New learning experience begins - South Bend lathe!

Something I've wanted to do for a looooooong time finally happened - picked up a metal lathe!  With the included tooling and the condition it was in, it was a pretty good deal, and the owner threw in a whole pile of extras when he saw I was genuinely interested/learning.

This thing is ancient - 1921, the owner said - but he showed me it running, showed me projects he'd made on it.  It'll work just fine for learning - and it already works/has been restored, so don't need to invest time/$ in a restoration/repair.

I am hoping to learn basic lathe operation, metrology, cutter grinding, basic tool-making, and make some neat projects/enhance existing projects.

It came with:
  • Lathe itself is a South Bend 25-Y (9" x 36") - fully restored, painted, ways in good shape, fully oiled
  • 120v motor w. v-belts - I'll be getting some link-belts to replace them
  • Metal table
  • All change gears (Imperial only, but that's not surprising for a lathe this old)
  • 3-jaw and 4-jaw chucks (plus one additional 3-jaw that is missing some parts)
  • Dog plate w. dog
  • Modern-style toolpost (also came with the original 'Lantern' style)
  • Follow rest
  • Steady rest
  • Drill chuck
  • Front and rear dead centers
  • (I think?) Rear live center
  • DIY "milling" attachment - probably only good for basic slotting
  • Oiling can
  • Coolant fluid w. spray bottle
  • Toolbox full of ground cutters, even some carbide (I think?) - haven't gone through this yet
  • T-handles and such
  • Bunch of spare pieces of brass/aluminum stock

My first project will be a metal scribe (a la Clickspring - search that on Youtube, amazing stuff).



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