# Another PM1236 install



## Lynrob (May 12, 2014)

I thought I would share some picture of my weekend install of my new PM1236.  First I fabbed a base of 2x2x0.120 tubing very similar (well pretty much exactly, really) to what Gary K did.  He used 3/16" walled tubing but 1/8" was what I had so I went with that.  I seems to be plenty stout for the job (well I thought it was until I read Ray C's thread about building a new base from 4x4x0.5 angle!!).  Anyway it seems on par with the cabinet material so we'll see how it goes.  I installed the levelers and then set the cabinets on top of my base. Overall the base plus levelers added about 4" to the overall height of the lathe.  Seems just abut right for me.  I installed the bolts that attach the cabinets to the base but I didn't tighten them because I wanted to be able to shift things around to match the holes in the lathe.




I used the Mason brand MLS-500 levelers from Enco, They seem to work pretty well but based on what others have said about resilient mounts, they might be too elastic and I might need to replace them with solid mounts if issues develop.  As Gary K mentioned in his thread, at 16" the base footprint is double that of the cabinets without the base.



This photo shows the pallet the shipping company supplied and how the lathe skid was set on it.  Before I opened the crate I assumed that the heavy end was over the crate rather than cantilevered over the edge as it turned out to be.  The two cabinet base units were in boxes on top of the lathe crate and over the pallet and probably added just enough weight to avoid catastrophe.  I unloaded the crate from the delivery truck with the 42" long forks on my tractor's front end loader.  Once I had lifted it up about 6" or so, the driver and I pushed it around some while it was still over the truck and it seemed solid even though the crate was hanging off the end of the pallet. I took it off of the truck very carefully and immediately lowered it to about 6" off the ground and carried it like that to my shop about 75 yards up my driveway.



As it turned out it was fortunate for me that the headstock end was not directly on top of the pallet, otherwise I would have had to figure out something other than my engine hoist to lift it off the skid.  As it was, I was able to position the engine hoist such that it barely had enough reach for a strap positioned about where the bed gap is.  In that position, it was a little tail heavy even when I moved the carriage and tail stock all the way up to where the steady rest was. I figured that was a good thing since if the strap slipped along the bottom of the frame it would only get more tail heavy and not slip out of the sling.  I added a light weight strap just to hold the tail up roughly level.  I would estimate that strap was holding no more than 10 pounds or so.  I could easily lift the tail up to level without the strap but since I was doing this alone, I thought it would be better to add the strap to keep things more or less level.



This is the view from the other end before I jettisoned the skid and was airborne.  Note the little metal plate lying on the pallet near the wrenches.  That will be important later.  Any guesses what it is?



Ok, training wheels off, no room for error now!



I had just enough room to get the leg of the engine lift behind the lathe base.  As it sits, the back of the cabinet is 12" from the wall.



I took some coaxing but eventually I was able to get the lathe lined up just right.  I lowered it down close enough to the table so that I could get a few threads of one attachment bolt to hold in each cabinet.  At that point, I hovered there while I applied a generous helping of RTV underneath the mounting holes to seal things up if I ever decide to run coolant.  Once the silicone was in place, I gently lowered the lathe while attaching the remaining bolts to the cabinets.  Once all the weight was off the hoist, I snugged up the mounting bolts (both the ones holding the lathe to the cabinets and the ones holding the cabinets to the base I made. 



After the lathe was in place, I spent several hours cleaning all of the cosmoline and grime off of it. I took the 3-jaw chuck off then disassembled, cleaned, greased and reassembled it.  It is much smoother now but still a little stiff.  I wired up the lathe to 220V power with a L6-20 twistlock plug and wall socket.  That worked like a champ.  I was surprised to find that the Emergency Shutoff Switch doesn't turn off the halogen work light nor the power available light as it does on my PM932 mill.  I prefer the mill setup since the way it is on the lathe, I have to trip the breaker or unplug it when ever I leave the shop.  Does anyone know if there is a way to change that functionality in the lathe's electrical panel?

From there, I was off to make my first chips, ever... on any lathe.  I successfully made a piece of 3.5" aluminum rod somewhat smaller.  That's about all I can claim so far.  I'm not pleased with the finish I'm getting yet but I have figured out some things not to do and eventually I'll find the right settings to make it shine.

Ok, did anyone guess what the little metal plate lying in the bottom of the lathe crate was?  I looked high and low all around the lathe when I was cleaning it up and I couldn't find anywhere to put it.  Then when I was experimenting making my big piece of metal smaller, I decided that I would see if locking the carriage had any effect.  It didn't because, apparently, the carriage lock was missing a little metal plate!  That sucker is buried deep in the carriage and it is nearly inaccessible.  I was about to call Ray C to see if he could fly to Oregon and fix it for me but I thought I might be able to get it by balancing it on a 12" scale and carefully moving it into position.  Well it took a LONG time... but eventually I was able to get the bolt to grab some threads and we were in business.

That's it!  A lot of work to get set up but I'm sure my biggest challenge will be to learn all the stuff that for most of you is second nature.  I appreciate all of you who have helped me get this far, especially Ray C, darkzero and Gary K for everything they have posted about their PM1236 lathes.  This is a great community and I am privileged to be able to participate.

Later,
Lyn


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## itsme_Bernie (May 12, 2014)

Wow Lyn!  Crate to chips in one weekend?  I think that's awesome!  Great pictorial which will also surely help future PM 1236 owners, or people considering one.

Are you using HSS or were you trying carbide?  I suggest you try HSS first, even though it requires a few minutes in front of a grinder, or a stone.  Carbide often requires a more precise grip on speed, feed, and depth of cut for each different material.  Not as often forgiving for a "skim cut" or such.

Good luck man!  More pics as to work!  Let us know his cutting goes!  

Bernie


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## Lynrob (May 12, 2014)

itsme_Bernie said:


> Wow Lyn!  Crate to chips in one weekend?  I think that's awesome!  Great pictorial which will also surely help future PM 1236 owners, or people considering one.



Thanks Bernie!  To be honest I did take Friday off to build the base and get it painted so I would be ready to go for the weekend.  I was using triangular carbide inserts to cut the aluminum.  I haven't got my grinder set up yet (next project) so I haven't tried my hand at grinding HSS tools.  There is another skill I will need to master!

I think the aluminum I was using might be part of the issue. (hmmm... reminds me of, "it's a poor carpenter who blames his tools" ))  It is just a piece I found at our local metal recycler's yard.  It was heavily oxidized and I have no idea what alloy it is.  I have since been reading about cutting aluminum and have learned that some alloys of aluminum are pretty soft and not really conducive to a great finish.  Anyway, it was fun and I learned a lot about my lathe in the process.  I always figure anything you can learn from is not a waste of time and I learned a lot, so it's all good.

Best Regards,
Lyn


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## darkzero (May 12, 2014)

Awesome, congrats, & great job!


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## Morgan RedHawk (May 12, 2014)

Great writeup!  I am going to be doing mine this weekend (hopefully).  

I bet the pucker factor was pretty high with it way up in the air like that!  I'm going to be using the same crane for mine...how difficult was it to move once you had it hoisted?  I had thought about moving the base under the machine once the machine is lifted, but I may try a maneuver like you did if it was not too difficult to get it rolling. 

 I am definitely going to employ the secondary anti-tilt strap.


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## mgalusha (May 12, 2014)

W00t! Nice to see and glad you have it safely perched.


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## Lynrob (May 12, 2014)

Morgan RedHawk said:


> I'm going to be using the same crane for mine...how difficult was it to move once you had it hoisted?



Hi Morgan,
It definitely rolls much easier with no load on it but it isn't too bad with the lathe on.  The hardest part is changing directions.  At times, I tried multi-point turns, going back and forth making a little more progress each time and at several points I pushed directly on the individual wheels to help get them headed the right way.  If you are on a concrete floor, make sure to sweep/vacuum  before moving the hoist into the area, anything (even toothpick sized pieces of the crate) on the floor will become an obstacle when moving with a load on. 

Please be careful!  I was always certain to never get anywhere that would allow the thing to fall on me if something let go.  It was a little scary at the time but, in retrospect, not really all that bad.   Just go slow and plan ahead and you will be fine.


Best Regards,
Lyn


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## Morgan RedHawk (May 12, 2014)

Thank you for the info, Lyn!  Don't worry, careful is the name of the game.  If I do end up utilizing the pallet-out,stand-in beneath the hoisted lathe method, I will be employing a dolly and rope to move them.  I never trust hydraulics enough to be anywhere I could be caught beneath the load should they fail.

I think I will be giving the maneuver-the-crane method some consideration, though.  Seems like a better way to get it leveled initially.

Did you have to shim it at all?

Oh, and I just noticed...check your threading dial, it looks like it is on backwards..


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## Ratz (May 12, 2014)

Thanks for all the photos Lynrob. Nicely done.

Radek</SPAN>


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## Lynrob (May 13, 2014)

Morgan RedHawk said:


> I think I will be giving the maneuver-the-crane method some consideration, though.  Seems like a better way to get it leveled initially.
> 
> Did you have to shim it at all?
> 
> Oh, and I just noticed...check your threading dial, it looks like it is on backwards..



No shims yet... I got the base as level as I could with the levelers and a carpenter's level before I put the cabinets on it.  Then once the l lathe was aboard I checked the ways with a precision level and although the bed isn't perfectly level, it is close and both ends were off by the same amount in the same direction which I think means the bed isn't twisted. Once I get used to the basic operations of the latte I plan to do some precision tests like the Rollie and the two collar method. For now though it more than matches my skill level. )

i don't think the threading dial is on backwards, I think it is just loose.  It pivots on a bolt and one can twist it inti position against the lead screw and tighten the bolt to use it or swing it back as it is in the picture when not in use. I've never actually used it though so I could be wrong!


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## Morgan RedHawk (May 13, 2014)

Now that you mention it, I do seem to remember seeing that the dial can be disengaged from the lead screw when not in use to prevent wear.  Maybe one of the experienced members will sound off on it.  I'm afraid I am just a newb.


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## tertiaryjim (May 13, 2014)

Its common to rotate the thread dial's gear away from the lead screw when not needed for threading or to remove the dial.
Over the years, many years if you keep the machine clean and lubed, it can make a difference in wear.

Biggest problem with doing so is that some people tighten the bolt that holds the dial in place too tight and it will end up stripped.
There is never any designed load on the thread dial so it only needs to be tightened enough so it won't slip from engagement when in use.

Congrats for getting your new lathe up and running. 
Now there's years of learning and building new skills.


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## Rapscallion (May 13, 2014)

Looks exiting. I'm sure your going to have lots of fun. )


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## zmotorsports (May 13, 2014)

Great thread, congrats on your new lathe.  Thanks for sharing.  Now be certain to share some of the projects that you make with it.  

By the way, it looks great sitting next to your 932 milling machine.

Mike.


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## johnnyc14 (May 13, 2014)

Nice write up and an nice job on the base for your lathe. I too used Gary K's plans when I built the base for my lathe. I lifted my lathe the using the same type of engine lift you used, but I reduced the "pucker factor" as Morgan Redhawk put it, by wrapping the lifting strap once completely around the bed of the lathe so it chokes down on the bed as you lift and prevents the strap from slipping even if the machine tilts.:bitingnails:






You're going to have a lot of fun with that machine.

Cheers,

John


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## Ray C (May 13, 2014)

Morgan RedHawk said:


> Thank you for the info, Lyn!  Don't worry, careful is the name of the game.  If I do end up utilizing the pallet-out,stand-in beneath the hoisted lathe method, I will be employing a dolly and rope to move them.  I never trust hydraulics enough to be anywhere I could be caught beneath the load should they fail.
> 
> I think I will be giving the maneuver-the-crane method some consideration, though.  Seems like a better way to get it leveled initially.
> 
> ...



Guys,

Whenever I use a shop crane, I totally minimize any amount of lifting and attempting to roll the unit any great distance.  One thing you can do, is lift the unit and then set the machine down on the legs, then roll the whole unit to a different location.   Keep a little tension on the strap in case it wants to tip a little.  That's pretty safe but care and caution must always be observed.  

When I use a shop crane to put things on a bench, I get it as close to the final destination as possible then, lift high enough to put the bench underneath the machine then, set the machine on the bench.  To shimmy the machine to the exact final location, I keep the crane attached to lift most of the weight off and use crowbars or J-bars to inch the machine to the final location.

If at any time you must put your fingers underneath a suspended machine (to line-up bolts etc) put a block of solid wood at least as wide as your fingers to protect yourself.

FWIW, my preferred method of lifting things is to use a gantry but, they're not as common or inexpensive as shop cranes.  If you have the facilities, consider a gantry as your long-term lifting tool.

Also, just as an aside, the thread chaser on Lynrob's machine is fine.  It's just swung out of the way and not engaging the leadscrew.  I often disengage mine when not using it for threading.


Ray


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## Ray C (May 13, 2014)

johnnyc14 said:


> Nice write up and an nice job on the base for your lathe. I too used Gary K's plans when I built the base for my lathe. I lifted my lathe the using the same type of engine lift you used, but I reduced the "pucker factor" as Motgan Redhawk put it, by wrapping the lifting strap once completely around the bed of the lathe so it chokes down on the bed as you lift and prevents the strap from slipping even if the machine tilts.:bitingnails:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Glad you posted this... Folks please notice the block of wood that John used to keep the strap off the feedrod and leadscrew.  It never fails, in every batch of machines that we deliver at least one person calls-up with a bent leadscrew and it's usually from not protecting it during the lift.

I have a nice piece of t-shaped angle iron just for this purpose.  If you use a block of wood, use something as wide as possible so it doesn't flop over under pressure or when the strap stretches from weight.


Ray


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