Nice find Carl!
They made those 9” South Bend lathes in the late seventies. I ran one during my career for many years. Great lathe and great find. You’ll find many uses for that lathe including turning wood.
This is for Jon and others interested in buying a lathe. Both HR and Don are right on size. My go to lathe in the shop was 15” x 56” South Bend. It only took up about 3’ x 8’ of space and you could do most everything on it.
Swing on a lathe is deceiving. The swing of a lathe refers to the maximum diameter of a workpiece that can be turned over the bed. For a 9” lathe, this means it can accommodate a 9” diameter piece, but practical limitations exist.
The carriage or saddle, which moves along the bed, occupies some of that space, meaning the actual diameter of the workpiece that can be turned is often less than the swing measurement.
Working close to the chuck means the cross slide is also limiting the swing capacity.
The type of chuck used can also limit the size of the workpiece. A face plate allows for larger pieces to be mounted, enabling the full swing capacity to be utilized.
Larger lathes, like the 15” x 56” model I ran, are generally more robust and can handle larger cuts and tougher materials. This makes them more versatile for a variety of machining tasks.
In this case the bigger is better!
