SB 16X60

That machinetoolcollectionitius disease struck again. I picked up a 16" x 60" SB today.

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Came with a 12" 4 jaw, complete 5c collet set, with a nice tray, that someone set up to mount at the tail stock, or head stock. A well abused 8" 3 jaw (yes, thats a crack above the 5 &6). a spare 8" backing plate, the wrenches for the saddle and tail stock locks, and a 4 way tool post. And most of a steady rest(missing the fingers, but the knobs and all are all there).

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The ways have a good bit of wear. The travel knob for the saddle needs a new bushing, or something, but is quite usable the way it is. Otherwise, all the gears look good. He never did any threading, so the threading dial was never engaged as long as he had it.

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The saddle cross slide dovetails are worn, someone added a brass shim on the outside of the gib. The problem is since the gins are not worn at the rear, it of course gets tighter as it goes back. I do have a dovetail cutter, and could clean it up on the mill, but thinking I might give the shaper a try. Looks like they replaced the cross feed screw, and nut, so thats a plus.

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The half nuts are great. The apron is missing the left side oiler, so the travel handle bore is worn. I have a bushing that would work, just not sure I want to take more apart to enlarge the bore. Also, I bet someone crashed the saddle into the headstock, and sheared the taper pin in the pinion shaft. Otherwise everything else looks good.

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Of course, I have to include a shot of the collet rack. Yea, its setup in a tent. Once I move it into the shop, there will not be room to work on it.

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The tail stock is good over all. The brass strip needs some cleaning (along with the ways), and maybe shimming to recenter it. And of course new way wipers. The flat one I will need to make, they were both missing.

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So, so far it needs:
* all the felts
* Taper pin for the pinion shaft
* left side oiler.
* Time
* Effort
* rebuild the steady rest
* VFD, and fun doing the wiring.
* And what ever I decide to do with the saddle hand wheel bore.
* Soap, water, and rags.
 
Quite the project you have going there!

My kids think my new 9A is "so big" (I kept trying to explain that it is small, the 6" that I have is tiny), yours would blow their minds. :)

K
 
Funny how things change through life. In high school shop class, they had about 18 to 20 inch lathes. My dad had an Atlas 618, which I liked using better. I think it was because I was doing smaller stuff, and the 618 was better for that (also, did not have 20 other kids watching). Later I bought my own 618MK2, and used the heck out of it for 30 plus years. Then about 10 years ago, I decided I needed bigger. After looking around for a few years, I decided to go all out, and buy a new 13" eastern Pacific made lathe. It has been great, and will still be my go to lathe. But this was a deal I could not pass up. with gas, and after I get the parts, and the VFD, it will still be the cheapest of all my lathes. Right now, I am at about $850, and likely be right about $1K when I'm done. Unless I talk myself into a 6 jaw 10 to 12 inch chuck. ;)

Glad your kids are interested enough to take notice. My Son could care less, and barely knows what the tools are for.
 
Pulled the dial indicator out, and checked out the spindle. No movement detected (I'll have to pull out the .0005 indicator, but I'm sure it is in specs). So I'm not going to bother with looking at the bearings until I get the felts for the bearing expanders.

The 3 jaw, thats something else, it gave the indicator about 3/4 swing. :eek: Hard to see in the pics, but the number 3 jaws tip is not curved as much as the other two. Did not think of it until know, but I will find a bigger diameter piece to mount in one of the steps on the jaws. But thinking I can dig out the tool post grinder, and grind the jaws, so that should be an easy fix.

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Funny how things change through life. In high school shop class, they had about 18 to 20 inch lathes. My dad had an Atlas 618, which I liked using better. I think it was because I was doing smaller stuff, and the 618 was better for that (also, did not have 20 other kids watching). Later I bought my own 618MK2, and used the heck out of it for 30 plus years. Then about 10 years ago, I decided I needed bigger. After looking around for a few years, I decided to go all out, and buy a new 13" eastern Pacific made lathe. It has been great, and will still be my go to lathe. But this was a deal I could not pass up. with gas, and after I get the parts, and the VFD, it will still be the cheapest of all my lathes. Right now, I am at about $850, and likely be right about $1K when I'm done. Unless I talk myself into a 6 jaw 10 to 12 inch chuck. ;)

Glad your kids are interested enough to take notice. My Son could care less, and barely knows what the tools are for.


The bigger they are the more reasonable the price! There's a 14x60 for sale not all that far from me for that's at a pretty decent price, it's just way to big for my basement. It does sound like you got a heck of deal though!

I have two projects that involve turning "wheels" that are between 4 and 5 inches in diameter. That swing is really pushing what the 6" lathe can even think about doing. I also really wanted a quick change gear box, I've only had to mess with the change gears a couple of times but it was a pain. Really though what it came down to is tooling. I wanted collets and a steady rest for the 6", buy those things off eBay and I'm more than half way to what I paid for the SB 9A and at the end of the day I would have still had a 6" lathe. It just made more sense in the long run.

I may keep the 6" but I can't see where it could do anything the 9A couldn't. That and it would fund a quick change tool post and maybe some other goodies. :)

K
 
Back in Pa, I had everything set up in the basement. I can attest to things are harder to get up steps then down.

Yea, I bought my 618, when things were better priced (back in the 80's). Got the collet set on clearance at a sears store. IIRC, the complete gear change set from atlas was under $80 (Which I thought was high at the time), came in a cloth bag, with my address on a paper/cloth combo tag. The milling attachment I snagged off E-bay when it was young, back in the late 90's.

I passed up many bigger lathe deals, because of no room. Then I moved/ retired out here, and it is a machine tool desert. The mill I picked up near salt lake city (About 5 hr drive north west), and the fosdick dripp press, I picked up in Denver (about 5 hr drive East). This South bend was about 1&1/2 hrs south.

Funny the things we do, for something we call a hobby. :cool:
At least I have a wife that likes to travel.
 
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