Needing Guidance For Noob

Keith Foor

Registered
Registered
Joined
Aug 4, 2015
Messages
291
OK, hate to open up with a huge post, but here goes nothing...
I have been wrenching for a LONG time. Remember changing sparkplugs with dad when I was 5 or 6. Pulled the wheel off a 73 Duster when I was 14 and repacked wheel bearings so I could go on a date so basically I been w0rking on cars longer than I have been legal to drive them. Decided one horrible day when I was 17 laying under a 78Volarie Wagon pushing a 904LA tranny back into place that as soon as I had my own money I would have a garage and my own tools so I wouldn't need to lay in gravel to work on cars any more. It tool a while but I made it to the point that the last purchases were a mill and a lathe. When my 15 year old son decided he wanted to go to school for welding and machining, I pulled the trigger on an Excello 604 mill. Once that was home the lathe was next order of business. This is where my lack of experience bit me and I am now trying to figure out what to do next. I bought a 13 inch South Bend cone drive lathe that's a late 20's or early 30's model. It's a Series O. The lathe is tight for it's age. Measured runout on the chuck is +/- .003 and the slop in the bearings is non-existant. I don't have a reference bar to check the table for square, but I also have +/-.001 slop in the carriage when pushed and pulled on referencing compound from the chuck. Problem is that the gentleman that owned the lathe until his death was a machinist. He made modifications to the manual change gear assembly and while I have some change gears, I have no idler gear and not sure I have the right idler gear arm for the lathe. The gears that are on it don't properly match the pitch of the rest of the gears, and the cross feed screw was sleeved to accept these other gears. I removed the sleeve and where the South Bend gears I have were to small they are now too large. Not sure what direction to go here. I am no where ready to try to make gears, parts for something thing old are either unobtainable or very expensive form what I have seen. I am trying to figure out to I just sell the lathe (have $500 in it currently). Do I convert it to CNC and use a 100 year old lathe hanging 21 century parts all over it to make it useful, or what other options do I have. I need some guidance here and I am hoping someone here can help.
 
I guess the real question is: Do you want a project or a working machine?

It's possible to do a CNC conversion on almost anything, but is it worth the effort in this case? I would be hesitant to convert a lathe this old. The gears you can get from Boston Gear, you can make any other parts you need. Given that the machine is in overall good condition, you may be able to sell it for what you have in it.

There are a lot of lathes available in your area, so another good used one might be the best option. Check your local Craigslist.

.
.
 
I guess the real question is: Do you want a project or a working machine?
.

I think Jim hit the nail in the proper place. You can either start with a different and better lathe, or spend a considerable time trying to fix the one you have. Yes, it's fixable, but never will be newer than 95 years old.

I'd find another lathe.
 
Keith, another possibility is to add a ELS (electronic lead screw) to your lathe. If the lead screw/nut is tight you do not need to use a ball screw but you will need a larger stepper motor. I did this last year and it works great for both imperial and metric threading and turning without the use of gears.
checkout http://autoartisans.com/ELS/ the only problem is you may be come addicted , as I did, and end up wit a full CNC conversion. Bob
 
Jim, I have been looking on Craiglist. The Columbus Ohio area doesn't have alot in the way of lathes for reasonable prices. Or at least what I believe is reasonable. And I am not up for a huge project to get this one up and running. I have been leaning towards selling it or moving it to the back shop and taking it up as a project after getting something I can work with but I didn't want to make that decision until I spoke with someone with knowledge of these things. When I bought the lathe I got a TON of stuff with it for the 500 I spend. I got several hundred end mills, numerous lathe chucks, a rotary table that is basicly new, a tool post grinder, a rotary index, and a bunch of other smalls that in my eyes were worth the purchase price and got the lathe to boot. I started looking at gear sets on eBay but not knowing what I truely need and the cost of a complete gear a set on eBay gave me pause to spend money on them not knowing if they would work or not. I see alot of gear sets for South Bends, but they are for 9 and 10 inch lathes. I assume that those will not fit this lathe, but again, I honestly don't know. I am hoping to find someone that either has or had a similar lathe and can tell me here is what I need so I can figure out a cost and make an informed decision. I have some other issues with the lathe, specifically that South Bend cone drive lathes as a whole have small internal spindle thru hole diameters. I came to understand that was the rule for them.... wanting to use the lathe for threading barrels, that becomes a problem. So I am probably going to finish the cleanup and repaint of the lathe and either sell it or do a CNC style conversion down the road and get something I can plug in the wall and use immediately.
 
Back
Top