I recently bought a sorry looking example of what I thought was a 1939 model 'A' South Bend Lathe. I've started to strip it down and now need a few parts but having been onto the South Bend web site I'm unable to identify what it is. There is no serial number but it has a Cat# on a plate rivited to the gear housing cover, (9' then 3'1/2 then 409-ZN) From this I have been able to identify it as a 42' model 9'. It has a quickchange unit mounted below the headstock but it has only one tumbler changer. The index plate has no space for a serial number or a cat number, it just has the screw speed/TPI numbers. The drive motor assy mounts behind the headstock and it has 3 sizes of pulley, it has '9 1944' stamped on the underside of the bench support brkt. The tailstock has 9 - 51 stamped on the bottom of the tailstock plate I asked the parts contact at South Bend and was told only that it was an early example that they had no parts for !Please help, I can send you a few photo's via email if it helps.

Gentlemen: I have found the fellows at the home machinist website are like the helpful people here at YT! http://www.chaski.com/cgi-bin/machine_index.cgi good luck, George

The A,B and C are essentialy the same lathe with varied drives, feeds etc. Here's a few web sites that will help identify parts with a blowup of each assembly. As for getting parts ebay has parts listed by sellers under 'business & equipment. Parts for gearboxes, aprons and crossfeed are the same for the 9' and light 10 are the same. Heres the most helpful site, http://people.ne.mediaone.net/wasser/SBLathe Another is www.southbendlathecorp.com/workshop/9gears.htm I have a few more but can not find them but now. The gearbox uses a standard brass bushing from ace hdware for the cluster gear shaft, most of the older SB's have slop on this shaft, I made my own however SB lists the shaft at $30.00. Hope this is some help Jake

John,
What you have is a South Bend Model A, lathe with a 9' swing a 3-1/2 ft bed. Your catalog no. is 409-ZN. The info is correct, I have a model A with 4-1/2 ft bed,9' swing. my cat # is 444R. Parts are hard to come by. The catalog # basically identifies the setup of your lathe. like bed length, gearing setup etc..Sorry I could not be of more help..

Where did you get that info? I have a S.B. lathe which South Bend doesn't want to talk to me about. It took a lot of coaxing to get them to admit it was made by them! I have narrowed it down to being built between 1906 and 1908 but they say they have no info on it.