South Bend 8K photos

[mikbul]

Here's an updated (somewhat) 8K list

 

[mikbul]

Here's a tripod head I'm making out of the scraps left over from the 8K bench. That circle is seven pieces glued together to make it large enough.

 

[SilverSanJuan]

You do some real nice woodworking, mikbul.

Todd

 

[mikbul]

Hi Jim!

Welcome to the unofficial South Bend 8K owners group. I also purchased my 8K because of the information Mike has posted in this awesome thread. I believe this will be the holy grail of threads for this lathe. Hope to hear about your experiences with your lathe and I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I do.


Pat

Just reading back through some posts and found this one from Gambit. I think of the three sites this is the most friendly and would be a fitting home for the unofficial 8K owners group. Even though I've never made an engine I've been made to feel welcome here.
BTW the 8K threads collectively have generated 74,000 views with with PM at 34,000, HMEM at 28,000 and CNC Zone at 13,000. There are six 8K owners on CNC Zone that won't give me the time of day and now I remember why I bailed on that site. At this point the list will never be complete but I've gathered enough info to made a reasonable guess as to the spindle problems. You've probably already figured out looking at the list that all 2011 lathes had spindle problems, no 2012's have showed up and all 2013's, which seem to be what is shipping currently, have no issues. That's good news for someone on the fence about purchasing, I would while the sales on.
Mikbul

 

[mikbul]

Received an e-mail from Grizzly yesterday and they are sending me a new spindle out of a new lathe in Muncy, Pa. If everything goes different I'll have my lathe back soon. Just in time, I need to make an aluminum large aluminum spacer. For now I have a piece of maple hardwood for a spacer! Let's me finish the rest of the project. The aluminum spacer will be round, wider, and probably thinner.

 

[mikbul]

There she is!

 

[herrointment]

Here's hoping the new unit is up to snuff.

My tailstock is as good as I can get it with little backlash and diminished roughness.

The three-day weekend here in the US will allow me to actually do the break-in run sometime therein.

It's a beautiful Summer weekend here and there's no shortage of tasks and commitments, but at least the job is not one of them. Blasted alarm clock did it's thing at 3:45 this morning and I can't get back to sleep so after I post this it's a trip uptown for rolls, a newspaper and some coffee.

When I get back I'll take a photo of my set-up and post it. I built a Roubo inspired bench for the lathe and it turned out well. Not too sure about the covering I used so we will see what you think of that idea.

 

[mikbul]

After cleaning out the burrs from cross milling the holes The camlocks are in, the swarf guard is on. the chuck side bearing flange is in place on the spindle and the bearing is pressed on part way. Once I get the bearing flange bolted up I can press it the rest of the way, need to cut an inch off the tube I'm using and chase the threads.

 

[mikbul]

Setting spindle pre-load and about an hour of break-in. No significant temp rise. My original spindle had the headstock hot after break-in.

 

[Tanshanomi]

Thanks for this thread! I registered on this forum just for this. I am about to become another 8K owner. My wife ordered mine yesterday, and it should arrive mid/late next week. My lathe is coming out of Springfield, so fingers crossed it's a 2013 build with no greased bearing issues.

After years of wanting a lathe, my wife surprised me with it for my 51st Birthday. I'd settled on the 8K as the "sweet spot" between something that was too small, weak and/or crude to satisfy my needs long-term, and wasting money and shop space on more lathe than I might ever use. I decided that I wanted to buy new because I wish to spend my time making parts, not restoring a worn lathe. Also, I work on motorcycles and metric thread cutting can be an issue with many old American-built machinery. We happened to stop in the Grizzly showroom when we were in Springfield this Spring, and I had the chance to look at one in the flesh. For the current price, it's a helluva good value.

I'm excited, but a little intimidated. I am a total n00b when it comes to machining my own parts, so I know NOTHING about owning, setting up or maintaining a lathe. Information like this is invaluable. (I have also gotten lots of helpful advice from guys over on the Hobby Machinist forum.)

Right now, I'm mostly thinking about all the additional stuff I now have to buy -- cutting tools, boring bars, drill chuck, micrometers, dial indicators, a heavier top for my workbench, put in a dedicated electrical circuit... >GULP!<

 

[mikbul]

Thanks for this thread! I registered on this forum just for this. I am about to become another 8K owner. My wife ordered mine yesterday, and it should arrive mid/late next week. My lathe is coming out of Springfield, so fingers crossed it's a 2013 build with no greased bearing issues.

After years of wanting a lathe, my wife surprised me with it for my 51st Birthday. I'd settled on the 8K as the "sweet spot" between something that was too small, weak and/or crude to satisfy my needs long-term, and wasting money and shop space on more lathe than I might ever use. I decided that I wanted to buy new because I wish to spend my time making parts, not restoring a worn lathe. Also, I work on motorcycles and metric thread cutting can be an issue with many old American-built machinery. We happened to stop in the Grizzly showroom when we were in Springfield this Spring, and I had the chance to look at one in the flesh. For the current price, it's a helluva good value.

I'm excited, but a little intimidated. I am a total n00b when it comes to machining my own parts, so I know NOTHING about owning, setting up or maintaining a lathe. Information like this is invaluable. (I have also gotten lots of helpful advice from guys over on the Hobby Machinist forum.)

Right now, I'm mostly thinking about all the additional stuff I now have to buy -- cutting tools, boring bars, drill chuck, micrometers, dial indicators, a heavier top for my workbench, put in a dedicated electrical circuit... >GULP!<

Congratulations on your awesome birthday present! I'm fairly confident that you'll get a 2013. Look at the Premium Lathe package from Little Machine Shop #4116. I have that with mine and I've found it a perfect fit to the 8K. The Tormach quick change tool post bolts right on and works great. The package comes with 1/2" drill chuck, turning, boring, knurling and cut off tools and four holders. The indexable turning tools are made by AR Warner Co US. They are carbide inserts that last and are triangular so when one edge gets dull you have two more to go. The 8K has plenty of speed for the carbide tools. The parting tool is 1/2" HSS.
If you decide on that package ask them to substitute the flat parting tool holder with the angled holder (Angles blade up)
I also have a thread on Practical Machinist that has some interesting posts along with some not so interesting but worth the read, especially about the D1-3 camlock and how it works. Also RJ Rolfe is a hoot!
At this point I have a new spindle and if it's raining again tomorrow I'll do some tests with it. If it's sunny, so long I'm gone on my Ducati!
Have fun, oil those spindle bearings,
Mikbul

Oh yeah,
I'm in the middle of selling off my micrometer collection and have some good stuff in all price ranges, mostly all 0-1" but a couple 1-2". Starrett, Brown & Sharpe (Swiss), Mitutoyo, Etalon (Swiss), Tesa (Swiss) etc. Look in the HMEM classifieds. The Brown & Sharpe #1 and the Mitutoyos are excellent . The Starrett 230 is a nice mic but no carbide or tenths.I have a Starrett 230 0-1" tenths in the shop and a Mitutoyo 1-2" tenths with carbide. The rest are Swiss made Brown and Sharpe and other Mitutoyos. Some of the collection I can't seem to part with.
I'd snatch the Mitutoyu 102-124 (NOS)or the Starrett. Of course for $80.00 off new the B&S #1 NOS is a nice mic.

 

[mikbul]

Turning, facing and boring a piece of Aluminum for a tripod/pier mount. The aluminum is a cast motor mount for an old telescope that's been kicking around for ages.

 

[mikbul]

It started off oblong and the hole wasn't centered so I cut as much off as my dull blade in the band saw allowed and bolted it to a 2" bar of aluminum.

 

[Tanshanomi]

The new baby arrived! It's not bolted down, leveled, cleaned or set up yet, but it was delivered this morning and is out of the crate and up in its bench. It's an old 1960s console TV cabinet that is very solidly built. Stopped by the John Deere dealer for a jug of Hygard Low Vis oil and I'm having an electrician run a dedicated circuit Monday.

EDIT: S/N is 1297, 3/13 build date. I am assuming I shouldn't worry about greased bearings?

 

[mikbul]

I haven't heard of a 2013 SB1001 with a grease problem. Just clean it up, lube it and do your spindle break in. I skipped the 2300 rpm step and stopped at 1800 rpm's.
Enjoy!
Mikbul

 

[mikbul]

Here's an updated list such as it is:
Mikbul

 

[herrointment]

So I'm finally posting some photos of the bench I built for the lathe. It's a copy of my workbench in Douglas Fir rather than Southern Yellow Pine. The bench was constructed in March, in cold and dry weather. July is somehow now upon us so with the heat and humidity the bench will have moved as far as it's going to move. My workbench usually cups in length and now after a few years seems to have stabilized.

The workbench, the lathe and the new lathe bench in the background

 

[herrointment]

To check out what gives as far as movement goes I'll break out the winding sticks and a decent straightedge.

 

[herrointment]

The No. 5 jack plane and some marks showing the high spots. Always hit the high spots and never the low ones....this I have learned the hard way.

 

[herrointment]

Some cross grain work and some diagonal work yields quick results.