Michael Angelo 

Fantastic job.

Zinger

A 5c hex collet block you can set up with round stock in a vise and use a table or vise stop to position it when you turn it over.



But it's good to familiarize yourself with the indexer anyway. I'm sure I'm going to tell you something you already know.....but in case not: No climb cutting on that manual mill. Always feed into the end mill as it turns towards your work. That little bench mill is a jewel. I'd make some new lead screws and keep the ways scraped. All manual mills have some backlash though. Just go past your mark on the handle scales and back it out in the other direction before you lock the table down.

aixaix 

Crazy, man! I almost wish I needed one...

Very fine!

thirdgenbird

Mine is rear drive and has a much longer bed. It also doesn't have the gear box, but I found a full gear set in his shop. I'm not looking to do any production, just hobby work and learning.

Zinger

Great little machine for it. If I didn't move around so much in my 30s I'd still have mine. But after being in the business for over 3 decades that's one of the last things I want to do on my time anymore.

thirdgenbird

Im a few years from 30 and have a desk job. The lathe should be a good outlet.

Zinger

Should be fun.
BTW
Most of these little models of Southbends are rear drive either with a 4 step V belt or a 3 step leather belt and they have a back gear. The leather belt models are faster to change....as fast as a geared head. They also made a similar styled and designed 13". They are still in business it appears.

And they still make parts for your lathe

rootboy 

It's doubtful you could tell me something I already know, Zinger, thanks! I'm a complete amateur on these old machines. I sure wish I had the experience and skill to make new lead screws, and their nuts, for the old Benchmaster, but that is WAY beyond my pay grade.
I once looked in to replacing them but the cost was astronomical. By the way, I also have the horizontal head for that little mill. I bought that machine, and a 7 inch Atlas shaper, from the same old fellow. He also had a 10 inch Atlas lathe, which I sold when I found that Logan, which is a much better machine. I had a South Bend lathe at one time too...used to tinker with and restore this sort of thing but moving these big things around helped to ruin my back so, no more.

One thing I like about these old, American made, cast iron machines, aside from the Benchmaster, is that they DO still make parts for them. South Bend is still in business, as is Logan Actuator Company. I priced a 27 tooth gear one time, though, so I could learn to cut metric threads, and the cost of one gear was nearly what I paid for the whole machine! Still, it's great to know spare parts are available in one needs them.

rootboy 

You're a lucky guy, Thirdgenbird. Those old South Bends are great machines and, if it was your grandfather's and never spent time in a production shop, it's likely in very good condition.

Pars 

Very nice Scott!

This thread fascinates me, but I know very little about machining, and have no idea what those of you who do know are talking about most of the time

zandoval 

Wonderful progression of pics and result - Thanks

So how many times have you turned a 25mm seat post down to 24mm...

rootboy 

Thanks Zandoval, and Pars...and everyone. Answer to your question? Never. And I aint about to start now. As Harry sez, "a man's got to know his limitations"...and mine are many. The tricky part of doing a seat post is how to hold the sucker in the lathe while doing it.
Holding the bottom end would be easy, if you didn't crush it in the chuck. But how to hold the other end while you finish off the bottom end is the kicker.
It'd take a much better machinist than me to figure that one out.

campngolf

Awesome work.

Tuc

Great post, thank you for sharing this.

Zinger

You'd just need a bigger lathe with the thru-chuck hole big enough to clear the clamp while you turned it in a 4 jaw chuck. You'd put pieces of brass between the chuck jaws and seatpost so as not to mark the seatpost side that you'd already turned. Dialing in 4 jaws is a lot like truing bicycle wheels except you've only got 4 directions to adjust instead of 36

If you have a slotted faceplate for your lathe you could probably come up with a jerry-rigged clamping setup of some sort if it were well secured. It would take some doing and dialing in. Emery cloth and file (with a handle on it for safety) are your friends on a lathe.

ColonelJLloyd 

Very cool, Scott. I dig this kind of stuff.

Does your wife help you with the photos?

rootboy 

Great, Zinger! I was hoping someone would volunteer.

rootboy 

Gracias, Colonel. Yes, she was recruited for a couple of "action" shots. I'm usually too engrossed to take those,
but figured static shots with no hands in them might be boring in this thread.

dbakl

Too cool, of course us old farts just learned to do without them years ago.

How about turning some 151 track rings down to 3/32"?

Reynolds 

Great work which brings back memories...When I was a kid, long long ago, one of my closest friend's dad ran a small machine shop. We tinkered with old motorcycles and asked him to machine parts for them, and though busy, he always found the time.

Dawes-man

Aw shucks! I would've pretended I didn't have any…

Dawes-man

Love it!

Reminds me of a song by The Colorblind James Experience called Considering a Move to Memphis...

Zinger

If that's for the Logan, you know you're going to hafta make that spur gear someday don'tcha. You've got the shaper

And I see you're getting work offers right here in this thread.

rootboy 

heh...somehow...my sentence didn't come out quite right, but re-reading it...I'm not sure how.

I know that song now, Dawes-man...thanks to you!

By the way, I've been exchanging a few emails with that fellow in England. Turns out he is the Campy Gran Sport derailleur king.
Sent me some fabulous pics. I'll post them.

rootboy 

Good point Dbakl. Of course...the derailleur works just fine without it!

Geeze, you guys crack me up. Or have me confused with someone else. Let's see....

Dbakl needs to trim 1/32nds off a chain ring. That would be 1/64th of each side of course, and polish.

Jim Muller needs to cut internal 25-1 threads on a headset top cup and lock ring.

Zinger thinks I can possibly, somehow, make a GEAR! Let alone one with 127 teeth.

Then there's that job to remove .5 millimeters off a seat post.

Sheesh. I think I know an old tool maker back in Utah that could maybe pull these off. But he's 82 years old. And nearly blind.
Haven't seen him in 15 years. Maybe he's dead. Which is a sad thing, for all of us, I think. Not many of those old masters left.
Lately, when fumbling around in my shop, I wish I had spent more time with him.