bentwrench
Cast Iron
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2007
- Location
- North Dakota
Here she is when I brough her home. I had been looking to upgrade my 9" South bend to a 10l or a 13. Were I live machine tools are not so easy to find, prices are high and condition is often very poor. So I rolled the dice on a machine from HGR surplus. She came form Ohio. $1400 with some goodies included. A little more than I wanted to pay for a 10l over the internet, but it checked lots of boxes, 4-1/2' bed, hardened ways, Camlock spindle, and collet lever setup and bins full of 5c collets and some other goodies including in a DRO on the long axis. There is also line boring fixture for it which is pretty neat. Made in 1978 form what I can find on the Swells registry. While used heavily there were signs it was cared for, every part they replaced in it's life was in a box, gear box parts, feed screws, etc. She was used, but maintained. I got her ruining in the garage to and checked over everything, then tore it completely apart to make some repairs and move it into my basement shop. The worst issue was that the machine was filthy. Decades of dirt, swarf and cutting oil had formed a black crust that looked like asphalt on everything. I don't normally paint machine tools, paint does nothing to make a tool work better or be more accurate, honestly, I have better things to do than paint. But after I scrubbed the crud off this machine there wasn't any paint left. Since I had it all apart and cleaned up I bit the bullet and painted everything. But don't judge me, paint is a preservative so it ain't gonna look pretty. I got some old Ford Gray tactor paint form Ace hardware, I like the look and it and sort of matches the OEM color.
I tore it apart and moved it downstairs. Man the cabinet on these things weighs ton, getting that down the stars with an appliance cart was about all my bother an I could handle.
The 6" 3 jaw chuck I kept form my 9" machine, the 4 jaw cam from HGR, I got them to throw it in for another $200. An 8" buck with 2 piece jaws and D1-4 back. Looked almost new, and was a smokin' deal. A bit big but certainly useable on a 10l.
I tore it apart and moved it downstairs. Man the cabinet on these things weighs ton, getting that down the stars with an appliance cart was about all my bother an I could handle.
The 6" 3 jaw chuck I kept form my 9" machine, the 4 jaw cam from HGR, I got them to throw it in for another $200. An 8" buck with 2 piece jaws and D1-4 back. Looked almost new, and was a smokin' deal. A bit big but certainly useable on a 10l.
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