Thread: Anybody need parts from the states

Hi Guys,

I am not sure who Derek is sourcing his bits and pieces from in the US, but I have purchased a number (!) of castings for my 9A from Metal Lathe Accessories (http://statecollegecentral.com/metallathe/) and found them to be *very* good and great to deal with.

Also, there are a few threads on the net of regarding the building of their kits and the authors always rave about the quality of the castings.

What I have seen appears to be good quality, but cannot comment on the machining as all I seem to be doing at the moment is collecting the kits

Regards,
Rodd

Hi Rodd, I am either not seeing all the parts that you seem to be buying as none of the mainn items are not for a Southbend or is there another link as I have been looking for a place like this that can supply bare castings
But there is nothing for a 9" SouthBend /Hercus
my aim was that as I have been buying parts in America for over 2 years my contacts have offered a discount plus also sending by flate rate international so my tailstock and bullgear will arrive costing me $42.00US I know many a owner wants certain parts as I do myself but the lost in the mail is a common practice
All I offered was that if someone wanted a part that is the same as a Hercus I could suss out a price and get it delivered at a cheap price as a 20LB box is $42USD to send a 20LB box to America is $173.00
These guys buy and sell all day everyday and do end up with a lot of parts that we in Australia can not find for love or money
And they have just said that if we buy enough parts Secondhand and will fit in a 20LB box we willget cheap parts and cheap shipping
as I just bought a Tailstock and had $25.00USD discount which means I get a Tailstock well under the $250 AUD I have been quoted

Now if people want to make t-Slot crosslides or milling jigs and so on that is fine but I am offering bolt on parts ready to go at a better price and a better shipping cost
But I would like to know more about your find as it is very important to keep in mind not all South Bend parts interchange but when I clicked on the site I never saw a great deal of parts or kits available so can you please tell me how to get more out of this site as I can make anything with what I have but to get castings is a brilliant setup so long as the interchange
So is there another site showing 9" parts as bare castings??
all the best Derek

Hi Derek,
I think the biggest problem with the MLA site is that they do not clearly state that the bits are designed to fit the South Bend 9 (and sometime 10) family of lathes. As I understand it, most of the lathe bits will fit our Hercus lathes (although I cannot confirm it – as I said in my last post, I seem to just be collecting bits – but my rough measurements of the bits I have show that they will fit!). As the casting are slightly oversize, there will be sufficient allowances for the machining to fit the Hercus rather than the South Bend if and where differences exist.
Most of the items that relate to lathes on the site can be used / modified to fit the Hercus 9 family. The other tools / aids of the site are general purpose. I have marked up the list of kits on the MLA home page that I believe fit / can be fitted to the Hercus 9 family of lathes (marked with an ‘X’). I guess when in doubt MLA can be contacted to ensure that there is enough meat on the casting to allow for differences.
Hope this helps
Rodd

the cross slide looks interesting i wonder how much it would cost to get machined here in australia for those with no mill .looks like it can be got here for a shade over $100 aus

Originally Posted by Rodd Perrin

Hi Derek,
I think the biggest problem with the MLA site is that they do not clearly state that the bits are designed to fit the South Bend 9 (and sometime 10) family of lathes. As I understand it, most of the lathe bits will fit our Hercus lathes (although I cannot confirm it – as I said in my last post, I seem to just be collecting bits – but my rough measurements of the bits I have show that they will fit!). As the casting are slightly oversize, there will be sufficient allowances for the machining to fit the Hercus rather than the South Bend if and where differences exist.
Most of the items that relate to lathes on the site can be used / modified to fit the Hercus 9 family. The other tools / aids of the site are general purpose. I have marked up the list of kits on the MLA home page that I believe fit / can be fitted to the Hercus 9 family of lathes (marked with an ‘X’). I guess when in doubt MLA can be contacted to ensure that there is enough meat on the casting to allow for differences.
Hope this helps
Rodd

Hi Rodd, is it possible to send me a copy of the items as I cannot read them as they are to blurry as I am interested in anything that can fit the hercus
all the best Derek
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