Advice on PM 1030 setup, floor, stand, foot adjustments, etc.

[Qmavam]

I'll be an occasional hobby user, so nothing to critical, but I'll make a best effort. I'm about to order a PM 1030. I have a 12 x 20 shop with a wooded floor. I recently moved a 900lb mill into it and didn't notice any flexing problem. But Since the lathe has a different support structure, I have a concern, however the lathe is lighter. I'm spending about all I can justify (get past the wife) the PM stand is doable, but I wonder if it is desirable with my floor setup? It may be better than a 4 point stand, I just don't know. That's my starting question, may have more as I get more info. Any hints on going from the delivery truck, 75 yards across grass to my shop? I probably need to find a low trailer for that, and will have to pay for the lift gate service
Thanks Qmavam.

 

[matthewsx]

Hi and welcome

I don't have a 1030 but currently own a 9" Seneca Falls and a 13x40 Bolton lathe. Honestly, if it were me I would build a bench that incorporated useful storage and was at the right height for my use. I've been fooling around with the stock Bolton stand and would like nothing better than to scrap it in favor of a custom built solution, my Seneca Falls is on an old shop counter and it's at just the right height for me. Look at the "PM1340 Best & Jacob Custom Edition" on here for what I think is an excellent solution.

PM1340 - the Best & Jacobs Full Custom Edition

It’s been several months since I took delivery of, and posted about my PM1340 lathe. It's time for an update since I’m nearing completion of what started as a straight forward VFD conversion project, and then took on a life of it’s own and led to a substantial customization of the stock PM1340...

www.hobby-machinist.com

For moving across your lawn a small trailer is a good idea. At ~400 lbs it's a little heavy to lift by hand so an engine hoist is a good tool for when you get it into your shop. You can rent both pretty cheap at your local rental house.

Keep the questions coming, this is a great place with plenty of people who have been down the same path you are on.


John

 

[Qmavam]

After looking at the 'Best and Jacobs' site, reviewing the PM stand height 30" along with the 12" to center of the PM 1030, I don't think 42" is to high for my 5'7" height. Even if I add an inch with a plate and adjustment screws under each end. The 'Best and Jacobs' is great and I like the removable chip tray, I think putting that together, would cost as much or more than the $260 PM stand.
There are some simpler stands that are still a possibility.
Anybody have the PM stand and have any rattling problems?
Do you have a PM stand and wish you had made your own stand?
Qmavam

 

[starr256]

I have a PM1030 and have it on an old work bench (steel fame, 2" maple top covered with 20 gauge sheet metal. I have the top at 38 1/2" high. Most stands are too low for my comfort. It has a lower shelf and I hung a 4 drawer toolchest from the top. My ship is pretty dinky (10x16) so, storage is always an issue.
PS - Had the lathe for 2 years now. Very happy,

 

[erikmannie]

I have a PM-1030V with the factory stand. It is bolted to the concrete floor with anchor bolts. Not surprisingly, it does not rattle at all what with being bolted to the floor with 8 bolts.

When I brought it into my garage, I used a cherry picker (engine hoist) with straps around the ways.

If I were you, I would use steel plate. I would bolt the stand to the steel plate, and then bolt the steel plate to your wooden floor. I must confess that I wouldn’t know how to bolt a steel plate to a wooden floor.

Another idea would be to pour a little concrete slab in a rectangle cut into your wooden floor. Using masonry bits to drill into concrete, and then anchor sleeves makes for a very secure connection.

 

[7milesup]

I have a 1022 lathe. I built a stand for my lathe using a simple torsion box as a the mounting system. It is just a 10"x2" rectangular tube that is welded to the ends of the stands. You will not be able to twist that and you can use shims if it is not 100% flat. But, again, it will not twist.
For this size of lathe, having a decent stand with the torsion box type of assembly is more than sufficient. Pouring concrete and bolting it to the floor is way overkill. If you had a 2000lb 1440 lathe, then it would be a different story.

 

[7milesup]

The first picture below here is the stand upside down while I am painting it. You can see the "torsion box" on the cardboard with the 3 holes drilled in it for lathe mounting.
I used hockey pucks as a way to level the stand once placed into position and provide any vibration dampening.