Lathe height question and what to do about it.

[finsruskw]

OK Guys...
So this is where I want the 9A to live.
Close to a power source and light.
Only issue is, where it sits now on these dollies, is really a comfortable height for me.
What to do about securing it there, at this height, about 37" to the top of the chip tray, is the question.
The dollies are/were for moving it around in the shop for the present, temporary at best!
I suppose pouring a solid concrete base secured to the floor would be one answer, but that, for me, would be the last option
so I am open for suggestions here.
Thanks!

 

[matthewsx]

Cement paver blocks? Or maybe just build up a platform of 2x8's?

John

 

[Nogoingback]

How about a fabricated steel stand?

 

[tjb]

I'm no expert on the subject, but it's been hammered into my brain by many of our seasoned members that stability is an absolute for a lathe. As far as lathes go, your 9A is fairly light, so I would think stability would be relatively (and that's a key word) simple to achieve. Stability is essential to maintain alignment. Once that's been achieved, keeping it aligned becomes the challenge: the less stability, the more vibration; the more vibration, the more potential movement.

A major part of achieving stability and alignment is even contact of all points with the floor. It's my understanding that's the main reason most large lathes have adjustable feet or pads under each point. I recently did a rebuild on a South Bend shaper where I ran into this issue. I made some adjustable foot pads out of 2" round stock and attached them to the shaper. They worked great.



Given the height enhancement you need to achieve, I agree with Nogoingback's recommendation of a steel stand. I would use fairly heavy square tubing (4" by 1/4" wall - is what I used for a stand for my horizontal bandsaw). It's hard to tell from his photo, but it looks like he has adjustable feet on his stand, as well.

The challenge you're dealing with is a concrete floor - beautiful as yours may be. I don't know how they do it in Iowa, but here in Georgia, I'm pretty sure that there is a rule in the Building Code that concrete floors are required to NOT be flat. Adjustable feet are essential - especially for something like a lathe.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Regards,
Terry

P.S.: That's a nice looking 9A!

 

[gerritv]

I would put the cabinet on the floor and then a 12"x2" u channel upside down under the lathe itself. This will do double duty of raising it and fixing the lack of stiffness of the cabinet.

 

[Aukai]

The best leveling castors

carrymaster leveling casters - Google Search

 

[silence dogood]

I would put the cabinet on the floor and then a 12"x2" u channel upside down under the lathe itself. This will do double duty of raising it and fixing the lack of stiffness of the cabinet.

I just did what ub27Rocks stated. Except my lathe is smaller (8x14) and sitting on a 5x1 1/2 heavy steel channel. You will have to add a 1/4" steel plates that are the same size as the feet on the bottom of your lathe. If you look at the end of the channel, it may have a concave surface. Addition of the plates will give you a flat surface for the lathe to sit on. It's only been a week that I done this, but the lathe seems to cut smoother and quieter. And that extra little space makes it nice for clean up.

 

[mikey]

I would make a frame to go under the stand like Nogoingback made (nice job, by the way) AND use Carrymaster leveling casters like Aukai suggested so you can move the lathe at need and level it quickly and easily. Once it is up on the levelers the lathe will be rock solid if you use the right casters, and that amounts to doing what tjb suggested. So everybody together gave you some really good advice!

 

[Toolmaker51]

Regardless what you build, setting it upon a heightened level can be challenging. Lathes [and most machines] are deceivingly high center of gravity.
Leveling screws are paramount, and far less expensive then leveling casters. Without two axial bearings, they aren't going to have spectacular qualities; unless you return to exact floor position and wheel orientations [not just swivel but rotation] it will not be same level as before.
My choice would be a sturdy C channel frame, original machine pads bolted to it, shimmed if need be, and 1" Ø 16 pitch jacking screws. I like convenient threads; makes leveling very easy knowing X amount of turn moves a fairly specific amount. You find that amount by shimming a sensitive level, and multiplying it's footprint against jackscrew spacing....
ie] Felt tip a mark on each jackscrew for 12 O'clock. Level centers with .010 under one end, it is 1' from where level touches to shim. Jackscrews are 5' apart; 5x .010 = .050. That's about 300 degrees to turn jackscrew. And only rarely is it needed to adjust every screw. I really like to leave one alone, a baseline as it were. Also best to give jackscrew a shallow point or large radius matching a dimple in a small plate, 1/4" thick is fine in your case. This keeps the machine from walking as the jackscrew turns; just like a flat washer.
Things like this reveal themselves when you work alone; visually beforehand or ad hoc. Solutions after jumping up 40 or 50 times, or many laps around a BIG machine aren't so satisfying.

 

[finsruskw]

Neighbor has a sawmill so I am thinking of having him saw a 6" thick length of hardwood plank t place under each end and lag screw that to the floor using expandable inserts. I can clean the blocks up with a planer and paint them to match the cabinet.
The set the lathe on that for final leveling using the adjusters like tjb suggested.
I have a piece of 2" round stock here somewhere.