# Mounting cabinet lathes on rubber ppads



## gilo (Apr 14, 2017)

gilo seeks counsel.  On disassembly of 10128990 for transport it was noticed that lathe was mounted on thick rubber bushings just under chip pan. This on a lathe that some think has rigidity issues with bed already. What is their purpose besides sound control at the expense of rigidity. Why take a long bed and a well made and rigid cabinet and put rubber in between??  How do you even level it - no shims needed - just loosen or tighten one or two nuts and level changes. Am new to this lathe so am I missing something? All of you out there who have mounted your bench lathes with rubber pads under their feet, raise yr. hands. Hmm. I await yr. advice.


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## wa5cab (Apr 14, 2017)

Those are the oil seals for the drip pan.


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## gilo (Apr 14, 2017)

Thank you  for timely reply. Does this mean I can use steel spacers as I will not be using coolant?


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## wa5cab (Apr 14, 2017)

You could.  Although you will probably have two oil leaks under the headstock.  If you ever sell the machine, you should warn the buyer about those leaks and tell him that if he plans to use any coolant, he should install the seals first.


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## gilo (Apr 14, 2017)

Thank you again,wa5cab, for timely reply. I assume you mean oil from my maintenance oiling since I don't use flood coolant. O.K. I could use a permatex product there but if I use these rubber bushings, is it yr. considered opinion  that these will have no effect on bed flexing? And, if you know, how tight in ft../lbs should the nuts be holding lathe down? I appreciate yr. time and knowledge.


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## wa5cab (Apr 15, 2017)

Sorry for the delay.

Yes, I was referring to oil coming through the spindle bearings, back gear bushings, and QCGB,

All that I can actually tell you is that my machine has been sitting in one place since early 1982 with the bushings in it and I've not noticed any problems in that regard.  One chart of recommended torques that I have say that for 5/16"-18 grade 5 plated with no deliberate lubrication use 19 lb-ft.


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## gilo (Apr 16, 2017)

Thanks again wa5cab for yr. informative reply. Will go with rubber bushings  and yr. torque spec. for nuts. I inexplicably mis-titled this thread -- it should have been "rubber interface between lathe and stand".


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## wa5cab (Apr 17, 2017)

Well, that's OK.  Having one, I knew what you meant.


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## Round in circles (Apr 17, 2017)

As an aside & slightly different . My Sphere lathe ( seems it's an Atlas 10 inch with special adaptations made for the British war department circa 1942 -3 ) the lathe was used for munitions work , possibly the fuse/detonator arrangement of torpedoes in a weapons development complex . It was also evidently installed on a couple of submarines as well as in the engineering rooms of some ships .

 When I collected the lathe I became the new third owner . John the guy who sold me it was a 70 yr old former submarine weapons engineer , he got the lathe off his father who was also involved in such nasty things. His old man had purchased it direct , unused , still in the original packing box at a war stock release sale in Feb 1946 .

 The lathe was stood on it cast iron legs in Johns garage , under each leg at teh foot was an inc thick 4 x 4 inch square of hard white rubber .   This surprised me somewhat , for I'd always been told a lathe had to be on a rigid base. 
The reason for the rubbers under the feet was to absorb vibrations & harmonics set up in the craft they were installed in . John also said they were also set up on the pads in the land based workshop , so that the machinists could get the feel & required accuracy of the machines .

Seeing as it was so successful both of them carried on with it , producing some very fine turning & turned threads .
 I've decided to keep it as well , as bed flexing will be negligible till I try and bold it down to the floor & start stressing the bed . It's a kind of free floating lathe


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## wa5cab (Apr 18, 2017)

Well, I can guarantee you that the lathe never went to sea on a sub (or a Tender, either, for that matter) just sitting loose on a rubber pad.  First little bit of rough weather or hard turn and the lathe at best would have been lying on its side on the deck.


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