How to protect expensive equipment.

[maspann]

I have a 10" rotary table and a 6" indexing dividing head for my mill that are both in excess of 75 pounds - more than I want to lift and carry around. I have fabricated a light weight monorail out of Unistrut above the mill that will, with a rope/pulley system, allow me to lift them from the floor to the mill table. My plan is to build a wooden box on casters to hold them so I can easily store them under a work bench then roll them out when I want to lift them onto the mill. My question is, what would you recommend to put on the floor of the box to protect the bottom surfaces of the rotary table and dividing head? I don't want anything that would trap moisture against the ground surfaces. I have considered heavy felt which could be sprayed with a light oil, but am interested in other suggestions.

Thanks!
Mark

 

[P T Schram]

One of the machine shops I worked in put things like steady rests on oiled sheetmetal. There argument was that wood would draw moisture and rust, but sheetmetal wouldn’t

 

[benmychree]

I just use an oily rag for that purpose. Also, the fixture keys keep the base surfaces out of contact with everything besides the mill table.

 

[NCjeeper]

I have my 15" rotary table and large lathe chucks sitting on furniture dollies I got from Harbor Freight. They just have old t-shirts draped over them to keep them clean. I just roll them out from under the work bench when needed.

 

[C-Bag]

My 10” RT I have on the back/side of the table my mill/drill is on so it’s standing up. Turns out an old pillow case is the perfect size and it fits snugly. I keep the RT coated with Fluid Film under the pillow case. Pull off the pillow case, wipe off the Fluid Film and it looks like new. I use a HF 1tn chain hoist to lift and maneuver the RT with as mine’s easily over 100lbs. Chain hoists are the stuff.

 

[davidpbest]

HDPE. Example use:

PM1340 Chuck Saddles

Making saddles to hold the heavy chucks for the PM1340 metal lathe. Material is King Starboard which is a brand of HDPE marine building material available from Tap Plastics. It's similar to delrin.

flic.kr

 

[maspann]

HDPE. Example use:

PM1340 Chuck Saddles

Making saddles to hold the heavy chucks for the PM1340 metal lathe. Material is King Starboard which is a brand of HDPE marine building material available from Tap Plastics. It's similar to delrin.

flic.kr

David, I checked out TAP's website. What thickness was the HDPE you used?

 

[davidpbest]

David, I checked out TAP's website. What thickness was the HDPE you used?

First off, the HDPE I use is King Starboard. It's a version of HDPE formulated primarily for the marine industry and is impervious to sunlight and most solvents. It's available in several colors and thicknesses. Tap Plastics (if there is one near you) will cut to size. McMaster also carries it in standard block sizes.

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

It's slippery like delrin, but less brittle. Most white plastic cutting boards sold at kitchen stores are HDPE. For all practical purposes, it can't be glued. There are specialized glues that work with it, but they have to be used at high heat and under vacuum, so if you plan a project with joints, plan to screw it together with wood screws like I did on the chuck saddles.

For the chuck saddles, I used 1" thick material. But I have used a variety of thicknesses depending on the application. I keep 1" material in stock in my shop for jig making since I can machine it down to whatever thickness I need with my woodworking equipment. Here are a couple of other examples where I have used King Starboard.

Custom Case for Precision Stones

Precision Ground Toolroom Stones from Lance Baltzley of 26 Acre Maker. Click image for descriptions.

flic.kr

PM1340 - Felt oil wipers for bed-ways

These are replacements for the wipers on the carriage and tailstock. Instead of wiping the bed-ways dry, the felt leaves a thin film of oil. Click on each photo for details.

flic.kr

https://flic.kr/p/2nbteo7

Hope this helps.

David