PM-1640TL and Skyhook?

[pontiac428]

This thread conjures images of St. Vincent of Saragossa, except instead of a millstone, a chuck.

 

[benmychree]

I have a 19" Regal Leblond lathe and use a Sky Hook on it routinely to change chucks up to an 18" four jaw with no problems, now over about 40 years, I also made adaptors that can be used on other machines, including mills and drills and the slotter, I would recomend them to anyone who has larger standard machine tools.

 

[xyz]

Holy moly these 10” chucks are beasts.

I have read some of the threads here about quick change tool post mounted Skyhooks on lathes, and it sounds like while they look intuitively scary, they are pretty safe.

That said, does anyone have experience with mounting one on a PM-1640TL or similar?

I just milled the blank base on my inexpensive CXA quick change tool post, and it’s not a ton of steel that holds it to the cross slide. Curious if anyone has any first hand experience with mounting a Skyhook to it.

I did not want to attach anything to the lathe itself because of the stress, torque that would result. There is a youtuber who has one on his Monarch. The PM-1640TL is a huge machine, but it is no a Monarch.

I opted too build a two pole, independent gantry with an electric winch, on two triangular wheeled platforms. I use it to lift other things (like the 728VT milling machine.) When I get the mill and the lathe operational, I intend to build something just right for the 1640, but totally independent from it so that there is no additional stress to the machine.

 

[benmychree]

What may seem insanely heavy to our muscles is virtually nothing to the capabilities of an industrially rated machine tool, and the skyhook is a well engineered and quite safe, I have never had a problem with the two that I have owned, the load brake is quite controllable under load. I also have a tram rail, actually a barn door track above mu lathe and mill with a HF electric winch for chuck changing and mill accessories such as the dividing head, etc, but the skyhook also swings to retrieve heavy objects off the floor onto the lathe or mill that he electric hoist cannot reach.

 

[xyz]

What may seem insanely heavy to our muscles is virtually nothing to the capabilities of an industrially rated machine tool, and the skyhook is a well engineered and quite safe, I have never had a problem with the two that I have owned, the load brake is quite controllable under load. I also have a tram rail, actually a barn door track above mu lathe and mill with a HF electric winch for chuck changing and mill accessories such as the dividing head, etc, but the skyhook also swings to retrieve heavy objects off the floor onto the lathe or mill that he electric hoist cannot reach.

I want a skyhook. I'm chicken when it comes to heavy things that can roll, especially onto my toes.

 

[benmychree]

I want a skyhook. I'm chicken when it comes to heavy things that can roll, especially onto my toes.

Another detail, I drilled and tapped all my chucks for an eyebolt, so no getting away from the hook.

 

[xyz]

Another detail, I drilled and tapped all my chucks for an eyebolt, so no getting away from the hook.

I was planning to put a pipe through the chuck; then have a riser such that I can hook on to it. Sort of a large upside down question mark. I have seen others do something like that.

 

[benmychree]

I was planning to put a pipe through the chuck; then have a riser such that I can hook on to it. Sort of a large upside down question mark. I have seen others do something like that.

I did that for the dividing head, but like the eye bolts for the chucks better.

 

[xyz]

I did that for the dividing head, but like the eye bolts for the chucks better.

where did you drill the hole? what thread? what about balance?

 

[benmychree]

where did you drill the hole? what thread? what about balance?

Mostly the tapped holes are about the center of the body of the chuck or a bit to there left to compensate for the back plate's weight, most of them are 1/2 -13, although my 10" Buck Chuck came tapped for 5/8 - 11.