About This Machine
Foreword
"Most boys should learn a trade in order that they may become skilled workmen. The trained workman is always in demand...When a boy has learned a trade, becomes a skilled mechanic, he has excellent equipment with which to begin life's battle, but he need not stop there. George Westinghouse, the Wright Brothers, Henry Ford, and the Studebaker Brothers were mechanics, and it was their mechanical training that made their success possible." —Machine Shop Equipment, 2nd Ed., 1920, by the O'Brien Brothers, founders of South Bend Lathe.
The first South Bend milling machine debuted in the 1950's. During that time, the milling machine and the already well-established South Bend lathes created the foundation of many tool rooms and school shops across America and beyond her borders. Many young people in those days came of age on South Bend equipment, becoming world-class machinists, mechanical engineers, inventors, and manufacturing visionaries.
A lot has changed in the world since then. Those same school shops have mostly been replaced by computer labs. The technology in the rotary dial phone, television set, mechanical calculator, computer, and camera of that decade could barely fit into one large room together—now they fit into a tiny box that is no bigger than a box of breath mints. And the average production machinist spends more time at a computer than at a machine. Technology has been much refined and the world operates on a much faster pace.
But some things haven't changed. The same human ingenuity and passion that created the best mechanical technology of today still exists within us. The core machines of the modern shop, like this South Bend milling machine, are still fundamentally important.
When you think about it, the greatest mechanical technology of the future will be what we create today. As the owner of a South Bend milling machine, you are now part of a great legacy. What will you create with yours?
Capabilities
This Milling Machine is built for daily, non-stop use in a busy industrial setting, tool room, or school shop. It is easy to set-up, truly accurate, and built to give you long years of service when properly cared for. This milling machine supports workpieces up to 750 lbs. and is perfect for face milling, end milling, planing, slot or keyway cutting, dovetailing, routing, drilling, reaming, and boring to name a few. With the movable ram and tilting head, all these tasks can be performed on horizontal, vertical, and angled surfaces. When equipped with additional accessories, such as a rotary table or dividing head, this milling machine can do even more.
Features
This milling machine features 3-axis table movement with built-in longitudinal power feed. It is constructed with high-grade Meehanite castings, and the saddle and knee ways are Turcite coated and built with wide dovetails for maximum support and accuracy through the full range of movement.
To ensure quality work results, we have equipped this mill with NSK or NTN spindle bearings that are rated to P4 (ABEC-7) tolerances. The spindle taper is R8 and the spindle has powered down feed with fine, medium, and coarse feed controls.
The headstock is mounted on a wide-dovetail movable ram with 13" of travel on the column and 360° rotating capability. The headstock itself can swivel 90° left/right or 45° forward/back so it can be positioned for nearly any setup needed.
To reduce the time spent doing daily lubrication, we have outfitted this milling machine with a one-shot lubrication system that is as quick and easy as one pump of a lever.
Quality Allen-Bradley electrical components and attention to detail provide dependable electrical control of the powered movements.
And finally, this milling machine comes with a circulating coolant system with the pump and reservoir in the column base.
