Pm1340gt - Against A Wall And Access To The Back?

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Alan H.

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I am studying the PM1340GT lathe with the hope to acquire one for my shop to replace an older machine I have now. I would locate it in my shop such that its back would be against a wall. Of course I will need to access the back of the lathe from time to time.

Like most, I do have a 2 ton engine hoist but I am looking for other ideas. The engine hoist will be somewhat problematic to easily straddle the lathe once in place.

Are there any ideas or solutions out there for ease of moving it out for access to the back? Thanks in advance for your ideas and help.
 
Other than vacuuming chips and debris from behind it, not much need to get behind it after everything is installed. Just put some casters on L brackets on the stock cabinet sides of the lathe, roll it in and pop down the feet. When mounting casters make sure to give enough room for them to swing around. You could also mount a box beam to the outside of the cabinet faces at either end and mount the casters to those for a wider stance. I also recommend drilling and tapping 4 leveling feet in the corners on the headstock cabinet if you go with the stock cabinet. http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/1340gt-lathe-stand.51072/#post-434900
 
I put my 1340 close to the wall (less than a foot away?) and never moved it away from the wall until I needed to pack it up for moving. I used my 2T hoist to put the lathe on it's stands as close as I could to it's final resting place, then used one of those big long pry bars a friend loaned me to 'walk' it back into it's final position. Did the opposite when I needed to get it ready for moving.
 
I used to have an Atlas 12 x 36 and Rockwell 10 x 36 up against a wall. As mentioned above, I can't recall ever needing to get to the back side of either lathe until moving day. My current lathes have space behind them which was convenient on one during a DRO install. It was also convenient when a rack for QCTP holders was added, but other than that, no need to access.

Bruce
 
Don't know about the PM1340GT, but my Asian 13x40 has the electrical box on the back side and opening to the rear. I have not had to get in there so far, but would hate to have to move the lathe to do so. Also, the motor is difficult to get to without some rear access.

Most lathes are quite difficult to pick up with an engine hoist. I know for a fact that my Kent KLS-1340A which has a foot brake and sheet metal between the end support boxes cannot be picked up with a cherry picker type engine hoist of the usual type.
 
I use a car jack to lift each end of my lathe onto rolers if i need to move it, not that i do that much.

Luckily it has a big space in the middle i can crawl through when parts decide to fly that way when parted off (well bounce out of the chip tray) :)

Stuart
 
I have the PM12x36. I just went out to the shop & measured. The electrical box is 12 inches away from the wall. I was able to do the motor swap and all the re-wiring for the VFD install without moving it.

Jerry in Delaware
 
I parked my lathe 12" away from the wall.

Same reasoning: clean chips, access to install taper attachment, DRO, replace motor and add VFD, etc. Makes those jobs a bit more painful if you have to move it every time.
 
I have a 1340gt and it's against a wall. The electrical box is the only thing you can't get to without moving it, you can change belts from the side. Put some wheels on your stand and jack it up once it's in place as Mark mentioned in his post.
 
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