Thanks again guys..............First let me say, I haven't run a lathe to the point I'm an expert like some of you guys, but I have played around with them some. I had an old Cummings 7x12 mini lathe for a few years before I got my Atlas and learned a lot with that little machine. The thing is, I knew from the start that neither of those machines would do what I truly wanted to do. Oh, they would probably get most stuff done but it just takes a long time. I do think this South Bend is a far more capable machine than either of the two I have or have had.
Woodchucker, I ordered that oiling kit from the guy you provided the link for. Have you got any ideas on the two drive belts. I saw a flat belt on e-bay for like $25.00 but didn't see a motor drive belt. I went to a serpentine belt. I had a leather belt on, but it broke, so rather than go leather again, I went to a serpentine. I went to the auto store with an approximate size and looked through their bins. It was nice that they let me do that. The serpentine ran for years with the teeth down, but I had to flip it over after years , it started to pull to one side. It's working fine using the back. It also grabs better. Also, I was playing around with the compound trying to figure out why it was so tight and took out the little screw that holds the dial in place and you can probably figure what happened next. That little, tiny brass pin jumped out and went I don't know where, so I'll need to find one of those too. That brass pin is easy enough to get. Go to McMaster car and order a small rod of brass. Just cut it off and you're good to go. I'll see if I can go measure one for you. You can also turn one down once you get the lathe running.