Southbend Lathe

I went to a school auction yesterday and scored a Southbend metal lathe.  I haven't had time to mess with it yet, or even research it, but it is a good size for my garage shop and what I've read on-line suggests that the old Southbend lathes are a good bet with parts generally available and heavy construction that lends to long life.  Having been in a school, I'm sure it has been abused; the rails look pretty dinged up.  But since I'm not going to be trying to make anything with close tolerance, it should be good for general purpose. 

Obviously, it has a 3 phase motor.  But since I am already using a variable frequency drive on my 3 phase vertical mill, I'm thinking I will be able to run the lathe off the same drive and not have to buy another one.  I just wont be able to run them simultaneously.  I'll probably wire in a disconnect so that its not possible to accidently have them both in the "on" position at the same time.

Moving this dude presented the same problems as with the Mill; it is one heavy SOB.  They loved iron back then.  I could budge the tail stock end manually, but not the gear end.  Also, I had to get it out by 5PM.  By the time I got back to my office to get a stakebed and some tools, and back to the school (30 min. drive each way) it was 4PM.  The guys in charge were school system employees, so you can bet there was no assistance available and they would be locking the doors at 4:50.

At home, I quickly removed my machine mover from the mill in my shop.  This involved putting it up on temporary blocks.  Sounds easy?  Not.  I had to plane some oak cribbing to the exact thickness of the gap between the rails of the mover and the slab, then wedge them in and unbolt the mover and pull out the rails (see earlier post for pictures).  I grabbed some wood cribbing and a spud bar, and was off to the school.  The lift gate on my stakebed--a gift from God himself--is good for 1,750 lbs.  It barely worked for the mill, but the lathe looked to be a lot less heavy. 

Back at the school with the clock running, I worked frantically and got my wheel rails lined up and the cross rails in place to bolt together under the lathe once I got it up on blocks.  The details of this effort are hard to describe.  I used the spud bar as a lever and the wood cribbing for both a fulcrum and to block the corners up a little at a time, being careful to not interfere with placement of the rails which would have to slide in around the base.  Suffice to say that I was able to get this thing out the door as they were turning the key in the locks behind me.  Fortunately it was a beautiful day and breezy, so my sweat drenched clothes dried out a bit on the drive home.  I sat down to dinner at 6:30 with the family, the lathe in my garage and the stakebed parked back at the office.

I work alone quite a bit, and one learns tricks and techniques along the way.  Most importantly, never forget your good friend Archi Medes.  Good old Archi will lift you up and only let you down easy.