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Hello from a new member
MikeA:
Hello Anthony,
That SB looks like a sweet piece of equipment - is that a 9A? Sorry to hear you got bit by FleaBay - sometimes you get the bear and sometimes....................!
As I say, I tried it and didn't like it - just adds another level of aggro. My problem with posting is probably something simple I'm overlooking. I'm sure I will get it worked out.
Best,
Mike
rleete:
Just noticed this thread. Mike, you have done a fantastic job on those machines. I have a lot of respect for someone who can take something and renew it, as opposed to all the guys who just replace things. Seems that most people that "repair" things, from plumbing to furnaces to cars only know how to swap out parts, and toss the old. Taking something like those machines and bringing them back to new is real talent.
ieezitin:
Mike
Your correct, that was a 9A. That machine was purchased by a chemical company in Baltimore Md. that’s where it stayed all its life until I snatched it up last February. It was beaten and battered and in a sorry state when I got it, but when she left the shop all she needed was her bed scraped and a new tail stock which her new owner I believe has done.
Another little bit of useless information is the serial number on that machine was one of the last machines made that actually stayed here in the US, the very next machine off the line was a one of a large batch sent over to Europe for the war effort back then, the next number up went to Sweden and the rest to England.
I liked the Southbend and have owned several in that sires until I got a Logan 10 inch made in the forties of the same era, which I now prefer, I never knew much about Logans until this one I have, and I am very impressed with the machine.
MikeA:
Hello Rleete,
Thanks, I appreciate your kind comments.
Sure am aware of the 'swap out parts' till it works - seems most of the things we buy today are designed for that.
One of the nicest things about working on older equipment is they were designed to be repaired, not replaced. I have a good bit of the old Yankee philosophy, "use it up, wear it out, make do or do without."
Another thing was the pride the people who made the older stuff took in doing a good job - they wouldn't let shoddy work go out the door. There's more to possessions than their function - a fine hand made firearm has an intrinsic beauty, a reflection care taken by the man who made it; so it is with many of the things made decades back.
I have a number of Leitz research microscopes made 30, 40, 50 years or more ago, and they were built with evident pride in craftsmanship. Not only are they still high quality research instruments, they are also beautiful engineering that will outlast me and generations to come.
I'll bring this rant to a close by saying our 'throw-away' society needs to rethink where they are headed.
Best,
Mike
MikeA:
Hello Anthony,
No doubt, they were classics and I loved the lines!
I was considering getting a SB as there are tons of parts and so many of them around, repairs are reasonably easy to do. The one thing that held me up was the plain bearings - silly for me to hold that against them, especially when one considers the huge amount of top quality work turned out on South Bend lathes around the world and for what, 80 years?
If I was a machinist and knew what I was doing, instead of someone who plays with machines, I'm sure I would feel differently. As it is, I need all the help I can get!
The Logans are excellent machines and I can't remember hearing anyone who owned one having anything bad to say about them.
Best,
Mike
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