07-17-2015, 04:32 PM
A "plain bearing" is typically made of bronze or babbitt, but in the case of SB it is bronze and provides adjustment to compensate for wear. Go to this page http://www.lathes.co.uk/southbend/page4.html and scroll down to the pic of the bearing.
As to the lathes the Clausing was used in many school shops and held up well from the abuse from the students.
Probably any of the three will suffice for a small home shop machine. One thing that would put me off on all these lathes is the screw on/off spindle nose. If you accidentally reverse the lathe you run the real possibility of unscrewing the chuck and having it take off across the shop. I seriously recommend looking for a D type spindle nose (AKA cam lock). Second best is the L type tapered spindle with the locking collar and key. Spin off is greatly reduced, but not eliminated.
As to the lathes the Clausing was used in many school shops and held up well from the abuse from the students.
Probably any of the three will suffice for a small home shop machine. One thing that would put me off on all these lathes is the screw on/off spindle nose. If you accidentally reverse the lathe you run the real possibility of unscrewing the chuck and having it take off across the shop. I seriously recommend looking for a D type spindle nose (AKA cam lock). Second best is the L type tapered spindle with the locking collar and key. Spin off is greatly reduced, but not eliminated.