South Bend 13 Metal Lathe Overview 

Just bought a 13" Southbend toolroom lathe, 1938 model... ....$1,500 with taper attachment..4 jaw,3 jaw steady...but no collet closer , dang...can't wait to install it...thanks for the video....cheers from Florida...Paul ....great video.....

Thanks for taking the time to make this video! It helped me restore my boss's old lathe.

Thanks for doing this vid. It helps some of us that are new to this.

I have added a 1942 South Bend 13 to my computer program Ride The Gear Train . (search without the spaces). It is a bit unusual because it has sliding gears in the gear train similar to Myford lathes. The user may be looking for change gears. One object is to cut metric threads, but this can often be done without the expense of proper metric transposition gears.

We have the same one only a 1970. Really sweet and reliable especially considering it came out of a high school. We advocate eye protection as well!

Cool lathe, a school near me currently has 9 used ones sitting out in the parking lot, GIVING THEM AWAY! Hoping I can get one!!

I’m picking a SB 13” up Tmrw I live in Florida Trying to figure out how to move it with my forklift to load it on my trailer Straps,CHAINS ERC ?

love the reviews of the older stuff, great vid

Hello Great Video, great info! Question I'm getting ready to buy a south bend 16" x 6' tool room in great condition for $1,500 but also I can buy a clausing 13" for $2,500 in great condition too, which one you will prefer if you can buy both and why? I'm leaning more into the southbend. Thanks

I just got me a 13" 7ft. Fit it in a mini van without the legs and bell/motor and still ......... low rider. That bed is very heavy. Just found your channel I look forward to checking out some of your videos

Hey thanks very informative! Hey could you tell me how much a machine in condition as shown in video, how much does that cost?

Thanks for the review and heavy 10 comparisons. I was thinking about a 13 or bigger after seeing a couple on ebay a few years ago but the extra size and weight put me off due to unloading logistics. I'm subscribed and looking forward to some more SB videos as and when and will check out your others as this was the first I've seen. I have a 9C in fairly good shape and a 10L missing its gearbox and leadscrew but it was really cheap @ 141 British Pounds or roughly $170 plus half a tank of fuel to collect. Best value for money I ever got!

How much this new Lathe machine. I wanna buy

I'm just starting to look for an old South Bend metal working lathe in the 1940's - 1950/60's era in restorable condition and because of this I have no frame of reference as far as pricing goes. Could you please provide me with some parameters for what I would be paying for one of these machines? Thanks very much.

Nice vid and very informative. I just subscribed and liked. I’m looking at a 13 now and will probably buy it. It has a tooth off the 80 tooth idle gear. Is that gear available anywhere new? Is it the same as a heavy 10? Do you know where one of those gears are available ? Also can you tell me what the taper size is on the headstock spindle end. I don’t see a mt sleeve with this lathe that would go in the spindle end? Thanks

Thanks , I am looking at a 13" South Bend in my area.

I have a SB 13" x 72" fully tooled 3hp/3 phase with the 3 step pulley. My belt is 2-1/8" wide which gives it a lot of torque for heavier cuts. Smooth, quite running machine. Wouldn't part with it for anything else. It's a 1960 model that was well taken care of.

I FROM COSTA RICA ,,,,,,NICE WORK ...

Are there replacement headstock bearings available? I have also read that you can adjust the bearing clearance to compensate for wear by removing shims in the bearing housing. What can you tell me about this?

Nice looking machine. sounds like you got most all the extras too! Thanks for the video, CJ PS I'd keep both!

How would one go about copying the profile of a existing barrel to a new barrel blank on a lathe like this ?

I'm in the middle with my 12 x 36 atlas,,, you got lucky with that deal,,,you know as well as I the quick change gear box and aloris and center alone would be expensive as hell,,

Couple questions if you have the time plese. Is yours 13" x 28" (70" overall length)? What was it like moving it? Do you have a video of moving it? Can it be lifted from a trailer with a 2 ton engine hoist? - Thanks

Hey Spitfire, do you loose any tork on low speeds with a VFD? Or is that just a rumor?

What's the going rate for one of these in decent condition would you say ? TYVM

Is there a significant size increase in the tailstock , carrige and compound slide?

Great looking machine! If it, or any of your other South Bend lathes, are bugging you, I can give them a good home ;)

Keep it ,use it . Nice machine.

Do you still have that machine?

Could you elaborate on the phase converter you said lot of people use? Where do you get them?

Hi nice lathe, Can you please help me with the de mention of the draw bar for the 5c collets Thank you

Thanks for the info!

nice review, thanks

do you lose Hp using a VFD and would it be better to change the motor to single phase 220 v

Something wrong. Audio and video not together. :-( Practical Machinist South Bend site has lots of info on using laced serpentine belt - quiet plus you don't have to pull spindle. A leather belt with clipper link will come apart but clicks.

What web sites are you finding these lathes for sale?

Is it for sale

love my 13" SB........

Keep it, I have two lathe beds you can have, one Southbend and a smaller atls. You know how to get ahold of me if you want them.

Would you please inform me the measure of the center of the board until the bus

the tool has too much radius for heavy Cuts Like That to expect a nice finish anyway and a heavy cut at the same time make a real Square shoulder tool with a nice chip breaker out of a nice piece of momax hi Cobalt content blank and you'll be doing a lot of super heavy cuts I can cut a tenth of an inch with my 10-inch Logan without even slowing down the motor at all at all it comes off like it's butter it's all in the tool it's all in the tool repeat that it's all in the tool Sharp Tools don't slow down your machine master tool making and you got it in the bag I love making tools I could stay in all day in front of a grinder

There was about a dozen identical lathes in my high school machine shop back in the early 60's. I learned to run a lathe in that class, along with the mills and shaper. A real blast from the past. Unfortunately, someone in the school system decided that machine shop was no longer relevant, and did away with all the machine tools back in the late 70's. What a bunch of idiots!

interesting video .

Nice lathe! I have a import from Bulgaria ? long story it has less than 300 hours on it if that if had oil leak that began to bother me. wished now it was still bothering me. have two broken gears and zero help from factory. Buy American !

I can see why machinist prefer gearhead lathes, way more convenient and quiet.

yes

Stick out on the material is causing the material to push off from the tool and you get chatter and all the cutting on the return stoke.

therenot bad if you use a long bar so afew guys can got on it with out walking on eacother and can fit down a narrow stairway easy

threading at that speed leaves you with terrible threads you want to thread at the highest possible speed that you're comfortable with just FYI

Lol, .050" is NOT a heavy cut, especially for a 13" lathe. 😂