A pic of a South Bend lathe in Viet Nam

[DaveTooley]

Saw this pic reading an article about the slang we used in Viet Nam. I didn't see the South bend lathe at first. I don't know anything about this bunch other than they are Army. Also well fed and clean. What's up with that? I thought only the Air Force got that kind of treatment. Sorry for the double post.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I like pictures like that and lathes on ships when folks start talking about leveling.

 

[centershot]

I saw one on a submarine from WWII in Wisconsin. I think the name of the boat was USS Cobia. A museum in Manitowoc.

 

[tobnpr]

I like pictures like that and lathes on ships when folks start talking about leveling.

My primary lathe is a Sheldon 11" Army Machine Truck model.
Slanted legs on one end designed to fit over the wheel well in the truck. Tailstock end of the bed is mounted with a big ball socket, which is designed to be loosened when being transported. Once stationary, take any twist out of the bed and tighten the ball socket to lock it down.

Neither of my lathes are level . No twist, though.

ETA a pic. Apparently spent some time on an Air Force base as well, "USAF" is engraved in big letters on the face of the saddle.

 

[X Ring Accuracy]

I like pictures like that and lathes on ships when folks start talking about leveling.

You can hang it from the ceiling as long as no twist lol. Makes it hard to operate without a ladder

 

[okie]

Thanks for posting pics Mr. Tooley and tobnpr!

 

[TrxR]

I believe the term that should be used is that they need to be square instead of level.

It's the same as installing a window or door. Alot of people think they need to be level but they look awful funny if the house isn't level anymore. They don't need to be level to work right , they need to be square.

 

[TrxR]

I also seem to remember pictures of Standard Modern lathes on ships?

 

[INTJ]

Saw this pic reading an article about the slang we used in Viet Nam. I didn't see the South bend lathe at first. I don't know anything about this bunch other than they are Army. Also well fed and clean. What's up with that? I thought only the Air Force got that kind of treatment. Sorry for the double post.

View attachment 1379342View attachment 1379342

Shhhhh!!

We still don't want it known how much better the USAF was than the Army. There is a reason that we built the Officers Club and golf course before we built the runway..........

 

[LVLAaron]

My primary lathe is a Sheldon 11" Army Machine Truck model.
Slanted legs on one end designed to fit over the wheel well in the truck. Tailstock end of the bed is mounted with a big ball socket, which is designed to be loosened when being transported. Once stationary, take any twist out of the bed and tighten the ball socket to lock it down.

Neither of my lathes are level . No twist, though.

ETA a pic. Apparently spent some time on an Air Force base as well, "USAF" is engraved in big letters on the face of the saddle.

I love that. Hopefully one day I can find some cool old iron like that to restore and just look at.

 

[dryhumor]

I was stationed at Roosevelt Roads in the 80’s. Old liberty ships were outfitted with video and sensors and towed to the target range and sunk.

Pretty much every one of them went down with a fully equipped machine shop. Mills, lathes, drill presses. I spent about 30 seconds figuring out there was no viable way to get it off other than holing the hull. That wasn’t in the cards….

 

[DaveTooley]

Shhhhh!!

We still don't want it known how much better the USAF was than the Army. There is a reason that we built the Officers Club and golf course before we built the runway..........

I was a Seabee. We built the club first. Then the mess hall and crapper.

 

[msalm]

Saw this pic reading an article about the slang we used in Viet Nam. I didn't see the South bend lathe at first. I don't know anything about this bunch other than they are Army. Also well fed and clean. What's up with that? I thought only the Air Force got that kind of treatment. Sorry for the double post.

View attachment 1379342View attachment 1379342

That’s an old batwing (sides lift up) Allied trades machinist shop set. Had some pretty nice equipment in there and that generation of army machinists were pretty skilled. Much like the old tool and die guys they could do a lot in fabrication/repairs.

 

[centershot]

I was a Seabee. We built the club first. Then the mess hall and crapper.

I was in the Air Force. We built the golf course first.

 

[INTJ]

I was a Seabee. We built the club first. Then the mess hall and crapper.

I was a pilot. One on my staff tours in the late 1990s was at the HQ for Air Education and Training Command. My job was to validate budget requests and program funding from operations groups at several pilot training bases. They wanted pilots in these positions because we knew what was reasonable and what was fluff. I programmed funding into various categories, although the bases could move money around as they desired.

One day I got a call from one base asking for something like $2 million for, IIRC, runway repair. Well, I opened my trusty spreadsheet and told the guy that I already gave them $2 million for runway repair. He then told me "the Wing took it." I said "well, get it back from the Wing."

The he finally told the truth. He said they needed to repair the golf course or the club and were afraid if they told me that that I wouldn't get them the funds.

I explained that I did not operate that way. I pointed out that I had earned a lot of respect from the Air Staff at the Pentagon for being a straight shooter, and that I was in fact the most successful officer in my department at getting funding. All because I didn't try to hide projects and be sneaky about funding requests.

IIRC, I was able to get them the funding they needed for the golf course/club, as well as the runway repair. They didn't try any more shenanigans with me after that.......

 

[RandyB]

Sorry for the double image. Google SEGPRSM I was at an auction and watched one of these sell. The lathe was a mystery at best

 

[DaveTooley]

I was in the Air Force. We built the golf course first.

I forgot to mention their noisy air conditioners keeping us up at night.

 

[centershot]

View attachment 1379821View attachment 1379821
Sorry for the double image. Google SEGPRSM I was at an auction and watched one of these sell. The lathe was a mystery at best

I googled it. What was all inside of that repair shop?

 

[markT]

I almost spewed my coffee when I saw this picture.. Monday night I was in lower GA and only thing on TV was Two and a half men.. Charlie was wearing a mustache as a disguise and his Allen and Jake the son both said he looked like a 70's porn star.. Lot of those boy in the photo are wearing mustaches..

 

[DaveTooley]

I almost spewed my coffee when I saw this picture.. Monday night I was in lower GA and only thing on TV was Two and a half men.. Charlie was wearing a mustache as a disguise and his Allen and Jake the son both said he looked like a 70's porn star.. Lot of those boy in the photo are wearing mustaches..

I still have mine that I grew in 1969 on Phu Qouc Island. I've added a beard which I've shaved off twice in college but they'll bury me with a mustache.