New lathe-stand idea

springer

springer

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so I am about to order a pm1340gt and super excited. I have a pm1236 and pm932 and have been really impressed so really looking forward to the 1340.

I am going to build my own stand and have been thinking about pouring concrete sides to mount it to. After a little thought, I'm thinking about using the 12" concrete form tubes. I could essentially just make two posts, one under each end of the lathe. I think it would be fairly simple but have enough mass to keep the lathe vibration to a minimum.

I did a little searching to see if anyone had done this before but didn't really find much.

Any reason this would t work well? I know I could build a traditional stand from tubing and welding, but I'm in the middle of a move and won't have any steel or my Welders set up right away so I'd have to buy all new steel and tanks and gas, etc. I was thinking this would be a cheaper easier solution that might actually work pretty good.

Thoughts?
 
Not trying to be negative, but wouldn't it tend to be a little bit tippy? Concrete posts would be great for absorbing vibration, but you might need to figure out a way to stabilize it.
 
They used to make special purpose lathes out of concrete (during WWI at least). Can't see why making a stand wouldn't work.
 
Good point, pretty obvious but not something I had thought about. Thanks!! I could do something to make the foot print a little larger, that should solve that issue.
 
terrywerm said:
Not trying to be negative, but wouldn't it tend to be a little bit tippy? Concrete posts would be great for absorbing vibration, but you might need to figure out a way to stabilize it.
Click to expand...
Good point, pretty obvious but not something I had thought about. Thanks!! I could do something to make the foot print a little larger, that should solve that issue.
 
I think that I would maybe double up and use 2 concrete cylinders for each end. The 24+" would be far more stable. By base is made of heavy duty laboratory
cabinets and are 36" total deep and that doesn't seem too much front to back stability at all.
 
You would need some form of height adjustment cast into the cement tube if you went with your idea. The newer lathe cabinets are much improved, you would loose the cabinet space and it would be very difficult to move concrete posts. Also the drip pan needs a larger surface in order for it to not twist in the unsupported areas (it is flexy). Many years ago I built ferrocement boats so you could build a rectangular armature and then plaster it. Alternatively use a top and bottom steel plates with steel tubes connecting them and then pour cement into the tubes to mass load them. I do that for speaker stands to deaden the vibration.But I think the cost would not make it any less expensive then the new cabinets.

If you went with the stock cabinets, you could add braces in between them also drop a tool chest in between the cabinets which would give you a lot more storage. Alternatively weld up a base, Dan posted CAD drawings of his base, a number of individuals have built their own steel bases with built in storage.
 
They made some lathes out of concrete due to a lack of resources and to prove a point. But not so much because it was more suited to any purpose. But as a stand its probably a good idea. I would build it as an extension of the floor and fix it directly to that

Cheers Phil
 
I would pin it to the existing floor, saw cut the floor and pin on the sides.
Martin
 
Drill holes and put rebar in the floor and the new post, use concrete rebar epoxy to glue them in the floor. There is an inexpensive product that uses a caulking gun, usually in the same isle as the cement at Home Depot. Make sure the floor under the tubes is free of paint, oil, and dirt. Use a concrete primer to ensure the new bonds to the old. And you'll never have a problem of stability on the floor.
 
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