South Bend 8K photos

[mikbul]

hey peoples,

I just stripped one of the t-bolts that holds the compound rest in place. The t-bolt has a thin nut and it doesn't take much to over tighten.

I've order 8m 1.25 grade 10 t-bolts from McMaster to replace along with thin nuts (grade 4) and regular nuts (grade 10). I don't know what grade those t-bolts are in the machine, but I'm certain they are not grade 10.

I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Incidentally, I've got another 25 hours on the Aloris MP tool holder and love it. Virtually no chatter and it stays put wherever I set it.

deek

Hi Deek,
Glad to hear the good news with the Aloris. You've taken things to the next level with the 8K. I'm still using the OXA and the stock 4-way but am thinking about selling the OXA set-up with tooling.
Mikbul

 

[deek]

The T-bolts are installed and the larger grade 10 nuts fit perfectly.

I had to turn down part of the square shoulder of the bolt and shave a bit of the head to make it work. I also had to shorten the bolt to fit. Otherwise, I can put a little more oompf on the bolt and the cross slide is now solid.

Thanks always Mikbul for the encouraging words.

Hey, I'm interested in the bull nose. What are you looking to get for it?

Thanks,
deek

 

[mikbul]

The T-bolts are installed and the larger grade 10 nuts fit perfectly.

I had to turn down part of the square shoulder of the bolt and shave a bit of the head to make it work. I also had to shorten the bolt to fit. Otherwise, I can put a little more oompf on the bolt and the cross slide is now solid.

Thanks always Mikbul for the encouraging words.

Hey, I'm interested in the bull nose. What are you looking to get for it?

Thanks,
deek

$50.00 plus ship.
Mikbul

 

[Tanshanomi]

Just went to the Grizzly website and noticed that the 8K/SB1001 is no longer listed. I wonder if the pipeline has finally dried up.

 

[deek]

I'm back!

I've had the lathe nearly a year now and have a lot more time on the 8K, so I thought I'd just add to Mikbul's thread.

Overall, I'd say I'm very happy with the 8K. I've learned how to get a decent bite on various metals. You need to have everything tight to make a good cut. I also got a hold of a pafana rh index tool. It's pretty nice. I've got the AR warner tools and they are good, but this pafana is just beefier and cuts nicely without chatter.

I've found the TCMT 21.52's are nice for aluminum. The 21.51 for brass and steel. The 21.50 is ok for threading, but I'm going to give AR warner's combination threading tool a try. I was getting some tearing of threads with this arrangement.

Parting is no problem and finishes are pretty good.

I do have continued issues with the cross slide. The most recent is that the t slot bent upward. The cause looks like the terrible milling of the clamp ring. The relief milled into the corner of the clamp ring is nearly .125 on one side and .06 on the other. The result is that the top of the t-slot is not meeting the metal of the clamp, so the entire holding force of the compound is exerted on the hanging top of the t-slot. Well it was anyway. It's now damaged. I've contacted Griz for a warranty replacement. We'll see how that goes. I'll post a couple of pics for reference.

Other issues are that the gear changing for threads is just a pain in the neck. The brass bushings for each of the gear axles are particular to their respective axles. Don't switch them up as they bind. Additionally, the gears are not all properly reamed to fit the bushing. You must take care to assemble the gears in the proper orientation or the belt will slip. I chewed through one belt is short order. doh. When you go to put the belts on, you must tighten from bottom up. There are several axles that must be tightened in order or you won't be able to get everything adjusted properly.

Spindle bearings do not seem to be an issue. I hit them with oil before every session.

I made a new lock nut for the tailstock out of brass. It works much better than the terrible cast one.

Paint seems to be holding up ok. There are chips and bondo exposed here and there. Nothing too unexpected. The powder coat on the housing is holding up well.

No other issues that I can think of.

I keep asking myself if I'd buy it again. And I guess I would. I like old iron as much as anyone. I got my 626 mill for 100.00, tore it down, and brought it back. It was fun, but I wasn't ready to do that with a lathe. There are a lot of things I really like about this lathe - 1.5 HP DC motor; auto shut down if you crash the chuck; 1" bore spindle; hardened ways; and variable speed. Since I am new to a lathe, it's a good size to start with - enough power to progress, but not so much that mistakes break equipment and body parts. (not to suggest you can't get physically hurt). Old iron around here (west coast) is not easy to find and is expensive. I constantly wish I had access to east coast machinery. In addition, for the size, it's remarkably stable.

I'm thinking in another year or so I'll consider moving up. But for learning and progressing, this lathe has been pretty well.

 

[Stieglitz]

Hi mikbul,
I am impressed,thanks for the photos a real gem.

 

[mikbul]

Hello Deek,

Bummer about your cross-slide! That's the first failure I've seen?
Mikbul

 

[mikbul]

Hi mikbul,
I am impressed,thanks for the photos a real gem.

Thanks, I'm still using it with no other problems. I've been doing some light gunsmithing with it. I'm converting an old Ithica .22 LR into an .22 cal. M1 Carbine. I'll need to cut the barrel from 21" to 18" and re-crown it. It's a tapered barrel so I'll have to get inventive to clamp it in the jaws. I also made some new pins for the rolling breech block on a Stevens Favorite model 1894. That gun is over 100 years old! There's a similar gun at the NRA National Firearms Museum in Va. in the Teddy Roosevelt Collection although that's a model 1915 that's looks the same be some internals are different (extractor, mainspring etc.).
Mikbul

 

[deek]

Hey Mikbul,

Griz sent a cross slide and clamp. Wow. The machining on the replacement is far superior than the original. Now it only takes snugging up the nuts to lock the tool post up. I wonder why they just don't do it right the first time.

The cross slide plate is slightly thicker than the original, so I had to recalibrate the tool holders to center.

Next up, a single point threading tool. Although I'm thinking about a die head. Anyone got any insight? The gears are such a pain I think it might be worth the coin to spring for a die head... emphasis on "might."

 

[mikbul]

Can't answer that but glad they sent new parts. Never had a problem with mine and only need to snug the tool post down.
mikbul

 

[Stieglitz]

Hi Mikbul,
Certainly something to drool over,so clean and neat.
I suspect that you may be a Surgeon.(please take no offence).
Cheers
Allen.

 

[mikbul]

Thanks, I'm still using it with no other problems. I've been doing some light gunsmithing with it. I'm converting an old Ithica .22 LR into an .22 cal. M1 Carbine. I'll need to cut the barrel from 21" to 18" and re-crown it. It's a tapered barrel so I'll have to get inventive to clamp it in the jaws. I also made some new pins for the rolling breech block on a Stevens Favorite model 1894. That gun is over 100 years old! There's a similar gun at the NRA National Firearms Museum in Va. in the Teddy Roosevelt Collection although that's a model 1915 that's looks the same be some internals are different (extractor, mainspring etc.).
Mikbul

Here's some photos of my M1 Carbine project.

 

[mikbul]

Hey Larry 1, long time no see!

Here's a couple shots of the gun assembled. It needs a final sanding and then a coat of satin to look more like an M1 (Linseed oil) The gun started life as an Ithica X-15 .22 LR.

Mikbul

 

[mikbul]

I'm selling my South Bend 5" 3-jaw chuck seen in post #392. It's slathered with oil for winter so is much shinier when wiped down. Very tight and precise. Reverse-able jaws. $400.00 plus shipping.

I also have a spare SB1001 spindle for $50.00

Mikbul

 

[gambit_mb]

If it wasn't for the Canadian dollar being so lousy right now, I would be jumping on this. I remember how accurate this chuck is. Did you end up getting yourself an early Christmas present?

Hope you are still enjoying the 8K.

 

[mikbul]

Hello Gambit! As a matter of fact I did! I purchased a Ruger Mini 14 in 5.56 NATO!

Mikbul

 

[mikbul]

Here's a photo of the .22/M1 finished.

 

[mikbul]

Before I post some machine tools to the classifieds I thought I'd give you SB1001 followers a heads up. I won't post any $ but send a personal message if you see the need for anything.
Mikbul

1. Several Brown & Sharpe micrometers:
0-1" Swiss
2-3" Swiss
4-5" US
2. Miller Test Bar 3MT
3. South Bend 5" reversible 3-jaw D1-3 Chuck.
4. South Bend SB1001, *** spindle bearings, all included tools & manual plus set of 3/8" insert turning tools.
More coming.

 

[gambit_mb]

Where did you find those micrometers? Nice! I am saving my cash to build some equipment for the lathe and my mill. It seems to be hard to do since I keep spending all my money on stocks right now since they are super cheap here on the TSX here in Canada.

I might find enough cash to build myself an ER-40 collet chuck though. Just going to pick up a 5" D1-3 backing plate and then get a plain back ER-40 collet chuck from the UK to mount on it.

I haven't really been doing much on my machines this past year. Hoping to get enough tooling and such to build my first model engine.

What have you been doing on your lathe? How are those fancy bearings of yours doing? Why did you sell your (much more accurate than the original) chuck?

 

[mikbul]

Those micrometers are from my collection that I'm selling off. I still have the 5" South Bend Chuck for $400.00 and the bearings are precise and quiet. I also have a South Bend Bull Nose for sale.
Mikbul