New-to-me Rivett Model No. 4/504 precison bench lathe

cazclocker said:
Good morning Tienle. I'll try to get pictures to you in the next couple of days. I didn't build my bench myself; I had a friend make it for me. But I took plenty of closeup photos that are good enough to give you an idea of how to put one together for yourself.
I'll get back to you when I'm able... probably tomorrow.
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Tienle and anyone else who may be interested, thanks to all of you for your interest in my Rivett 504 lathe. I no longer own it; I had to sell it 2 years ago because wife & I moved cross-country and it was not practical to take with me.
Tienle, I did NOT build my bench - I had it built for me by a friend who is a carpenter. At least I had the foresight to take plenty of pictures of the bench before I put the lathe on top of it.
Here are the photos that show construction details. I hope they help, Tienle.
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cazclocker said:
Tienle and anyone else who may be interested, thanks to all of you for your interest in my Rivett 504 lathe. I no longer own it; I had to sell it 2 years ago because wife & I moved cross-country and it was not practical to take with me.
Tienle, I did NOT build my bench - I had it built for me by a friend who is a carpenter. At least I had the foresight to take plenty of pictures of the bench before I put the lathe on top of it.
Here are the photos that show construction details. I hope they help, Tienle.
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Hi Dough,
Thank you for the pics. It confirmed my idea of using 4x4 as minimum supporting legs. The surrounding top faces look solid. Because I will have the motor on top, i just concern about the top will act like a drum to amplify the noises and vibration. Did you have any problem with noise?
Thanks
 
Tienle said:
Hi Dough,
Thank you for the pics. It confirmed my idea of using 4x4 as minimum supporting legs. The surrounding top faces look solid. Because I will have the motor on top, i just concern about the top will act like a drum to amplify the noises and vibration. Did you have any problem with noise?
Thanks
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Yes, 4x4's are enough to support the weight of a lathe like yours. Those pictures show the bench sitting on the floor before I put the lathe on top... I never got any noise or vibration because the sheer weight of the lathe and countershaft assembly, plus the motor. Also I placed pieces of 1/2" thick neoprene underneath each leg of the bench. I used 5" x 5" squares, as I recall. Neoprene is the material in your car used for motor mounts... able to withstand and absorb violent vibration. I got my neoprene material at a place that sells hay and feed for horses. It's called horse mat.
 
Hi Dough,
Can you tell me how many HP I need for the motor to run this lathe. I plan to get a DC motor. Will it be lot better than the AC motor?
Thanks
 
Tienle said:
Hi Dough,
Can you tell me how many HP I need for the motor to run this lathe. I plan to get a DC motor. Will it be lot better than the AC motor?
Thanks
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Hello Tienle. This is only my opinion - but I think it's a mistake to drive your Rivett lathe with a DC motor. If you choose an AC motor, you have the option to control your motor speed with an amazing device called a VFD (Variable Frequency Drive). They're fairly inexpensive and they are a reliable way to control speed without changing torque... but they WON'T work with DC motors.

Here's a good video to explain why VFD's are so cool -

As far as HP ratings in your AC motor, it kind of depends on how heavy of a load you plan to run. If you plan to take heavy cuts on a huge chunk of cast iron, you'll need more torque than if you just take light cuts on small material. But the main principle to keep in mind is that there's no upper limit to horsepower requirements.... you might have a huge 5HP motor, and you will be able easily control it to take light small cuts or heavy large cuts. But if you only get a 1/2HP motor, you'll be easily able to take light cuts - but you won't have enough power to do anything heavier.
....That said, I think a 1HP or 1.5HP motor would be a great choice, in an AC motor. My motor was a 2HP but that was only because I got a great deal on it.

Hope that helps.
Doug
 
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