Let me preface this by saying I don't know much about lathes but I thought I would like to have one. So, I went out and bought a South Bend 10" lathe. I am trying to get all the information on it that I can, such as an owner's manual, parts lists, how-to, and stuff like that. It seems there is a lot of material out there that a guy can buy, but which one? There is quite a few on eBay. Any recommendations?
I don't know the serial number of it, but I found out today where to look for it, so that's where I'm starting. I don't even know how to get the thing out of fast gear, so you can see that this is going to be a learning experiece and I'm excited about it.
For all I know, I got took on the whole deal (paid $850), but the guy that had it converted it to 1ph/110V and that's what I needed (although I would have preferred 220V). The way he routed the electrical wires is a little undesireable, so that will be one of the first things I will change. I'd like to make sure and go through the whole thing, checking oil levels and gears, before I start running it and chance breaking something.
For starters, how important is it that the machine be leveled? Do I need to get a precision level and have it within a couple thousandths? Where would you guys start on what to check and look out for? What are some of the tooling that you would buy right off the bat? It came with a 3 and 4 jaw chuck, and I'm not sure what size collets or even how to tell.
They have a reprint of the SB lathe manuals see #s 21150 and #21583 at
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and the SB project book at
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For a good introduction to machining in general, I suggest that you also purchase Milne's Machine Shop Methods. See
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A lathe does not care if it is level as long as it is flat (i.e. not warped). However, the easiest way to insure it is flat (and to easily check) is to level it. This can be a royal PITA because most lathes have four legs. It is easy to twist a lathe when you bolt it down and it will never cut straight.
Take the level you plan on using and put it across and lengthwise on the lathe. Put a feeler gage under one end to see how small a change you can detect. If you are uncomfortable with the amount it takes to be detectable, get a better level.
If possible, use screw adjustment levelers and avoid shims.
As for tools, a great deal depends on what you will be making, and if you want to make or buy. Also, do you mean tools, tooling or attachments?
One of the most immediately important items if you don't have one, is a one-inch drop dial indicator with both a magnetic stand and "mighty-mag" style base. Should be c.30$ from Enco with a set of interchangeable tips.
=================================================================== >Let me preface this by saying I don't know much about lathes but I thought I
Talking of machining at sea; my previous employer had a sideline in taking on ship repair contracts for the Royal Navy. At one point they were bidding for a repair to the propshaft on a destroyer, somehow they had jammed a prop and the propshaft had whipped; the winning contractor apparently turned it in place with a (I imagine huge) travelling lathe, reducing its diameter but making it straight again; lasted long enough to get them back to Portsmouth for a replacement to be installed. Martin
Both of which statements only demonstrate what a sheltered life you've led.
I work on an icebreaker equipped for marine science work. We have and use lathes & mills aboard ship. When you're dealing with pressure vessels going to over 5000m depth, you'd better get the tolerances correct.
I've worked on over 20 oceangoing ships in my career as a officer, some over
1200' long 500,000 DWT, and i'll stick to my contention I've never met a machinist at sea. Yes each ship had a lathe, and they were never used, just took up space.
Ships engineers don't have the time, tooling/equipment, or experience to perform machining jobs other than very occasional kludge work.
Tony
So tell us all these precison jobs you do out there on your icebreaker, when your not in the galley helping the chief steward. I've been too sheltered as you say. Also tell us the extent of the toolcrib, and the barstock on hand in which you fabricate all these parts for Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Oh, when you need that special tap or collet does MSC deliver via airdrop?
We had a Navy open house a few years ago an done of the ships was a sub tender and most of the shops were open, and *what* a collection of shops; a big machine shop with standard and NC machines, a paternmaking shop and foundry for exoctic metals and a great woodshop. All large enough to handle *big* work. It was on a deck that had huge doors on both sides and was open to the ocean. I can't imagine how much time was spent keeping the rust under control.
So who's the toolmaker/machinist? the welder or the programmer?
ok, and were you holding to .0001 inside your container? The OP suggested that leveling a lathe was not important because lathes at sea are not level. My contention is that accuracy is not a requirement at sea. Accuracy to me, in a machine shop environment, means holding to tenths.
Last summer we had to remachine s/steel pressure vessels
down, and what electronics package did you use to measure the particle >
count, temperature and salinity on the way?
Oh I'm so impressed, and it's so relevant to the original post. I'm sure you play with your package quite a bit.
ok, and did you machine these parts to .0000? Sounds like a kludge repair. it got the job done and thats great, but accuracy & tight tolerances, doubt it. Again, your not paying attention to the original post, and your comments support my postition.
I suspect
I only sailed American flag ships, which means all American crew. The engineers mostly came from American academies unless they came up the hawsepipe.
, email me offline and I'll provide you with my work address
Nah, i'm not sending you a Christman card this year.
Sarcasm will get you nowhere, Tony. You've worked on cargo ships. I work on oceanographic research vessels. Different animal. Difference between us is, I don't make the mistake of generalising my limited experience to apply to the world.
You're quite correct about ship engineering staff, mostly. What you miss is the fact that I manage a marine engineering research & support group. When we go off on long cruises, we take a couple electronics techs/engineers, a couple scientific programmers and a couple mech types including at least one fitter/welder in addition to the ship crew.
As for the tools - hah. We take 2 20' containers of spares with us plus all the gear we plan on using. We have another container fitted out as a workshop. As you say, if you don't have it, you ain't gonna get it and it can take 2 weeks to get to the nearest port. There's also a
*big* difference between the equipment on a research ship and a freighter. Last summer we had to remachine s/steel pressure vessels because the O ring groove was damaged and water was leaking in at
5000m. When was the last time you had to take water samples from 5000m down, and what electronics package did you use to measure the particle count, temperature and salinity on the way? How many oceanographic winches with 6000m of cable do you usually have onboard? If you've served in cargo ships, you load cargo at one place and head for the next. As long as the engines run and nothing major breaks, you make the next port and then get shoreside engineering firms to fix whatever's wrong while discharging/loading cargo, getting pissed etc. We work a research ship 24/7 and downtime on gear *cannot* wait until we make port.
Back to the ship's engineering staff. A couple years ago we had the hydraulic line to the CP prop break at its threaded section, inside the prop hub. While we were inside the icepack. The guys manufactured an expanding sleeve that was fed down inside the pipe to the break then expanded to provide a 'good enough' seal so we could get some pitch on and come home. All fabricated on board using the ship gear. I suspect that our crew requirements are different to yours. Most merchant ships have largely 3rd World crews and a handful of First World officers. We have all trained First World crew.
And Tony...... if I really needed a special tap, I'd *make* one. As would any competent machinist. It's not all that difficult, ya know. BTDT. Provided I didn't need to tap 316, anyway. Then I'd think about welding it. A kludge at sea that gets the job done is better than perfection shoreside after the event, and my shop here at work can always make another widget or 2.
I'd advise you to drop this one. Accept that your experience isn't universal. No shame in that, research vessels are different animals entirely in equipment and, probably, crew, to cargo vessels. If you really want to know more, rather than just try to shore up a losing position, email me offline and I'll provide you with my work address and details.
If his 10" South Bend is like mine, the bed twist adjustment is a pair of opposing set screws in the tailstock end of the bed casting. I think the coarse adjustment is to back both off, then run them in until they barely touch the internal tab. When I did that a precision level shimmed to read level on the carriage indicated the same at both ends of the ways.
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