SOUTH BEND LATHE

SOUTH

BEND

LATHE

f

l'A!taiog 5600, Copyright 1955 by the South Bend L"the Works. All rights reserved.

I 90 6

1956

50th Anniversary

It was in the fall of 1906 that twin brothers John J. and

Miles W. O'Brien set up shop in a small building at South

Bend, Indiana and began to design and build precision machine

tools. Although bringing with them a rich heritage of Yankee

ingenuity, their products were a success only after years of hard,

painstaking effort and financial hardship. Both brothers had

served toolmaker apprenticeships in some of the finest of the

old New England shops. Later they supplemented their

practical training with engineering courses at Purdue University and gained wide business experience with several well

established machine tool manufacturers and distributors.

Recognizing the advantage of specialization, one of the

first and most important decisions of the O'Brien brothers was

to restrict their products to precision machine tools. It was this

policy that enabled them to produce a b~tter machine at a

better price. Through half a century there has been no deviation from this policy. Today, as in 1906, the entire resources

and facilities of South Bend Lathe are devoted exclusively to

the production of precision machine tools.

PLANT NO. 2

Operated first as a partnership and incorporated in 1914,

the South Bend Lathe Works remained a closely held corporation until 1936 when its stock was first listed on the Chicago

Stock Exchange, now the Midw:est Stock Exchange of Chicago.

The stock is now owned by a diversified group of shareholders

residing in all parts of the United States and several outside

this country.

PLANT NO. 1

SOUTH BEND LATHE WORKS

&Juildint/ &JeIki f!TooI4 9'uu;e ~90G

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Cable address "TWINS" South Bend, South Bend 22, Indiana, .U.S.A.

LATHES

Careful design and conscientious workmanship

are combined in South Bend Lathes to give you a

machine tool that you can depend on for years of

satisfactory service. Continual research ~

"

has resulted in many improvements and

,-~,--refinements which contribute to their accuracy, durability, and ease of operation. We

know of no other lathe selling at anywhere near

the price that can match the performance of

South Bend.

As a part of our policy of continual improvement,

new ideas, new methods, and new materials are

developed and tested in our research laboratory.

The equipment of this laboratory includes precision

gauge blocks accurate to five-millionths of an inch,

an optical comparator for testing the form and lead

of screw threads, a profilometer ~or checking the

smoothness of surface finishes, hardness testing

,\.\1,//

equipment to make sure that heat-:~- treated steel surfaces have just the right

deqree of hardness, precision lead screw

testing equipment accurate to .()(X)()5" in 30", a

dynamic balancing machine, and many other precision measuring instruments, gauges, and tools.

See page 3.

are made from a special quality of alloy steel manufactured to exacting specifications of analysis and

heat treatment. The spindle bearings are the best

quality phosphor bronze. The lathe beds are of a

special grade of hard, close-grained iron having

unusual tensile strength and wearing qualities.

The lead screws on South Bend Lathes are made

of a special grade of steel that has proved to be

most satisfactory for this purpose. The compound

rest top, carriage, headstock, and oth~r units of the

lathe are made of the specific grades of iron that

are the most suitable for the respective parts. Even

the gray enamel used in finishing South Bend Lathes

is made exclusively for us to our specifications.

The Scientifically correct design, the generous

proportions of bearing surfaces and the excellent

facilities for oiling on South Bend Lathes assure

permanent accuracy. We invite comparison with

any other make of lathe, made either in I{ ~

this country or abroad. We are confident ~IJ

that you will find South Bend Lathes to ~

_ _

be more accurate, and that they will retain their

precision through years of service.

Parts for South Bend Lathes are economically

produced in our modem factory -equipped with

efficient production machinery. Measuring instruments and tools are constantly checked to maintain

uniform accuracy. Hundreds of special machines,

jigs" fixtures, and gauges are used to assure interchangeability of parts. This simplifies assembly,

lowers the cost of manufacture, and insures precision. South Bend Lathes are reasonable in price

because the savings effected by efficient quantity

production are passed on to the customer.

A careful inspeCtion of any South Bend Lathe

will disclose the most expert workmanship. The

superior quality of workmanship is made possible

by the highly specialized skills of our experienced

employees and the excellent equipment of our

shops. An experienced machinist can see at a

glance that only the finest craftsmanship enters

into the construction of South Bend Lathes.

The best materials available are used in building

South Bend Lathes. That is why they last a lifetime

if given the proper care. The headstock spindles

2

Fig. 1. Inspecting a Screw Thread

with an Optical Comparator

Compare /eoturel-qlUJlitv-workmonship-price.

Fig. 3. Testing Bed Ways with

Microscope and Tension Wire

Fig. 2. Testing Bed Ways with

Precision Straight Edge

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IOUTH . . .D LATH,

Fig. 5. Factory Test Card. A

permanent record of the final

inspection tests for each lathe

is kept on a factory test card

similar to the one shown.

Fig. 4 . Testing Heat-treatment

Fig. 6 . Checking Accuracy of Lead Screw

3

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