You mean there isn't a "real" bearing so much as it is just steel running on cast iron? I'm pretty ignorant about metallurgy, and I apologize if I'm not educated enough to notice sarcasm, but am I correct in thinking that is a bad thing?
Jon
South Bend 9x32 lathe
Dec 17, 2009
25 Replies
It is a "real" bearing that works quite well at the low speeds at which these lathes operate. The competition of the time (Atlas) used ball bearings to avoid precision finishing and make the lathe cheaper to manufacture. The 9" Workshop was sold for around 40 years, and may very well be the most popular lathe on the planet.
Here is Mr. Wells repository of SB data:
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Kevin Gallimore
If designed correctly, the spindle pulls in and floats on a film of oil:
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Nearly a century of evidence says that South Bend got it right.
jsw
Okay, thanks, didn't know the longevity of that as a bearing surface.
Jon
That really is a keeper, will come handy with my 9". Thanks.
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