PM-1340GT on Toolboxes?

[CaryC]

Hello all!

I am new to the forum but I have been looking for quite a while. I have researched this topic a lot but have not found anything exactly like what I am looking to do.

I am thinking about getting a PM-1340GT (1,100lbs). Rather than using the factory stand I was considering the three toolboxes shown. The center one hangs off of the two side boxes. They would be bolted together as one unit. The casters will be removed lowering the boxes to 35" tall. I would use heavy duty leveling feet in their place. On the top of the two end boxes I was going to weld a frame to fit within the recessed area which will have areas to bolt the lathe...also distributing the weight across the entire top of the box. I could also build a frame underneath if needed to further tie the boxes together.

The end boxes are rated at 1,000lb capacity each, which I am pretty sure is limited by the casters, but I am not positive. They are 175lbs each, so pretty stout. I prefer to not build a total exoskeleton around the boxes, just use the boxes as-is for the vertical.

I have two concerns...First is the total weight bearing ability of the setup. Second is the total height of the spindle. I am 5'10 with an elbow height of 44". I am not sure of the pan to spindle height, but I am guessing about 12.5" (Can someone verify this?). The box is about 36" with the added frame. Total height to the spindle will be about 48.5"...4.5" above my elbow. Too high?

I am using this for hobby and light production.

Thoughts and feedback on the setup?

Thanks!

 

[Nogoingback]

First off, welcome to the group.

As far as height goes, the spindle is a good reference point, but really the height of the controls is probably more relevant.
My lathe, on a stand, has a spindle height of 48" so the most often used controls are somewhat lower. I'm just over 5' 10", and the height is perfectly comfortable for me.

The load capacity of your boxes may be related to the casters, and possibly some assumptions about drawer
loads as well, but I would take a close look at the strength of the corners your leveling feet will attach to.
After all. you'll have an 1100 lb (assuming that includes the motor and tooling) live load as well as the weight
of whatever tools you wind up cramming into the boxes. As well as securely bolting the boxes to each other
some sort of structure top and bottom to distribute the load seems like a very good idea. Use plenty of fasteners.

 

[Liljoebrshooter]

That would be way to high for me. I'm 5'7". The spindle on my lathe, a 1340 Jet is just about level with the top of that same tool box.

Joe

 

[benmychree]

The flexibility of the cabinet tops may be a problem with leveling/alignment of the lathe.

 

[Mtnmac]

I've seen similar setups, but only with what you are trying to avoid... a steel structure holding it together. At a minimum, I would consider some steel plates on the bottom to spread the load of the casters and the same on top to distribute load and give you a good surface to level the lathe.

 

[CaryC]

Thank you for the responses!

I was thinking about a steel frame on the top to distribute the load.

For the bottom I was thinking about a second frame to distribute the load and create a better mount for the leveling feet.

 

[CaryC]

The flexibility of the cabinet tops may be a problem with leveling/alignment of the lathe.

Even with a steel frame? This should distribute the load to the edges/corners...

 

[CaryC]

First off, welcome to the group.

As far as height goes, the spindle is a good reference point, but really the height of the controls is probably more relevant.
My lathe, on a stand, has a spindle height of 48" so the most often used controls are somewhat lower. I'm just over 5' 10", and the height is perfectly comfortable for me.

The load capacity of your boxes may be related to the casters, and possibly some assumptions about drawer
loads as well, but I would take a close look at the strength of the corners your leveling feet will attach to.
After all. you'll have an 1100 lb (assuming that includes the motor and tooling) live load as well as the weight
of whatever tools you wind up cramming into the boxes. As well as securely bolting the boxes to each other
some sort of structure top and bottom to distribute the load seems like a very good idea. Use plenty of fasteners.

Thanks for the info. Sounds to me like this setup may end up the same height as yours. I am not sure of the weight distribution of the lathe, but I am guessing ~70% on the head end and ~30% on the tail. So the left box would see about 770lbs. For the underside I was going to build a frame, similar to the one for the top that distributes the weight and give a strong mounting location for the leveling feet.

 

[davidpbest]

Welcome. I advise against this in the strongest possible terms. When I was awaiting delivery of my PM1340 there was considerable angst expressed here on H-M about harmonic vibration creating surface finish issues when using the sheet metal (should I say "tin can") lathe stand sold for the 1340 at that time. Various users were seeing this problem, some even went to the extreme of bolting that stand into concrete floor with epoxy bolts, and it's all laid out here in various posts. Here's one. The source of the issue was never scientifically isolated, but the motor and belt system were very obvious culprits. The clamor over this inspired PM to come up with a solid cast iron base for the machine and since then I have not seen any additional complaints about the harmonic vibrations. Your idea of putting the 1340 on tin-can bases is asking for the same set of issues. Users have dealt with this in various ways with their own stand builds. Here is one such example where the owner was previously having issues with a sheet metal base. Link.

I decided from the start to go a different direction for my 1340 primarily because I wanted easy access drawer storage under the lathe. So I came up with my own design that provided the storage I was after, and doing a bunch of FEA analysis, designed the components to eliminate any resonant frequencies that might induce harmonic vibrations. That stand is fully documented here along with detailed dimensioned drawings. In addition to getting drawer storage underneath the lathe, I was also keen to make leveling the bed easier, and to end up with a removable chip pan to ease cleanup. The result is fully documented here, and some others have adapted the design using Harbor Freight flip-top tool chests for the drawer storage as free-standing elements within the basic stand frame system.

 

[CaryC]

Welcome. I advise against this in the strongest possible terms. When I was awaiting delivery of my PM1340 there was considerable angst expressed here on H-M about harmonic vibration creating surface finish issues when using the sheet metal (should I say "tin can") lathe stand sold for the 1340 at that time. Various users were seeing this problem, some even went to the extreme of bolting that stand into concrete floor with epoxy bolts, and it's all laid out here in various posts. Here's one. The source of the issue was never scientifically isolated, but the motor and belt system were very obvious culprits. The clamor over this inspired PM to come up with a solid cast iron base for the machine and since then I have not seen any additional complaints about the harmonic vibrations. Your idea of putting the 1340 on tin-can bases is asking for the same set of issues. Users have dealt with this in various ways with their own stand builds. Here is one such example where the owner was previously having issues with a sheet metal base. Link.

I decided from the start to go a different direction for my 1340 primarily because I wanted easy access drawer storage under the lathe. So I came up with my own design that provided the storage I was after, and doing a bunch of FEA analysis, designed the components to eliminate any resonant frequencies that might induce harmonic vibrations. That stand is fully documented here along with detailed dimensioned drawings. In addition to getting drawer storage underneath the lathe, I was also keen to make leveling the bed easier, and to end up with a removable chip pan to ease cleanup. The result is fully documented here, and some others have adapted the design using Harbor Freight flip-top tool chests for the drawer storage as free-standing elements within the basic stand frame system.

Thanks for all of the feedback. I will look at the other links!