YALB (Yet Another Lathe Bench)...

[Ray C]

Hey Buck...

I start getting squirrely when the shop gets cluttered with stuff all over the floor but with big benches there's just no way around it. I just finished a couple other projects back to back and didn't have time to organize much. -Not a clean freak by any stretch -just like basic organization. Normally I pull the work out to the driveway and it drums up some side work. Lots of contractors around here always need something fixed or a few inches of weld and doing it on the spot and for cheap keeps the peace -EXCEPT for my next door neighbor whose on the "homes and garden approval committee" (you gotta say that with index finger pulling nose up in the air). Oh, she hates my guts... Hehehehehe....

That is clean compared to my shop. I have barely been able to walk through mine for a good year or more. I am real tired of that and ready to clear some stuff out of there. The bench is looking great too.

 

[Ray C]

Hi Piney...

That's a good one -gotta remember to use it.

Yeah, I'm thinking about concrete.... The lathe is about 1000lb. The stock is 10lb per foot and calculated bench weight is 320lbs. I'll put storage underneath and that will for sure jack it up another good 400-500lbs. The bench is good for 4-5 tons (ballpark figure). There won't be any big vibration but I'm wondering about ringing through the steel. Steel transmits vibration like nobody's business.

I wish there was some way I could use cast iron. That stuff is magic for damping vibration. Now I know this sounds crazy but, I'm actually in a position to do acoustic analysis. I can look at the waveform and probably damp it with heavy rubber bolted inside where it wont interfere. LOL... and if that still doesn't make it feel like a Rolls Royce -I'll put a concrete slab on it.

... Anyhow, getting tired of heaving all the big stuff around -variety is the spice of life they say. The last thing I made was a brass and stainless helm wheel for a 55' yacht. Came out real nice. Custom design for someone... I'm hoping the next project is something smaller and lighter.


Ray

I like to build things heavy duty, nobody likes to borrow heavy stuff. Are you going with a concrete top? Looks good so far.

 

[Bill Gruby]

Lookin good Ray. It will hold some weight that's for sure.

"Billy G"

 

[psychodelicdan]

Good looking table. It should be able to hold up the world. A note on TIG welding, think three things.
Clean, Clean and clean.
Grind off "ALL" scale and rust at least 1/2" outside of your weld area. Wipe your material and filler rods down with a good cleaner like MEK or lacquer thinner.
Never!! Use brake cleaner it produces a mustard gas like vapor that will put you on the floor even after it has dried.
As long as you get that good penetration and are clean it's good to go. This may seem like over kill but it might save your bacon someday. Keep up the good work.
High jack over
Dan


Let There Be Rock.......s

 

[Ray C]

Indeed, good words of wisdom about the brake cleaner. Saw a post here not long about about some fellow dying from it. Here's one to know... Galvanized metal is loaded with zinc that turns to white powder under welding heat. A few good snorts of that white powder as it's burning off will put you in the hospital with lung inflammation and acute zinc exposure. Grind that stuff off way clear of the HAZ if you have to weld it. I always keep my head out of the smoke plume and I back off when I see it sneaking under the mask.

Been doing regular welding for a little while but only started TIG a year ago mainly on aluminum and stainless. The aluminum is very fussy about being clean -very fussy! Even after prepping the surface, I wipe it down with rubbing alcohol. Works well if you haven't tried that one.

Yeah, the bench is overkill but at 40c/pound, I couldn't pass it up. Solid benches make lathes happy...

Good looking table. It should be able to hold up the world. A note on TIG welding, think three things.
Clean, Clean and clean.
Grind off "ALL" scale and rust at least 1/2" outside of your weld area. Wipe your material and filler rods down with a good cleaner like MEK or lacquer thinner.
Never!! Use brake cleaner it produces a mustard gas like vapor that will put you on the floor even after it has dried.
As long as you get that good penetration and are clean it's good to go. This may seem like over kill but it might save your bacon someday. Keep up the good work.
High jack over
Dan


Let There Be Rock.......s

 

[Ray C]

Today is lathe bench swap-out day and will install the 3 phase motor while I'm under the hood. Gantry's all set to go. Had to run-out and get new bolts for it... -seems I used them on other projects.

Working alone today so the going will be slow.



View attachment 96623

 

[Ray C]

Well, that went lickety split. Just a hair over an hour not including prep time. The hardest part was getting the old bench pried away from the pan because it was set in place with silicone glue. Man, that stuff really took hold!

The gantry is so heavy duty, it never settled into place. I'd forgotten where the balance point of the lathe was so if anyone lifts their 1236, the strap would have been better off moved about 4" further from shown toward the tailstock. The TS was drooping a good bit in the position I had it. Since I was working alone, I wanted to keep the strap behind the chuck -just for a false sense of security. In this photo, the head was a few inches off the pillar but the TS was sagging just a bit.




Had the new bench waiting on two dollies and it rolled right in place. Of course, getting 320lbs off the dollies by myself wasn't fun. Managed to not scratch-up the floor too badly but did manage to bang and cut a knuckle pretty good. It was easy sailing from there. The bolt holes lined up just fine but one little problem is the feed line for the coolant pump which interferes with the top rear beam. Oh well, will have to seal that off...




... And wouldn't you know, no sooner did I set the lathe on the bench, #3 son comes home from work.

Anyhow, I'll start putting the new motor on tonight with the gantry in place because the lathe will go back a few inches closer to the wall. After that, we'll try out that leveling system and see if that idea was worth it or not.

... I am so close to finally having my shop back. Man, I can't wait to mop the floors! -Filthy right now...

View attachment 97985

 

[stevecmo]

Looking good Ray!! Won't be long now. I see chips in your very near future. Nice job!

 

[Ray C]

Just gave it a quick spin -feels like a different lathe! -A much nicer one indeed.

Looking good Ray!! Won't be long now. I see chips in your very near future. Nice job!

 

[darkzero]

Very nice Ray! Are you running a VFD? What size motor?