I loved the girl in the adds. No doubt probably was the same one they had hired to answer phones and greet people that came into the plant. They knew how to sell.
I own a 1967 MIL4218 (9" x 42") with Hydraulic Quill, Power X Feed... these are neat machines. The large box on the left side held not only the Hydraulic pump for the quill feed, but also had space for a flood coolant reservoir and pump. The Power X Axis Feed and Hydraulic quill were options introduced in about 1960. The main drawback of these things today is that it is hard to get usable tool holders (they use Weldon/Tree-Type MM30 Taper holders - Same angle as all 30 Tapers but using a drawbar-less retention system). With a little help from a simple-to-make taper-holding jig, you can convert standard NMTB30 / BT30 / CAT30 / ISO30 tool holders to the Weldon-style retention mechanism by milling the retaining "eyebrows" into the sides of the taper (with a 3/8" to a 1/2"carbide endmill)... I wouldn't use the modified tapers in a high speed spindle (10,000+ RPM) machine after modfication... it might put the holder out of balance at higher speeds. I've got a BT30-45L ER32 collet holder as a general purpose replacement for the ZZ Universal collet chuck. It uses less Z-axis height than the Universal, and ER32 Collets are widely available.
@@mrpete222 The fixture to modify NMTB30 / BT30 / CAT30 / ISO30 tool holders to the Weldon-style retention mechanism by milling the retaining "eyebrows" into the taper detailed on YT as follows; I didn't do the video, but it is informative: th-cam.com/video/vpX5Lp4eBCI/w-d-xo.html
I have a little experience on a Bridgeport when I was taking Industrial Education at the Univ. of Ill. in 1968-69. A fine machine although I knew very little about machining. I almost bought one from my neighbor when I was interested in the live steam hobby but went into woodworking instead. I very much enjoy watching your machining operations. I might have made a wrong choice back then but it's too late to switch now. You are a gifted teacher that gives clear instructions and are very entertaining at the same time.
I've got a later South Bend with the 3hp variable speed head. I bought it from the original owner and it has been very well taken care of it's entire life. This one will be with me until the end.
I have one that’s over 50 years old. It was rebuilt in 89 and still runs/functions like new. Other than fluid changes and occasionally a deep clean, never a problem. For a manual mill, it will compete with new computerized machines.
the black and white pictures in these catalogues are a pleasure to see, i start drooling looking at the pics, and the girl is not bad looking either! dont know how they got those images so artistic looking! thanks for sharing
I found this channel a couple months ago and really enjoy it. I almost fell out of my chair when you said Streator. That is my home town. My parents moved us to CA in 1974. I am in WI now. I just bought a 1927 South Bend lathe that has 11" swing and a 5 1/2 foot bed. It is in great condition and I got it in Rockford.
I started watching this video a couple of months ago, I got interrupted, I came back to watch it, I could not find it, I was disappointed, now it is back, awesome!!
Thanks for sharing this. I've lived in South Africa most of my life and would not get the opportunity to see one of these were it not for your video. Most of our machinery was of British origin with a sprinkling of European brands until the Japanese and later the Taiwanese machinery became available. The apprentice school I attended used Tos lathes, a variety of shapers, a heavy pedestal drill and a Cincinnati horizontal mill - we didn't even have a vertical mill.
One thing that was overlooked, The South Bend mill does not have a draw bar to hold the tooling in the spindle. Just those two set screws. Many people think this is a weak point of the mill and probably kept many from buying this mill back then. If it had a draw bar rather than the two set screws holding tooling, they may have sold a few more mills. Any way you look at it, it was tough sale competing against Bridgeport back then. I remember the school shop had one of these mills in it. It sat in the corner hardly anyone used it. I blame that on the teacher they had back then. He was more into the welding and so were the kids, few wanted to learn running machine tools! As always, thanks for sharing. Ken
My school shop had South Bend equipment. It’s some of the best machines built. I still have a set of 123 blocks I made in 1991. I used them regularly until 2010. They passed QC and never failed spec. Not bad for a teenager and manual equipment. I believe it is a testament to exceptional teachers such as yourself. That is something school systems have lost touch with.
I purchased one of these at a government auction about 5 years ago (along with a Clausing lathe). I'm about 90% of the way through the restoration. The motor was in bad shape and unrecoverable, so I'm having to replace it with a VFD, but otherwise, it's in pretty good shape. It's had a rough life, but perfect for a home shop guy like myself. Thank you for all I've learned from your videos!
Thanks Mr Pete. I'm now scratching my head trying to imagine how to machine the hexagonal hole that I assume is needed on that sliding/telescopic drive shaft for the power feed. I'm going to search back through all your videos now to see if you've machined anything similar - and we all know that will consume the rest of my day 😀
One of those recently sold in upstate New York. It went for more than I was prepared to pay and I was tied up with other projects at the time. They may have more of them. I'll keep eye out for one...
I very much enjoyed this video. I ran a South Bend mill very similar to this one at my first after-school-part-time-job in a machine shop in 1977. A little lighter weight than a Bridgeport, but it would be just the thing for a home shop. The only thing that would make it better would be an R-8 spindle. Thanks for this video.
That really wouldn't be possible: The motor sits directly above the spindle, but is not directly connected to it... the motor drives a pulley/v-belt which goes back to the rear pulley/timing belt cluster, and the timing belt on the cluster goes forward to drive the spindle. There is no room for a drawbar to be tightened nor tapped on to release the R8 collet. You would definitely have to move the motor, which would then mess with the V-Belt/Timing Belt tensioner.
We had so many mills and lathes in high school in 1988 that were shoved into a corner of "Metal Shop Class". No longer used for teaching as metal shop was only a welding class at that time. I am so thankful that you are helping me learn now what i should have been taught back then. The south bend is awesome! I only hope you will find time to do a video on the Clausing 8520 as i just picked one up. I am loving it as a major upgrade from my Barker PM. Thank you Mr Pete!
Fantastic now I don’t feel so inferior being the owner of a wartime Bridgeport with the round ram/arm identical to the southbend - I love my relic now I love her more. Cheers
@@millomweb I know But I like it because I feel it helped in the war effort - a lot of USmachine tools were sent to Australia to make armaments/weapons like many other places Australia had no machine tools the Americans truly helped everyone in ww2 UK, Russia, Australia etc.
Hello Mr Pete, I was taught during my apprenticeship shop theory courses, the trays along the axis were for gage blocks. So you would stack your blocks in the trays and the indicator would get you your fine adjustment. I will add that I always thought they were on the jig bores and boring mills. Thanks for sharing Mr Pete... Mike - Plus8Precision
yes I have South Bend Mill, it replaced a round Ram Bridgeport in my shop. I also picked up a heavy 10 South Bend lathe from the estate of the same man that had the South Bend mill and a lot the tooling for both. The only problem I have with the mill is the graduated dial for the knee is stuck so that I cannot zero it. I did add a DRO to the table which has the South Bend power feed system and Hydraulic down feed for the quill. The other mill I own is a Brown and Sharpe #2 universal (1930's-1940's vintage) and on the over arm supports is attached a Spanish copy of a Bridgeport Head.
@@millomweb Thanks, I have tried for years with penetrating solvents, strap wrench, now just pretty much work around the stuck dial by using other means if necessary. No rust anywhere on this machine so why just that one dial is stuck is a mystery.
I believe our H.S. machine shop had a mill like this. Machine shop was the one shop class series I did not take . I wish I had but not enough time in the school year. I did have to go in there on occasion to do one thing or another.They had South Bend equipment and I recall the odd shape of the mill. That shop was set up when the school was new in 1961. I was there in the mid-late seventies.My sons went to the same school and when I went back for open house that shop was gone. The equipment was stored away for years and then all sold off to an auction company. We had a lot....auto/auto body shop, tube electronics (all Eico test equipment), foundry, injection molding, vacu-forming, graphic arts, wood shop, drafting/architectural drawing and photography . All shops with mostly industrial quality professional equipment.Now all gone.......
I'm sure i mentioned previously that i too purchased a South Bend vertical mill for my first teaching job in 1968. mine looked almost exactly the same as the Lost Creek machine only the hydraulic power feed pump was quite a bit smaller.
Mr Pete youtube just unscribed you from my list but its on now but thats just wrong for them to do that and i even pay the 13.00 per month for utube. I think i am caught up to date on your videos, thanks for all the hours of entertainment and teaching me do what i love to do. May our Lord richly bless you and yours forever, the friend you never met.tp
This is exactly what I was looking for. A decent description of the South Bend mill. I think it'd be neat to have a modern South Bend machine here so I dream. Thank you!
Imagine being the fly on the wall, when the engineers were designing these mills! The casting molds and forging, along with... who made the machines that made these machines!
Hi Mr Pete great story . I never owned or used a Bridgeport or South Bend mill but i like the dovetail better myself and the R8 taper for cost and for the power feed i like the Bridgeport with the rod stop setup but you can't beat the South Bend dial indicator man that's neat and the cost of new South Bend machines is expensive .Thank You Mr Pete another educational video. I did find a Bridgeport clone a 1998 to2004 Comet 2SG (2 HP 2 speed motor and imperial threads all like a J head BP) made in Taiwan . I bought it this year brand new for $3200.00 it listed for just under $7000.00 in 2004 i got lucky i saw the ad on ebay and no one bid on it and after the ad was up i bugged the guy for a phone # and bought it from Mighty Viper in LA.CA.i think they have a couple more if someone is interested . If you don't like this last part i will delete it Thanks JM
Your hat says it all. Now if I could find a Mill, sized between your basement Bridgeport and the cute 6 inch high model Bridgeport and weighing in at 1000 lbs with variable speed, power feed, DRO and R8 collets. I can dream can’t I?
I enjoyed very much your video on the southbend mill. I have an old jet 840 vertical mill that has some of the same features, and appearance is much the same..My mill was built in the 1980s years after the SB ,I wonder where Jet got their ideas? Thanks for the video
I have only seen one of these mills in my 40 years in doing machine work. As I recall it had a Morse taper spindle and the guy who purchased it wanted me to modify it to use R8 tooling with it. The stump of the machine was in good shape. I suggest he find a good Bridgeport J head to put on it. I don't know what he did as I had gotten burned doing work for him previously.
I do like South Bend lathes. I bought a 10L Heavy in 1983, and a used FOURTEEN in 2002. I don’t like the round ram mills. No matter what anyone says, from experience, when you bring the head back or forwards, it’s never really at 90 degrees, and you have to continually tram the head. So you almost never touch that feature. As it ages, that wears, if you use that feature. Then the alignment just gets worse. The major Bridgeport innovation (other than their crappy R-8 collet) was the dovetail ram head, which fixed this problem. Otherwise, it was a well made light weight machine.
Ok I certainly can appreciate the quality and rigidity that was built into those old machines but it looks a bit like a dinosaur to me in terms of features and ease of use. If I was looking for a basement milling machine I think it would have to be a heck of alot cheaper than $1995 for me to consider. Just my inexperienced opinion and I don't mean to offend anyone. Thanks for another entertaining video Mr Pete.
hey mr. pete I"M considering buying one of these mills here very soon. this one has the removalble base . with the gear box ... does the gear box control both x and y? they changed the spindle motor to a 220 single phase dayton. the knee lever appears to be missing then on the left of the spindle just under the motor up top theres a small square opening with a bolt hole on each corner I"M assuming that would be the spindle spring maybe thats where there use to be a power quill set up not sure if I get it I"d like to just not dissasemble it get it home and see what it needs and start to tweak her out. I wish you could come over and give me a hand lol. southern va here lol the man wants 1500 I got em down to 1200 just sending this cause I know your the man when it comes to southbend thanks for all the vids sir keep em comin
Lyle - actually, I'd have liked MORE detail on the mill - there were a couple of feature on the head you didn't explain - one sticking out of the belt cover you opened and one round the other side. Maybe one day I'll get to do a tour round my mill - BUT I've two mysteries to solve first (and an electrical problem!) What's the electrical connector on the front of the knee for? and what's behind the brass cover on the table ? Could it really have been set up for a DRO of sorts in 1963 ? And the brass cover - access to a power feed take off for some attachment ?????? As yet, who knows !
Can you tell me what "allen" wrench fits into the bolts that secure the upper assembly to the base? I need to disassembly mine as I have sold it. Thanks! --Ken
I have a Bridgeport round ram mill, that is the "old wrong way" macine Southbend pictured. Mine may not be the best design, It is good enough for who it is for.
Incredible that that machine is the actual one your brother used at his prior job. Wondering why they didn't include doors on the machine head gear box? Maybe they were an optional add-on? Thanks for the great video! Dave in RI
Thanks tubalcain for the video on the South Bend Vertical Mill. Have had one for about 15 years and information always lacking so was intrigued. Any source for spare parts...? ( Manual feeds, rectangular base, 32" table)
Converting a Powerfeed X axis "back" to manual would take a LOT of parts. The X Axis lead screw would definitely need to be replaced as it is markedly different from the manual lead screw.
There was 20" of x-axis travel, 20" of Y-axis Ram Adjustment and up to 20" of clearance under the spindle. These mills have a great deal of Y-axis travel/adjustment options (more than a comparable Bridgeport of the era, but that is offset by the fact the Bridgeport is a Turret Mill), in most respects: that wasn't an accident. SB was aiming for BP's bailiwick.... but never took hold. IMHO, they should have made it a Turret Mill, like the Bridgeport.
Mr. Pete, How successful were the Southbend mills compared to the Bridgeport Mills? Its my impression that by the late 1930's, other more up to date companies like Monarch and American Pacemaker had much more advanced lathes. I know Southbend made a lot of lathes during WW2. They didn't seem to update much after the war with ball bearing spindles and the like. Do you have any ideas as to why? Just curious. Enjoyed the video.
This was very interesting even though I am not a metal worker and have never seen a milling machine of any type. There seems to be a lot to know before starting your first project.
Im surprised at how smooth that snappers shell is. The ones we have here in ontario are much more jagged edged with pronounced bumps on the shell. The face and tail look the same.
I think if you search back there is a video of Lyle explaining how he did it, and showed still pictures of him and his friends doing it. Here is the link. th-cam.com/video/33-34B6AHlg/w-d-xo.html
I have one of these in my shop it is a nice machine but needs some parts any idea where I can get parts? most the most important part I need is the table gibs. any help would be much appreciated.
Years ago a friend or mine had a pretty darn big and heavy Bridgeport sitting in his repair shop that had the very big letters cast into the tool that read" PRODUCT OF WAR" I wonder how many thousands of pounds that thing really weighed. Ive got no idea what model or size it was, but it surely didnt flex anywhere.
Don’t be afraid to check out the “Chinese” equipment. The quality has improved drastically on most product’s. You can get a small lathe, ready to use for 5-8 hundred dollars. A bench top mill, ready out of the box will be 7 hundred to a thousand. Atlas is a good used option. They are readily available on eBay and marketplace. You should be able to pick one up in the 500-1000 range. Just be very careful of people passing off junk. Also make sure you can power the equipment. A lot of equipment is wired for industrial power. Try to find a Machinist Handbook from the 50’s-60’s. It will be full of information that newer books leave out. Always buy something you can grow into not out of.
Just a comment about the turtle. I hope you or your family puts something around the nest to keep dogs or other animals from digging them up and eating them. Only 10% of turtles live past a few months of hatching. Thanks
It was on the neighbors property. I wanted to put a fence around it and at least see the hatchlings. And maybe take them down to the pond. But I did not follow through
I loved the girl in the adds. No doubt probably was the same one they had hired to answer phones and greet people that came into the plant. They knew how to sell.
Yes
I own a 1967 MIL4218 (9" x 42") with Hydraulic Quill, Power X Feed... these are neat machines. The large box on the left side held not only the Hydraulic pump for the quill feed, but also had space for a flood coolant reservoir and pump. The Power X Axis Feed and Hydraulic quill were options introduced in about 1960. The main drawback of these things today is that it is hard to get usable tool holders (they use Weldon/Tree-Type MM30 Taper holders - Same angle as all 30 Tapers but using a drawbar-less retention system). With a little help from a simple-to-make taper-holding jig, you can convert standard NMTB30 / BT30 / CAT30 / ISO30 tool holders to the Weldon-style retention mechanism by milling the retaining "eyebrows" into the sides of the taper (with a 3/8" to a 1/2"carbide endmill)... I wouldn't use the modified tapers in a high speed spindle (10,000+ RPM) machine after modfication... it might put the holder out of balance at higher speeds. I've got a BT30-45L ER32 collet holder as a general purpose replacement for the ZZ Universal collet chuck. It uses less Z-axis height than the Universal, and ER32 Collets are widely available.
Thank you for that information
@@mrpete222
The fixture to modify NMTB30 / BT30 / CAT30 / ISO30 tool holders to the Weldon-style retention mechanism by milling the retaining "eyebrows" into the taper detailed on YT as follows; I didn't do the video, but it is informative: th-cam.com/video/vpX5Lp4eBCI/w-d-xo.html
That’s one for the memory book. South Bend is my home town and I have fond memories of the factory and of the Studibaker factory.
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I have a little experience on a Bridgeport when I was taking Industrial Education at the Univ. of Ill. in 1968-69. A fine machine although I knew very little about machining. I almost bought one from my neighbor when I was interested in the live steam hobby but went into woodworking instead. I very much enjoy watching your machining operations. I might have made a wrong choice back then but it's too late to switch now. You are a gifted teacher that gives clear instructions and are very entertaining at the same time.
Thank you very much
I've got a later South Bend with the 3hp variable speed head. I bought it from the original owner and it has been very well taken care of it's entire life. This one will be with me until the end.
I have one that’s over 50 years old. It was rebuilt in 89 and still runs/functions like new. Other than fluid changes and occasionally a deep clean, never a problem. For a manual mill, it will compete with new computerized machines.
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I noted the 1HP on the plate - and felt that was a bit poor ! I'm 3HP - both lathe & mill - and I think the rapid traverse is 3HP as well.
@@Miner-49 'One' - being a South Bend ?
the black and white pictures in these catalogues are a pleasure to see, i start drooling looking at the pics, and the girl is not bad looking either!
dont know how they got those images so artistic looking! thanks for sharing
Yes, they had a wonderful Graphic artists in the olden days
I found this channel a couple months ago and really enjoy it. I almost fell out of my chair when you said Streator. That is my home town. My parents moved us to CA in 1974. I am in WI now. I just bought a 1927 South Bend lathe that has 11" swing and a 5 1/2 foot bed. It is in great condition and I got it in Rockford.
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I started watching this video a couple of months ago, I got interrupted, I came back to watch it, I could not find it, I was disappointed, now it is back, awesome!!
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Thanks for sharing this. I've lived in South Africa most of my life and would not get the opportunity to see one of these were it not for your video. Most of our machinery was of British origin with a sprinkling of European brands until the Japanese and later the Taiwanese machinery became available. The apprentice school I attended used Tos lathes, a variety of shapers, a heavy pedestal drill and a Cincinnati horizontal mill - we didn't even have a vertical mill.
No vertical head for the H mill ? Stashed in a store cupboard somewhere !
@@millomweb ... or it was sold as an accessory, and the person making the decision did not understand it's utility.
One thing that was overlooked, The South Bend mill does not have a draw bar to hold the tooling in the spindle. Just those two set screws. Many people think this is a weak point of the mill and probably kept many from buying this mill back then. If it had a draw bar rather than the two set screws holding tooling, they may have sold a few more mills. Any way you look at it, it was tough sale competing against Bridgeport back then. I remember the school shop had one of these mills in it. It sat in the corner hardly anyone used it. I blame that on the teacher they had back then. He was more into the welding and so were the kids, few wanted to learn running machine tools! As always, thanks for sharing. Ken
Getting the tapers out of the head can be "fun" but a light tap from a (light) deadblow is usually enough to free it up easily.
My school shop had South Bend equipment. It’s some of the best machines built. I still have a set of 123 blocks I made in 1991. I used them regularly until 2010. They passed QC and never failed spec. Not bad for a teenager and manual equipment. I believe it is a testament to exceptional teachers such as yourself. That is something school systems have lost touch with.
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I purchased one of these at a government auction about 5 years ago (along with a Clausing lathe). I'm about 90% of the way through the restoration. The motor was in bad shape and unrecoverable, so I'm having to replace it with a VFD, but otherwise, it's in pretty good shape. It's had a rough life, but perfect for a home shop guy like myself. Thank you for all I've learned from your videos!
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Keep going to the used machinery company. I always enjoy seeing vintage equipment.
I want one of everything they have. I'm hoping Mr. Pete does a visit to Hamilton Tool in Beaver Falls PA someday. It's worth a road trip.
@@ohmbug10 same here.
I recently purchased one of these machines! Love it so far!
Best hold on to it, they aren’t made like that anymore. Mine is over 50 years old and still functioning almost perfect.
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Thanks Mr Pete. I'm now scratching my head trying to imagine how to machine the hexagonal hole that I assume is needed on that sliding/telescopic drive shaft for the power feed. I'm going to search back through all your videos now to see if you've machined anything similar - and we all know that will consume the rest of my day 😀
Broach
Ram broach
A specially made broach bar I would emagine similar to an internal spline.
Well Pete if this vertical mill is anything like their lathes, you've got a winner.
One of those recently sold in upstate New York. It went for more than I was prepared to pay and I was tied up with other projects at the time. They may have more of them. I'll keep eye out for one...
I very much enjoyed this video. I ran a South Bend mill very similar to this one at my first after-school-part-time-job in a machine shop in 1977. A little lighter weight than a Bridgeport, but it would be just the thing for a home shop. The only thing that would make it better would be an R-8 spindle. Thanks for this video.
That really wouldn't be possible: The motor sits directly above the spindle, but is not directly connected to it... the motor drives a pulley/v-belt which goes back to the rear pulley/timing belt cluster, and the timing belt on the cluster goes forward to drive the spindle. There is no room for a drawbar to be tightened nor tapped on to release the R8 collet. You would definitely have to move the motor, which would then mess with the V-Belt/Timing Belt tensioner.
I have always wondered about these mills, thanks for going into some detail on them.
Nice to see you mrpete.Thank you.
Another Great Video Lyle. Thank you for taking the time and trouble to show and explain the differences in the machine. Regards from Australia.
We had so many mills and lathes in high school in 1988 that were shoved into a corner of "Metal Shop Class". No longer used for teaching as metal shop was only a welding class at that time. I am so thankful that you are helping me learn now what i should have been taught back then. The south bend is awesome! I only hope you will find time to do a video on the Clausing 8520 as i just picked one up. I am loving it as a major upgrade from my Barker PM. Thank you Mr Pete!
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Fantastic now I don’t feel so inferior being the owner of a wartime Bridgeport with the round ram/arm identical to the southbend - I love my relic now I love her more. Cheers
My grandad's cousin was a toolmaker and had an old Bridgeport with a round ram in his home shop. He was the first person I saw scrap machine ways.
Bridgeports aren't that good ;) LOL
@@millomweb I know But I like it because I feel it helped in the war effort - a lot of USmachine tools were sent to Australia to make armaments/weapons like many other places Australia had no machine tools the Americans truly helped everyone in ww2 UK, Russia, Australia etc.
Happy to see you Mr Pete
First one of these I've ever seen! Very interesting! Great video! Thanks for your time and sharing, Mr Pete! 👍👍😎
Always fun videos from Mr. Pete. I don't remember crossing paths with a South Bend mill in all the years I've been prowling auctions. Al B. In Ohio.
As a South Bend fan, very cool Tubalcain! Really appreciate the information and the still pictures. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hello Mr Pete, I was taught during my apprenticeship shop theory courses, the trays along the axis were for gage blocks. So you would stack your blocks in the trays and the indicator would get you your fine adjustment. I will add that I always thought they were on the jig bores and boring mills. Thanks for sharing Mr Pete...
Mike - Plus8Precision
Oh I thought they were rods, made as accurately as gage blocks. Maybe you are right
@@mrpete222 Blocks sound a better option for easy arrangement for the length you needed.
yes I have South Bend Mill, it replaced a round Ram Bridgeport in my shop. I also picked up a heavy 10 South Bend lathe from the estate of the same man that had the South Bend mill and a lot the tooling for both. The only problem I have with the mill is the graduated dial for the knee is stuck so that I cannot zero it. I did add a DRO to the table which has the South Bend power feed system and Hydraulic down feed for the quill. The other mill I own is a Brown and Sharpe #2 universal (1930's-1940's vintage) and on the over arm supports is attached a Spanish copy of a Bridgeport Head.
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Stuck dial ? use CRC Knock'er Loose Penetrating Solvent - and a bit of muscle ! Check that there isn't a locking screw clamping it tight.
@@millomweb Thanks, I have tried for years with penetrating solvents, strap wrench, now just pretty much work around the stuck dial by using other means if necessary. No rust anywhere on this machine so why just that one dial is stuck is a mystery.
@@boblor2484 Disassembly may reveal the problem. I wonder if it's trapped due to incorrect assembly - i.e. an odd washer put in the wrong place ?
I believe our H.S. machine shop had a mill like this. Machine shop was the one shop class series I did not take . I wish I had but not enough time in the school year. I did have to go in there on occasion to do one thing or another.They had South Bend equipment and I recall the odd shape of the mill. That shop was set up when the school was new in 1961. I was there in the mid-late seventies.My sons went to the same school and when I went back for open house that shop was gone. The equipment was stored away for years and then all sold off to an auction company. We had a lot....auto/auto body shop, tube electronics (all Eico test equipment), foundry, injection molding, vacu-forming, graphic arts, wood shop, drafting/architectural drawing and photography . All shops with mostly industrial quality professional equipment.Now all gone.......
Thanks
Fascinating. More like this please!
Many thanks for showing us around the South bend machine, certainly is quite a piece of machinery. Super video and extremely informative.
Thanks
Thanks for sharing Mr Pete love the history and knowledge you share with us
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I'm sure i mentioned previously that i too purchased a South Bend vertical mill for my first teaching job in 1968. mine looked almost exactly the same as the Lost Creek machine only the hydraulic power feed pump was quite a bit smaller.
Isn’t that a coincidence. I think I ordered mine and 68 or 69, as did my brother
Mr Pete youtube just unscribed you from my list but its on now but thats just wrong for them to do that and i even pay the 13.00 per month for utube. I think i am caught up to date on your videos, thanks for all the hours of entertainment and teaching me do what i love to do.
May our Lord richly bless you and yours forever, the friend you never met.tp
I do not understand why they would do that
God bless you Mr Pete!
The US Machine Tool vertical mill that I have is one example of "wrong" at 14:55. It hasn't caused me any trouble over the last 40 years, though.
Now I understand why they used the round ram. Very interesting. Thanks Mr. Pete!!!!
i had a Bridgeport mill - painted it purple with red lettering - looked good
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I have the exact machine mr Pete thanks for showing that one
A cast iron cover for each dial indicator!!! Not a plastic cover, cast iron! Gone are the days of making things that last. Very nice overview.
Thanks
This is exactly what I was looking for. A decent description of the South Bend mill.
I think it'd be neat to have a modern South Bend machine here so I dream. Thank you!
Oh! A Fairbanks Morse motor on top? Yes, I'm sold on them! True.
Imagine being the fly on the wall, when the engineers were designing these mills! The casting molds and forging, along with... who made the machines that made these machines!
Great information, I really like all the detail.🙂
Thanks for the great video, I have a 4218 South Bend mill to go along with my heavy 10. Enjoying them both.
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Hi Mr Pete great story . I never owned or used a Bridgeport or South Bend mill but i like the dovetail better myself and the R8 taper for cost and for the power feed i like the Bridgeport with the rod stop setup but you can't beat the South Bend dial indicator man that's neat and the cost of new South Bend machines is expensive .Thank You Mr Pete another educational video.
I did find a Bridgeport clone a 1998 to2004 Comet 2SG (2 HP 2 speed motor and imperial threads all like a J head BP) made in Taiwan . I bought it this year brand new for $3200.00 it listed for just under $7000.00 in 2004 i got lucky i saw the ad on ebay and no one bid on it and after the ad was up i bugged the guy for a phone # and bought it from Mighty Viper in LA.CA.i think they have a couple more if someone is interested . If you don't like this last part i will delete it Thanks JM
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Your hat says it all. Now if I could find a Mill, sized between your basement Bridgeport and the cute 6 inch high model Bridgeport and weighing in at 1000 lbs with variable speed, power feed, DRO and R8 collets. I can dream can’t I?
lol
I enjoyed very much your video on the southbend mill. I have an old jet 840 vertical mill that has some of the same features, and appearance is much the same..My mill was built in the 1980s years after the SB ,I wonder where Jet got their ideas? Thanks for the video
Thanks Lyle ! Enjoyed... Have yet to see one of these in the wild. Probably not too many here on the west coast.
Snapper green.. Good color for the South Bend..
Morning Lyle. Interesting.
I have only seen one of these mills in my 40 years in doing machine work. As I recall it had a Morse taper spindle and the guy who purchased it wanted me to modify it to use R8 tooling with it. The stump of the machine was in good shape. I suggest he find a good Bridgeport J head to put on it. I don't know what he did as I had gotten burned doing work for him previously.
I have only seen three of these machines in my life, they must not have made many
👍Good stuff “Mr Pete”🇺🇸
Love this video. I’m in the process of putting one of these mills back together. I wish there was more info and tooling for these rare machines.
Reach out to me if need more info on these. I have a lot of material on them.
I do like South Bend lathes. I bought a 10L Heavy in 1983, and a used FOURTEEN in 2002.
I don’t like the round ram mills. No matter what anyone says, from experience, when you bring the head back or forwards, it’s never really at 90 degrees, and you have to continually tram the head. So you almost never touch that feature. As it ages, that wears, if you use that feature. Then the alignment just gets worse. The major Bridgeport innovation (other than their crappy R-8 collet) was the dovetail ram head, which fixed this problem.
Otherwise, it was a well made light weight machine.
I agree, round Rams are not good
Thank you!!
Ok I certainly can appreciate the quality and rigidity that was built into those old machines but it looks a bit like a dinosaur to me in terms of features and ease of use. If I was looking for a basement milling machine I think it would have to be a heck of alot cheaper than $1995 for me to consider. Just my inexperienced opinion and I don't mean to offend anyone. Thanks for another entertaining video Mr Pete.
Thank you for sharing. Enjoyed.
Very enjoyable,
Thanks for sharing
I have an older one in my garage that I use. Have a complete set of collets for it. Got it for $1200. To bad I can't post a picture.
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Mr. Pete, why was it that you couldnt get the Bridgeport for schools at that time? What was the approx date of the egg laying event?
Late 60s. There was a two year waiting list
Hi Mr Pete, I wonder how many people turned the spindle on with the lock engaged?
I did it few times myself
hey mr. pete I"M considering buying one of these mills here very soon. this one has the removalble base . with the gear box ... does the gear box control both x and y? they changed the spindle motor to a 220 single phase dayton. the knee lever appears to be missing then on the left of the spindle just under the motor up top theres a small square opening with a bolt hole on each corner I"M assuming that would be the spindle spring maybe thats where there use to be a power quill set up not sure if I get it I"d like to just not dissasemble it get it home and see what it needs and start to tweak her out. I wish you could come over and give me a hand lol. southern va here lol the man wants 1500 I got em down to 1200 just sending this cause I know your the man when it comes to southbend thanks for all the vids sir keep em comin
The gearbox controls only longitudinal movement. You are lucky that it is set up for single phase. Good luck, and have fun with your new machine
Lyle - actually, I'd have liked MORE detail on the mill - there were a couple of feature on the head you didn't explain - one sticking out of the belt cover you opened and one round the other side. Maybe one day I'll get to do a tour round my mill - BUT I've two mysteries to solve first (and an electrical problem!) What's the electrical connector on the front of the knee for? and what's behind the brass cover on the table ? Could it really have been set up for a DRO of sorts in 1963 ? And the brass cover - access to a power feed take off for some attachment ?????? As yet, who knows !
Most people want less detail. The thing sticking out of the belt cover, it is the lock that wind loosened, lets you change the position of the belt
Can you tell me what "allen" wrench fits into the bolts that secure the upper assembly to the base? I need to disassembly mine as I have sold it. Thanks! --Ken
I have a Bridgeport round ram mill, that is the "old wrong way" macine Southbend pictured. Mine may not be the best design, It is good enough for who it is for.
Thanks Mr Pete.
Loved the video as always! Can’t a turtle get a little privacy ? LOLOL good stuff. I really like the old catalogs. I have many of them on the shelf.
Wow more great history to digest about South Bend & mr. Pete :)>,,, Got'a love it,,and the models look just like my mom hehe! God rest her soul,,,Bear
Hello bear. Yes, she is quite a model
Those South Bend model gals...hubba hubba!
Yes
Do a video on the benchmaster knee mill. I have one and even small it's quite useful. Also yes I have both vertical and horizontal heads.
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Incredible that that machine is the actual one your brother used at his prior job. Wondering why they didn't include doors on the machine head gear box? Maybe they were an optional add-on? Thanks for the great video! Dave in RI
Made before OSHA
Nice historical perspective.
Cute shy momma turtle comment to confuse those in a rush.
Thanks tubalcain for the video on the South Bend Vertical Mill. Have had one for about 15 years and information always lacking so was intrigued. Any source for spare parts...?
( Manual feeds, rectangular base, 32" table)
Converting a Powerfeed X axis "back" to manual would take a LOT of parts. The X Axis lead screw would definitely need to be replaced as it is markedly different from the manual lead screw.
Spare parts are probably pretty rare
I like the Bridgeport design better. Thanks for an interesting video.
Yep - have one - very nice
Still looking for a Logan mill any information would be nice, but that South Bend is nice.
Am I correct that the Bridgeport is a more massive and ridgid machine than the Southbend or are looks deceaving me???
I think the Bridgeport is heavier. And I suppose probably more rigid
What did the 20 X 20 X 20 refer to on the catalog? Was that X x Y x Z?
There's a page with the specifications at 19:30, looks like there must have been a model with 30" travel, too.
There was 20" of x-axis travel, 20" of Y-axis Ram Adjustment and up to 20" of clearance under the spindle. These mills have a great deal of Y-axis travel/adjustment options (more than a comparable Bridgeport of the era, but that is offset by the fact the Bridgeport is a Turret Mill), in most respects: that wasn't an accident. SB was aiming for BP's bailiwick.... but never took hold. IMHO, they should have made it a Turret Mill, like the Bridgeport.
Mr. Pete,
How successful were the Southbend mills compared to the Bridgeport Mills? Its my impression that by the late 1930's, other more up to date companies like Monarch and American Pacemaker had much more advanced lathes. I know Southbend made a lot of lathes during WW2. They didn't seem to update much after the war with ball bearing spindles and the like. Do you have any ideas as to why? Just curious. Enjoyed the video.
I agree, they kept making the same machines over and over without many improvements
Mr pete in the basement hidden from JB pritzker in sanctuary down in the bowls of his Castle
Don’t mention that man’s name
This was very interesting even though I am not a metal worker and have never seen a milling machine of any type. There seems to be a lot to know before starting your first project.
Depends on your background. If you have experience of power cutting tools or even a lathe, you're more than half way there.
Im surprised at how smooth that snappers shell is. The ones we have here in ontario are much more jagged edged with pronounced bumps on the shell. The face and tail look the same.
I've got an early one...hydraulic quill feed and lathe gear box.
wonderful Mr Pete...cheers
Thanks for the video.
Good job. Enjoyed the video.
So Pete, how did the South Bend compair to the Bridgeport?
The jury is still out
Did they supply the dame with a new mill?
If they did, someone stole mine off the truck
800 lbs down the stairs was the easy part. Going up the stairs will be challenging to say the least. Is there video of that coming down?
I think if you search back there is a video of Lyle explaining how he did it, and showed still pictures of him and his friends doing it. Here is the link. th-cam.com/video/33-34B6AHlg/w-d-xo.html
I have one of these in my shop it is a nice machine but needs some parts any idea where I can get parts? most the most important part I need is the table gibs. any help would be much appreciated.
I doubt that any are available
The column can be separated from the base, except for the inch and a half thick weld! ???
Considering the measurements 20x20x20 you would think the model they should use is Olive Oyl.
Years ago a friend or mine had a pretty darn big and heavy Bridgeport sitting in his repair shop that had the very big letters cast into the tool that read" PRODUCT OF WAR" I wonder how many thousands of pounds that thing really weighed. Ive got no idea what model or size it was, but it surely didnt flex anywhere.
Very lovely Mr. Stewart, keep up the good work, your video quality remains excelled. Ron W4BIN
Thank you very much
Very interesting thanks
I would like to start machining, what are some good budget mills or lathes for the home shop?
Don’t be afraid to check out the “Chinese” equipment. The quality has improved drastically on most product’s. You can get a small lathe, ready to use for 5-8 hundred dollars. A bench top mill, ready out of the box will be 7 hundred to a thousand.
Atlas is a good used option. They are readily available on eBay and marketplace. You should be able to pick one up in the 500-1000 range. Just be very careful of people passing off junk. Also make sure you can power the equipment. A lot of equipment is wired for industrial power. Try to find a Machinist Handbook from the 50’s-60’s. It will be full of information that newer books leave out. Always buy something you can grow into not out of.
@@Miner-49 Thanks any good brands for a lathe?
Just a comment about the turtle. I hope you or your family puts something around the nest to keep dogs or other animals from digging them up and eating them. Only 10% of turtles live past a few months of hatching. Thanks
It was on the neighbors property. I wanted to put a fence around it and at least see the hatchlings. And maybe take them down to the pond. But I did not follow through
I have one of those dial indicators. Don't have a machine that it goes to. It has a Federal indicator.