial and metric in the same box but the small TOS and CVA are a pain to change over. The small TOS was bought as an all metric lathe and the CVA is imperial so it's quicker to choose lathes than change over.

If and when I'm forced to downsize I need a lathe that can cut all pitches, the CVA can but it's a heavy brute at close to 1- 1/2 tonnes and needs a decent power supply.
.

 

[baldrocker]

CrewCab
Thanks for that steer to theMyford group.
Wealth of info there.
BR

 

[itowbig]

heres mine i love it

 

[Paula]

Just noticed this thread -- there are some really neat machines in here!

I will agree with the others that the Monarch is the King of Lathes...

Anyway, here is my recently-restored South Bend 9A:

I use the term 'restored' rather loosely, because it had really seen very little use since its manufcture in 1946, and didn't need much more than cosmetic enhancement. Even so, with the custom-designed bench, it took me nearly a year to complete the job. The frame for the bench was welded up by a local fab shop, though I did all the assembly and painting. The drawers are heavy-duty commercial units with double-extension ball slides. The drawer bottoms are lined with rubberized cork:

Everyone here seems to like videos, so here is one where I used the lathe to face the top of a vise for my shaper, and it just about tests the lathe's swing capability to the max (Note: the squeaking is from a new V-belt):



It did a nice job:

Paula

 

[Maryak]

Paula,

That is one very nice piece of machinery.

.

Best Regards
Bob

 

[rake60]

That's not a lathe Paula, it's a piece of fine vintage furniture.

Beautiful work on the restoration! :bow:

I've never owned one, but I AM a big fan of the older South Bend lathes.
A friend of mine owns one and I've had a few opportunities to play with it.
It can actually take a roughing cut without complaining.

Rick

 

[ksouers]

Paula,
That's a beautiful machine. Almost seems a pity to dirty it up with oil and chips :bow:

Kevin

 

[Bernd]

And speaking of chips. I didn't see any falling anywere on that lathe during the video. ???

Nice lathe by the way.

Bernd

 

[Cedge]

Paula
Beautiful job on the little South Bend. I looked at a 9A precision cabinet mounted version, circa 1961, last week and walked away. The gear train sounded like it was chewing on marbles. At $500.00 it might could have been a bargain.... at the $1000.00 asking price, it wasn't. The search goes on.

Steve

 

[Paula]

Thanks, all -- it is a wonderful lathe for the home shop.

...speaking of chips, I didn't see any falling anywere on that lathe during the video. ???

The vise jaws are cast iron, so the lathe is making those filthy little carbonaceous(?) critters, that get stuck in all the wrong places. (Check the last picture.) When working with cast iron, I seem to spend about as much time cleaning up as I do machining. :-\

Paula

 

[Tin Falcon]

Beautiful lathe Paula. I have a 1937 South Bend 9" floor model but not as pretty. It came from a University so mechanically it is in good shape. I am the second owner.

Tin

 

[lathe nut]

Will post pic of the rest of them later, just got this one at an Estate sale, paid $ 100.00