Lathe leveling - do you do it with the lathe fully dressed or just the headstock and ways?

Dabbler said:
I'd put a whole panel on the back side, of 14 or 16 ga steel, welded to the tubing. THe ends can easily be stiffened with diagonals. leave the front open, as to do anything else is a waste of space in a small shop...
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Thanks for the recommendation. I'll see what I can find at the steelyard.

You aren't kidding about a small shop. A lot of rearranging had to happen to shoehorn this into the space.
 
Don't mean to be too overbearing. I can PM you pics of my stand, but I don't think it is a good fit for what you need.

I figure for the price of a piece of plywood, it might just be a little more rigid. A lathe should not move a level when moving the apron or carriage or tailstock. That's the acid test for rigidity.
 
Dabbler said:
Don't mean to be too overbearing. I can PM you pics of my stand, but I don't think it is a good fit for what you need.

I figure for the price of a piece of plywood, it might just be a little more rigid. A lathe should not move a level when moving the apron or carriage or tailstock. That's the acid test for rigidity.
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Not taking your comments in a bad way. I'm hearing a common message that more rigidity helps, a lot. I'll try to come up with something that makes the stand stiffer.

Just went downstairs and measured things. The lathe stand is made of 1.5" square tubing with 0.083" walls. There is a 2" square tube running across the top, the long way with a piece of 7" x 48" x 0.25" plate welded on top of the tube. The lathe is bolted to the plate. If I push the stand hard, towards the back, the level only deflects by 1 minor division which is only 0.02mm/m. Pretty sure it's a lot more wobbly in the long dimension.

The lathe isn't close enough to level yet, so it's hard for me determine if it's more my technique, (raising or lowering the feet) or the stand itself. It wouldn't surprise me if it was both.
 
My intention was always to pop rivet metal sides and a back, 3/4" plywood for a bottom and middle shelf (middle shelf would need some sort of support which isn't present), and cabinet doors on front. A serious upgrade in rigidity would be to frame in a 4" deep tray in the bottom and fill it with concrete,
 
If the feet are rubber they will affect the level as weight (saddle) moves from one end to the other. I didn't see what the support connection is to the lathe, and if it is thin metal that may have the same effect as rubber feet. The box frame can be stiffened with diagonal straps available at a hardware store. Create an x with the strapping as it will be in tension to provide best stiffness. You should check the level of the tubing in addition to the lathe bed to see if the feet or floor contribute. Hope this helps..
 
WobblyHand said:
Thanks for the info. Kind of thought the leveling would be most appropriate for the "as used" condition. Thanks for the confirmation.

For sheet metal reinforcement, what gauge (thickness) material would be effective? Welding isn't a good option for me, since I don't have a 220V circuit in the basement. Even lifting the lathe off the stand would be a major PIA since I'd have to get the lifting equipment down the narrow (27.5"W at the tightest spot) stairwell.
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I don't think you even need a heavy gauge of sheet metal to add significant improvement since it is the tubing that actually supports the weight. The sheet metal will help bind the tubing together and reduce the flexing. Heavier is always nice but I bet even something as light as 22 gauge would help a lot.

The sheet metal base sold with many of these small lathes is 18-20 gauge at best.
 
Plywood would do as well, and probably cheaper.

John
 
Keep in mind that particular lathe has two bolts through the bed of the lathe, one at each end, into the 2x2 under the bed. The 1/4" plate between the bed and the 2x2 extends out over the stand and the four bolts (two at each end) between the stand body and the plate is what actually can be used to affect twist in the lathe body. So you want to adjust the four leg bolts first just to get the stand to sit as solidly as possible on your floor without rocking and with the lathe body roughly level without any real torque on the upper bolts. Once the stand sits flat you can start tightening the upper bolts to get the bed level at both ends. Then check the stand legs again to see if they are still sitting level. If they are not sitting level, then you definitely need to brace up the stand as your twisting the stand rather than the lathe bed.
 
you can fasten the sheet metal with pop rivets or self drilling screws. Either will provide a firm hold. Place them about every 4-5 inches along the legs and top. Too few and the metal will bow, and you lose the stiffening.

If you choose plywood, you could through bolt, but use fender washers with another washer to spread out the force. even so, the wood will eventually compress and re-tightening will be needed.

Steel is more permanent and less maintenance.
 
matthewsx said:
Plywood would do as well, and probably cheaper... John
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I'll echo the plywood option. It may not only be less expensive, it might also be the easiest to work with. In that, it might be easier to acquire and use a circle saw than find a metal shear. Bolt it on. In the same way you might fab drawers or shelves with sliding doors. Drawers could be fancy with dovetails, or just butt joints.

This hobby doesn't need to be expensive to do good work, be safe and have fun.

Daryl
MN
 
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