New Lathe Twisted bed

There was indeed a surplus of these machines left over from WWII. All of the one's My dad and I dealt with came from one of the several arsenals as well from the government cave up in Kansas. I recall something about a Very large Niles boring lathe out on the west coast back around 1978 at my first job. The man I worked for back then bought a "sub-bed" that ran parallel to the main machine. The ways on that machine were about 4 foot across. The bed on the main machine were something like 8 foot across! The swing was something like 12 foot! Never saw pictures of it. Could be the same machine your talking about?
 
4gsr said:
There was indeed a surplus of these machines left over from WWII. All of the one's My dad and I dealt with came from one of the several arsenals as well from the government cave up in Kansas. I recall something about a Very large Niles boring lathe out on the west coast back around 1978 at my first job. The man I worked for back then bought a "sub-bed" that ran parallel to the main machine. The ways on that machine were about 4 foot across. The bed on the main machine were something like 8 foot across! The swing was something like 12 foot! Never saw pictures of it. Could be the same machine your talking about?
Click to expand...
I guess we will never know where it came from and where it went; a contractor bought it, retrofitted it in anticipation for the job, then bailed on the job and the contractor in Napa bought it and completed the job; he also bought a huge plate bending roll to roll the sections and succeeded in breaking several times, as I remember, the roller bearings seemed to be the weak point! They finally completed the job and dissolved the business.
 
If this is a real mistake, I hope someone will tell me so: I have worried about bed flex and twist for as long as I've run a lathe. Maybe I've become obsessed! Here's the way I have held down the Jet 9X20 I recently purchased (used). I bolted the headstock end down solidly to the stand, on those weird riser blocks. Then I found a long bolt whose thread would get a good purchase in the stand and leave the bolthead about 2-3 inches above the tail mount hole in the bed casting. Then I inserted a strong spring, a secondary automobile engine valve spring under the bolthead, with a washer of course. I isolated the bolt from the bed casting with a bit of rubber grommet. Then I tightened the bolt down enough to keep the tailstock end from walking around and vibrating (it didn't anyway under light load). Now I go to bed at night not worrying that my poor baby is warping as I sleep. Am I brilliant or a dummy?

Bill W
 
Bill W. :

I have had my Jet 9x20 for many years now. Bolted it down the way you did because the stand is sheet steel. I have never had to realign anything in all those years. You did good.

"Billy G
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top