Subject: Re: Help us solve the mysteries of this old lathe...

From: [email-masked]
Date: 14 May 1996 22:36:07 GMT

In <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Chris Kantarjiev) writes:
>
>Several of you will recognize me as having posted before about
>the 1943 9x48 SB lathe I bought a month ago. Several of you
>have been very helpful, sending drawings and parts and references.
>
>We still have many questions about it - in particular, the headstock 
>design is one that we can't find any photos of. 
>
>I've scanned in a bunch of photos of the lathe in its current 
>condition, and posted them at http://www.dimebank.com/FrankenLathe.html;
>if you're curious to see it, or think you might have some answers,
>please take a look and send some mail.
>
>Thanks.

Sorry - Just saw the rest of the pics, and it is pretty clear to me
that this lathe must have been used as a second operation setup
at some time.  The hand-lever tailstock (seems to be custom)
and the hand lever collett closer imply this, as well as the lack
of crossfeed screw - unless you had the screw out for refurbishment.
Did it have a lever-acting crossfeed?  I have never seen a 9 inch
SB that was underneath motor drive - unusual!  

===========================================================

 1959 BMW R50                                           Jim Rozen              
 1969 BMW R60US                                (JRR0 @ watson.ibm.com)                 
 1975 BMW R75/6    (The "new" one)        

===========================================================

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From: [email-masked] (Chris Kantarjiev)
Date: 14 May 1996 23:24:59 GMT

My apologies - I had the lathe fairly apart before it occurred to
me to take Polaroid photos to scan in - if you look closely, you'll
see that the spindle is out in a couple of shots. There certainly is
a normal (small diameter scale knob) cross feed and compound feed.

The hand-lever tailstock used to be a standard South Bend part;
I have drawings dating from 1965 that show it very clearly. But the
lever closer might be custom - the same drawings only show a handwheel closer.
Hard to say - the current SB accessories catalog will sell both
a handwheel and lever closer.

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From: [email-masked] (Chris Kantarjiev)
Date: 14 May 1996 17:04:58 GMT

Thanks.

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From: [email-masked] (Chris Kantarjiev)
Date: 15 May 1996 22:46:54 GMT

One of the things I need for this lathe is a new motor. The original
was apparently a special model made for South Bend by GE; the
capacitor was relocated from the standard place, and there
was a relay included (for some function that I haven't yet
determined). 

The GE model number was 5KC63AB494. Not surprisingly, no one
has a modern cross-reference for it.

The basic stats are: 1725 RPM, 1/2 HP, NEMA frame number 66, 
115VAC, 1 phase, capacitor start/instant reverse. Frame 66 is
"almost obsolete" now; Grainger doesn't list anything as small
as 1/2 HP in that frame size.

I can go larger; that's no problem, but it's expensive ($225 or more).
What I'd like to find is an old motor that's got the right specs.

Anyone have ideas on where to look? Thanks.

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From: [email-masked] (Chris Kantarjiev)
Date: 15 May 1996 22:29:39 GMT

I wrote

This was a mistake, looking at the logs - the ; in the above line is
punctuation, not part of the URL. Point your web browser at

	http://www.dimebank.com/FrankenLathe.html

*NOT*

	http://www.dimebank.com/FrankenLathe.html;

Thanks to all of you who have looked and helped!

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From: [email-masked] (Randolph Lee)
Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 17:10:35 -0400

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked]

> as 1/2 HP in that frame size.

before you do anything take the old motor to a good electric motor shop...
they made the 1955 Fairbanks-Morse pancake motor on my Bridgeport like new
for $80... it is amazing what a good shop can do with motors of this
vintage... where many that have been made in the last 10 years or so are
just junk when they 'burn out' the old stuff can be made to be like new
for a small fee...

Mine was done by 
New England Electric Motor service corp in Chelsea Mass 617-884-9200

but a look at the tom cat or a call to a local machine shop will find you
a good shop in your area...

~R

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From: [email-masked](Arthur A. Van Hecke)
Date: 17 May 1996 04:00:13 GMT

>Anyone have ideas on where to look? Thanks.

Chris, Do you really need a new motor, or do you just need to fix the
one you have?  There should be a motor shop somewhere close and I can't
imagine it costing over $100 for a fill rewind.

--Art

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From: [email-masked] (Chris Kantarjiev)
Date: 14 May 1996 23:04:54 GMT

[I wasn't able to respond to the mailing address in your header - 
[email-masked] comes back as "user unknown"]

        The 3/8-16 hole on the left-hand side of the headstock (between the
        boss for the spindle and the boss for the back-gear shaft) is the mounting
        point for a lever-acting collett closer. 

Far out! I have most of a handwheel closer, and am planning to use that. 
What goes into the hole, if anything, when there's no lever closer? Is
it left open or filled with a bolt? (It certainly shouldn't be filled with
oil, as mine was...) 

Thank you *very* much! (Any ideas about the holes on the bed under the
headstock? Motor control?)