Southbend SB1001 User Manual

For Machines Mfg. Since 8/11

Model SB1001 8K

™

 Lathe

-3-

"The screw cutting engine lathe is the oldest and 
most important of machine tools and from it all 
other machine tools have been developed. It was 
the lathe that made possible the building of the 
steamboat, the locomotive, the electric motor, the 
automobile and all kinds of machinery used in 
industry. Without the lathe our great industrial 
progress of the last century would have been 
impossible." —How To Run a Lathe, 15th 
Edition, South Bend Lathe.

The lathe represented in this manual is a 
modern day version of the screw cutting lathes 
that trace their roots back to the 1700's, which 
were themselves technological improvements of 
the bow lathe that can be traced back thousands 
of years to the ancient Egyptians.

Now, almost 300 years later, these modern lathes 
are a refined culmination of human ingenuity 
and knowledge embodied into the design and 
synergy of many different interworking parts—
some of which represent the life's work and 
dreams of many inventors, mechanical engineers, 
and world-class machinists—including the likes 
of Leonardo da Vinci, Henry Maudsley, and the 
founders of South Bend Lathe, John and Miles 
O'Brien.

And now the torch is passed to you to carry on 
the tradition. As the operator of a South Bend 
Lathe, you join the ranks of some very famous 
and important customers, such as Henry Ford, 
who used his South Bend lathe to help him 
change the world.

Thank you for being a part of the new South 
Bend Lathe Co. We appreciate your business and 
hope this machine serves you well for a lifetime!

Dating back to 1931, the first South Bend 8

" 

Bench Lathe made it much easier for machinists 
around the world to own a professional-duty 
lathe of exacting precision that was built to 
provide a lifetime of dependable service. In this 
same tradition, we are proud to offer the SB1001 
8K Variable-Speed Bench Lathe.

This lathe is especially designed for 
discriminating machinists making small parts 
to extremely precise tolerances (jewelers, RC 
enthusiasts, watchmakers, model makers, optical 
engineers, gunsmiths, etc.).

Its compact size with heavy-duty construction 
and traditional South Bend “big lathe” features 
also make this lathe equally valuable for close-in 
precision toolroom or manufacturing operations.

The bed is constructed of hardened and ground 
castings in the traditional three V-way prismatic 
design—long used on South Bend Lathes for 
accuracy, durability, and rigidity. Its length 
allows for 18" between centers.

The headstock features a D1-3 variable-speed 
spindle that operates at 50–2300 RPM. Spindle 
speed changes are done very quickly and 
accurately with the convenient adjustment knob 
and digital display. Variable speed control allows 
the operator to “dial in” the perfect cutting speed 
for super-fine finishes.

The carriage has longitudinal power feeding 
capabilities with 9 available feed speeds ranging 
from 0.003

"–0.0051" per revolution.

The South Bend 8K is capable of cutting inch or 
metric threads—12 inch threads from 10–32 TPI 
and 12 metric threads from 0.4–3.0mm.

Accessories include a heavy-duty tailstock, a 
4-way tool post, MT#2 dead center, MT#3 dead 
center, and 3-jaw scroll chuck.

8" South Bend Precision Bench Lathe (Circa 1932)