Lathe is home... now what?

koehlerrk

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Yesterday I finally took delivery of my lightly used A-Trump 13x36 metal lathe. Belonged to a family friend and I had to wait for him to clear a path in his shop to get it out... been waiting since last Christmas. Anyways... it's in my garage now.

So, this thing is heavy. Add in the cast iron base and we're probably 1500-1600 pounds of metal heavy. Since this is my first machine tool, expect a lot of dumb questions. First one, do I need or want to anchor it to the concrete floor in my garage? Do I need to be concerned about it tipping over if I don't anchor it? If I do anchor it, what's the best method? Like I said, lots of stupid newbie questions...

Thank you,

Rick
 
I would not. How are you going to level the lathe? At work none of the lathes, mills etc are bolted to the floor.
Pierre
 
Don't anchor it, just level it. It will not tip over during use.


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There's two schools of thought re: anchoring. You can guess what they are. :wink: I've seen the difference between a non-anchored and an anchored lathe. From my experiences an anchored lathe runs smoother and gives a better finish. There's multiple reasons for anchoring but I'm not gonna get into them. Anchoring is relatively easy so why not do it? Granted, this is provided you have at least 2"-3" of concrete depth, which isn't so unusual for most basements or garages unless you're in an environment that precludes that.
 
As Splat says, an anchored lathe can run smoother. My 11" lathe was anchored when I first saw it and it ran quiet and smooth. Then it fell into my hands and my situation required me to put it on leveling casters and to be very honest, I cannot tell any difference. It is still smooth, quiet and accurate.

My shop is small at the moment and there are times the lathe just has to move, so I move it. Can't do that if the lathe is anchored to the floor. There are many reasons a lathe has to be moved - cleaning, maintenance, add-on's (think DRO) or simply discovering that another site would work better for you. Or you may acquire another machine that needs some room and the lathe is in the way and it may have to move a few feet ... who knows?

My best advice is to put it on some machine pads (the kind with studs that you can level the lathe with) for now and let it sit for a year or two. If you find that it is sited perfectly and you cannot imagine why you would move it then you can permanently site the lathe with studs into the concrete floor if you prefer. For me, the convenience of mobility is far more valuable.
 
I work in a shop with 5 lathes and 7 mills none of which are anchored. This turned out to be a good thing last year, a guy had an 80" long steel bar held in 3 Kurt vices in a 4020 Fadal, he had the side panels off so the part was sticking out the side, it hit a roof column in rapid and rotated the machine without damage, it weighs 10,000 Lbs. or more.
This is the same machine.
http://manage.machinesused.com/Picts/6/6552.jpg
 
If you live in earthquake country (New York probably isn't it) it is smarter to NOT bolt it to the floor. If it is bolted down, it will likely fall over in a strong earthquake. The floor is going to move, and the inertia of the lathe will tend to keep it still, the bolts will only give it a place to hinge on. Left loose, the lathe will move in relation to the floor (actually the opposite is happening), but unless it trips on something (like the hold down bolts or a curb) it will probably stay upright.

The same is true if the lathe gets hit with a car, fork lift, tractor, etc. If it is bolted down it will likely tip over. If not, it will likely slide.
 
My Harrison lathe manual recommends leveling only. The manual also states that in certain environments (like aboard a ship) bolting is acceptable.
 
I've ran machines from three inch hobby lathe as a kid to VBM that had a twelve foot diameter table in a pit leveling the table at floor level while the columns were forty feet high through the roof. That machine was anchored , in the same shop we had a dozen 15" LATHES 6' beds not anchored. While in the back a 54" x 60' lathe anchored. I would say the machine sized for most hobby machinist don't need anchoring. If your doing work that's heavier then your lathe or mill anchoring would be necessary . In fact I'm in the process of putting all my machines on wheels even my planer is going to have them . I may need to put some stops or leveling bolts but only so it won't walk when operating.
 
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