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Looking for a 13-16" Swing lathe 36-48 between centers

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Thadious

Active Member
Ideally searching for an old South Bend 13-16" lathe with a 6 or 7 foot bed. What can I say, owned a 10K that I rebuild that came from an high school and was metric, so the bed wear was minimal and converted it to an inch machine. Loved it for it's simplicity and abundance of replacement parts, but sold it because I wanted something a bit larger capacity. Miss the old machine and I have a worn out old beast that I'm using currently.

So, on the search for something a bit larger that might be a good deal and I don't mind rebuilding an older machine as long as the price is right and obtainable.

One of the reasons I like the old SBs as well is that even though they may be a larger machine, a simple engine hoist or skid steer can lift the components around to assemble and disassemble the machine.

I'm not one to p*ss around when I find what I'm looking for and I think it's a good deal. Live in the central Kootenays but certainly willing to drive a reasonable distance (6-10 hrs) to pick up the right machine for the right price! My budget is around $5K and also looking for a BP or BP clone near the same price.

I can find what I'm looking for south of the border but with the current state of affairs, I think it will be awhile before that's a viable option.

Thoughts?
 
T

Thadious

Active Member
Chicken lights said:
Free if I was going that way and had room. NO tarp

$9500 if I have to tarp it, doorstep delivery, full truck load/priority shipping :D
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As much as that has quite the span, nothing is ever "free"! I'm the type that would always pay something or make a square deal.
Priority, definitely not. More just looking to get it here, regardless of how long it took, but I would imagine the seller would want it gone asap (usually looking to make space in shops).
 
Chicken lights

Chicken lights

Forum Pony Express Driver
Thadious said:
As much as that has quite the span, nothing is ever "free"! I'm the type that would always pay something or make a square deal.
Priority, definitely not. More just looking to get it here, regardless of how long it took, but I would imagine the seller would want it gone asap (usually looking to make space in shops).
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If you’re serious about it, I’d be looking for a rigger with a warehouse. Send the riggers in to move it, send it to the warehouse, then once transport is arranged they load it on a truck and it’s on it’s way. There are companies in the GTA that do that I’m just drawing a blank right now. Other guys have used Manitoulin or DHL to ship machines before as LTL freight. If you want I can find the name of the rigging company
 
T

Thadious

Active Member
As much as this is what I'm looking for and the price is right from the seller, the additional costs to get it here would very quickly approach a prohibitive fact, I would believe.

You bring up some great ideas and possibilities but I might just have to look a little closer (36 hr drive = 12hrs a day x 6 days there and back + 6 hotel rooms and meals) is a bit much!

I may be retired, but there is limits!

Thank you so very much for the input.
Ted
 
T

Thadious

Active Member
Well, funny thing... I woke up this morning and found that one of my friends bf is a trucker... well, and they were in Milton, Ont... about 20 min away from the linked lathe on post #2. A couple phone calls found that they were looking for items for a backhaul, a deal was struck, a lathe was picked up and that bad boy is on it's way to a new home! Let's just say that the shipping was economical and made it worthwhile! 158828456_378219133388228_3525556458278362766_n.jpg
 
T

Thadious

Active Member
The shop is 32'x52' with 16' ceilings and a 16'x32' mezzanine (for woodworking tools). We just bought the place last Jan and I've been renovating the shop (which was just a shell on a foundation/slab) and the house since we moved in. Shop will be done this year and still need to install the hoist and find the next item on the list... the Bridgeport mill!

And thank you, the machine is in better shape than expected, I just haven't had the time to do a 'two collar' test on it to calculate bed wear but the previous own did replace the compound and cross feed nuts. Backlash is 0.005" on the compound an 0.008" on the cross feed. So pretty happy with that!

It's been painted a few times over the years, but this one will be stripped down, the swarf removed and cleaned out and all new felts and oils throughout. Still need to check the play in the headstock, but feels pretty solid at this point.
 
T

Thadious

Active Member
Dabbler said:
.005? .008? that machine is barely broken in! Nice find!
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The PO had stated that he had recently replaced them. I have to get ahold of Grizzly to see if I can get the card for the lathe. From what I understand it was in a school in Milton, Ont before it was sold off, so I do expect it to have a fair amount of wear. Won't be able to tell until I get it into place, levelled and run a few cuts on it. The old SB 10K I used to have I was able to get to within 0.0005"/ft taper before I gave up "tuning" it any further, but those machines had the adjustable foot under the tailstock end... this one doesn't so I may have to shim it.
 
H

historicalarms

Ultra Member
Thadious said:
Well, funny thing... I woke up this morning and found that one of my friends bf is a trucker... well, and they were in Milton, Ont... about 20 min away from the linked lathe on post #2. A couple phone calls found that they were looking for items for a backhaul, a deal was struck, a lathe was picked up and that bad boy is on it's way to a new home! Let's just say that the shipping was economical and made it worthwhile!View attachment 13708
Click to expand...

Just a tip you could pass on to your "good Samaritan" trucker if you ever run into him again.
Tell him to put a twist in his load binder belts both sides of the load, this will cut the wind vibration to almost nil on those belts...they will last a lot longer for him.
Binding belts with no twist in them will vibrate themselves to a frayed condition much quicker. Load corners & deck edges become much more sever on his straps.
Straps that are tightened up flat from top to bottom will sing or slap like tightly wound guitar strings (you can hear them when passing a deck truck on the hi-way).
 
YotaBota

YotaBota

Mike
Premium Member
I was thinking about this yesterday (early) wondering if the lathe had arrived.
Are you north or east of "the city"?, since west would put you in Salmo and south in the states:)
 
T

Thadious

Active Member
Think just a little north of town but before Wynndel and on the backside of the mountain...

Used to live in the Victoria area for the last 30+ years!
 
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YotaBota

YotaBota

Mike
Premium Member
I know the area well, I've lived in Castlegar, Nelson and spent quite a few years in Cranbrook.
Looks like you found a nice machine, hope you enjoy it.
 
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