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.RC.
3rd Apr 2009, 10:32 PM
Just reading on the PM South Bend forum where Grizzly has bought the South Bend name...

Anyway apparently the last heavy ten's sold in the US were made in Australia in 2007..I thought Hercus stopped making the 260 in 2001/2002..I wonder if they did a special run for South Bend USA in 2007??

"http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/showthread.php?t=177056"

new_guy90
8th Apr 2009, 01:01 PM
i saw that thread very interesting it is amazing that the design has stayed in production for so long! maybe its that nostalgic feel of the SB, Hercus and Myfords. if you think about it smart and brown made the best SB copy but it feels good the yanks got us to make some for them right at the end, that and they were probably the only other company still making them lol. oh did you know that the Clausing company was started by 2 brothers who didnt like the SB's so they tried to make a better lathe and it think they were happy with what they achieved, they then sold out to Atlas who rebadged them under Atlas .....couldnt sell them so they had to keep the name Clausing. just a thought that in the 1930's to 1950's SB (and all the clones) were not the best they could have been and some people wanted more, but dispite all of its folts it is still being made ...um somewhere and people still want them :? now you ask me if i would have a SB, Hercus or Smart and Brown clone? any day :U but i love Myford better!!!!! :p thanks for posting that it was interesting

bitza500
27th Apr 2009, 01:40 AM
Hi patrick, were did you get this info from as I have read alot about the South bend and the twin brothers who opened their business in South Bend

A week before the 9" was to be offered for sale one of the brothers died and the 9" came out in 1936

But other models dating back to the 1920"s came in all shap and sizes as my Mate has a 1929 SouthBend Junior

So can you tell me the site were you got the info as I am trying to do both the Hand would like to fid the site ercus and the SouthBend and any information or website would be very gratefull

I have found a lot of info on the South Bend but nothing like you have written as the 260 was not the same as the heavy ten as the heavy ten was a big heavy lathe and had 8" chucks the Light 10 is like the Hercus but lifted by 1/2" to give it a10" clearance
so can you send me the web adreses to me at
[email protected]

as the more info I can find the better as Hercus has no History only what has been written by someone else and this is why I started the Register to try and find out as much as I can about Hercus and the selling of partsto South bend

So please lety me know were to look about this amazing bit of histoy

all the best Derek

blackfrancis
27th Apr 2009, 11:02 AM
Derek if you look at this URL "http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/showthread.php?t=177783&page=9" (http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/showthread.php?t=177783&page=9)

You can find the info about Hercus making the lathes for Southbend.

Patrick - Clausing wanted to make a better lathe than Southbend for one reason only. Southbend were selling so very many lathes, they were huge buisness and Clausing wanted some of that action. The late model Hercus' and some of the Boxfords are much better lathes than the Smart and Brown, no question, they have so many design improvements above the other clones.

new_guy90
27th Apr 2009, 02:14 PM
Derek if you look at this URL "http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/showthread.php?t=177783&page=9" (http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/showthread.php?t=177783&page=9)

You can find the info about Hercus making the lathes for Southbend.

Patrick - Clausing wanted to make a better lathe than Southbend for one reason only. Southbend were selling so very many lathes, they were huge buisness and Clausing wanted some of that action. The late model Hercus' and some of the Boxfords are much better lathes than the Smart and Brown, no question, they have so many design improvements above the other clones.
oh so true, the history of the Clausing company up till the take over by Atlas is written by a son of one of the founding brothers here (http://www.lathes.co.uk/clausing/page20.html)

at the start things were small but when they got larger they could never really compete with SB maybe they did after they were taken over by Atlas but come on SB was at its peak in those times

have fun reading thats all but all the info i have on Clausing

blackfrancis
27th Apr 2009, 05:05 PM
Apparently Colchesters were sold in the US under the Clausing name at some stage, I'm not sure about any of the details. That lathes.co.uk site is great isn't it?