98546,
9" x 3-1/2"
Workshop 9C,
Model 414-ZC
Factory Error:Stamped tags and serial card as 415-YC



I recently started re-commissioning my father’s South Bend 9” model ‘C’ lathe.  I believe he purchased it new, and it is the most basic model that was available at the time (model ‘C’, six-speed), because I’m sure he scraped up every last dime he had to buy it.  It has all of its original parts, including the factory-supplied wrenches, change gears, and even the “How to Run a Lathe” book.  I purchased the serial card from Grizzly (attached), and that presents a bit of a mystery:
 
On the card, the lathe is clearly listed as a 9” x 3’ model, but the late bed measures 42” long (a 3-1/2’ lathe).  I’ve rechecked the serial number, and it’s correct.  Of course, the bed is the only component that cannot possibly have been swapped out, so I can only assume there was some sort of clerical error; the part number for the lead screw, which would have further identified this feature, is also blank on the card.
 
Anyway, here is another lathe for inclusion in your serial number database, and if you have any further information about what could be causing this discrepancy, I’d certainly like to know about it.
 
Thanks!
~~
Mark