Photo Index - South Bend Lathe Works - 9" Lathe, Junior, Catalog No. - 22-Y

Machinery Photo Index

Manufactured/Badged by:
South Bend Lathe Works
South Bend, IN

True Manufacturer:
South Bend Lathe Works, South Bend, IN

Machine Specifications
Machine Class:	Metal Working Machinery
Machine Type:	Lathe, Metal
Machine Size:	9" Swing, 36" Bed
Submitted By:	Carl Bukowsky

Machine Specifications
Description/Model:	9" Lathe, Junior, Catalog No. - 22-Y
Date of Manufacturer:	1929
Serial Number:	41593A (View SN Registry Entry)
Last Updated	1/8/2018 11:17:03 PM

Comments:

This is my South Bend Lathe, a 9” Junior (Catalog No. 22-Y) with a 36" bed, marked with serial number 41593A. Found it in April 2017 listed on CL North Dallas. I wasn't sure which lathe it was by looking at the posted pictures,so I ventured out to see it in person, and ended up agreeing to purchase the lathe from the grandson of the original owner.

He corroborated the age of the lathe as being purchased in the 30's by his Grandfather, and told me the early history of how this lathe was purchased new for use in a new business venture; a machine shop in Abilene, TX. The Grandfather was a Harvard mechanical engineer as well as a patent attorney, and he was the money man behind the new machine shop, which was run by his brother-in-law. These two partners, like many others in business during the Great Depression, went bust, and the machine shop closed within a year. Grandfather held on to machine shop tools, and this lathe was handed down, father-to-son for three generations.

When I bought the lathe I also got what appears to be the original tooling: complete set of change gears, tool holder, a steady rest, a follower rest, and an assortment drills, centers, and HSS cutters. The lathe saw very little use but got more that its share of abuse, mainly because none of the users were machinists. They had used it primarily as a wood lathe, but even that was only occasionally. The best thing they did was keep it oiled as it was coated with oil-encrusted sawdust and dirt. The original paint was still intact, with only a few places bare. The lathe had a set of legs, but those were last seen in the 60's and it was bolted to that wooden bench by the grandson's Father. He had wired the control for the dual-shaft motor so the lathe would run forward and reverse, and it used two pulleys; low speed for metal and high speed for wood.

In restoration I did a complete tear-down, cleaned it top to bottom, and added a top coat of paint. I decided that the original Japanning paint was is such good condition that it was too valuable to remove. It took a lot of cleaning and polishing but now it looks like an old lathe in exceptional condition; sure there are flaws on it but it looks its age. Other than a handful of nick on the bed ways near the spindle, the ways are remarkably in great shape; testament to the very light use. I adapted a set of bench feet to the bed, built a proper bench for it, and added a rear counter drive and motor. I chose to run the lathe using a ½ HP DC motor and controller rather than a conventional fixed speed AC motor. That allows for operations with variable speed without changing the drive belt, and I added a digital readout so I can see the actual spindle speed (magnetic pickup off the tail of the spindle shaft). I leveled the bench and leveled the lathe, and then aligned the tailstock to the bed. I expected to have issues with aligning the headstock and tailstock, so I setup a one-foot test rod and indicated the center-to-center alignment; measured half a thousandth (.0005”) overall, both lateral and vertical! I was amazed ! The only wear I have is in the carriage cross slide; it needs a new shaft and nut to eliminate the backlash and slop.

Photo 1:

Comments: In all its glory, sitting for years and years....missing feet, bolted to a rickety wooden bench
Source: from CL ad, February 2017

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Photo 2:

Comments: Needs some TLC!...chuck was frozen to spindle...bull gear had five missing teeth and two of those had been repaired before...otherwise in decent shape for 80 years!
Source: Taken at PO's business in Dallas, February 2017

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Photo 3:

Comments: tooling and accessories look to be old and originals!
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Photo 4:

Comments: Nice SB steady rest with tooling
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Photo 5:

Comments: During restoration....new bench and counter shaft with 1/2 HP DC motor....checking lenght for new drive belt
Source: May 2017

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Photo 6:

Comments: Nearly done...checking alignment with test indicator and test bar.... added new threading gauge to apron....note the white paint inside the bed ways for high contrast, same as original SB paint scheme
Source: July 2017

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