Should I put leveling feet on my lathe?

The entire thing is rocking back and forth, even after shimming. I'm gonna have to make a whole new table.
 
That lathe is many times more stable than that table is. It is built that way. There is no way that wood table is ever going to provide a positive impact on the stability of the lathe. Before fixing something that ain't broken run the lathe and do this test.
darkzero said:
You can also check bed twist by seeing if the lathe cuts a taper.
Click to expand...

If you bolt the lathe solid to the table at both ends you are exposing the lathe to needless stress from the table over time.
 
Pcmaker said:
The entire thing is rocking back and forth, even after shimming. I'm gonna have to make a whole new table.
Click to expand...
What is causing it to rock back and forth?...is it from the lathe running or just from a push and pull by hand?
 
If the table rocks back and forth cant you just shim the legs? Unless your saying the table itself flexes when you push on it, if so then I would rebuild it or put braces to make the table more rigid.
 
Pcmaker said:
The entire thing is rocking back and forth, even after shimming. I'm gonna have to make a whole new table.
Click to expand...
Judging from the first picture on this thread, it looks like your lathe is sitting on the bench you were building and getting info for in a thread you started in October 2018. I remember from that post myself and others making the suggestion that you put diagonal reinforcements on the legs to prevent potential wobbling or instability. If you didn't do that the 'rocking' you're experience may be for that reason. I recollect your stand was very well built, but I don't recall seeing any later pictures with diagonal reinforcement. If you haven't already done so, you may wish to add diagonals to the back and both sides before scrapping the bench. That may solve your problem without a lot of extra cost, time and frustration. There was a lot of good commentary in your earlier thread. You might want to re-visit it before starting over. You built a nice looking bench.

Regards,
Terry
 
Pcmaker said:
The entire thing is rocking back and forth, even after shimming. I'm gonna have to make a whole new table.
Click to expand...

You can shimm up the existing table, then bolt the lath to the table with thee shims still in place.
 
Pcmaker said:
The entire thing is rocking back and forth, even after shimming. I'm gonna have to make a whole new table.
Click to expand...
That seems like a good idea. The flat surface isn't important for the lathe, but rigidity of its support is. The
legs or framework that bears the weight ideally goes straight down from the lathe hardpoints to a concrete floor.
Crossbracing of the left and right legs/pillars completes the structure, and it might look a lot like a pair of pillars
with a connecting panel when complete (that's the classic lathe stand).

The basic principle, is that wood doesn't stretch, nor crush along the grain, but DOES twist and bend. So the
support for the lathe should be kept rigid by truss-like members, in compression or tension (no torsion or bending).
 
This is what I would do.

Get a couple lengths of 19x50mm flat bar. Drill and tap holes where the mounting bolts are on the lathe so you can bolt the lathe to the bar. Fix the bar to the plywood and use jacking bolts at the lathe mounting points to level the lathe. You can see the jacking bolts here, they thread into the feet and the nuts are used to tighten to the lathe.

288253
 
Pcmaker said:
The entire thing is rocking back and forth, even after shimming. I'm gonna have to make a whole new table.
Click to expand...
That would be a shame. considering the time and effort you put into it. Short of building a new metal stand, there may an easy, cheap, and workable solution using your existing 4X4 frame.

You might consider replacing your plywood top with either a solid core or hollow core door. A solid core door made from a manufactured wood product would be heavy, flat, and stable. A hollow core door made from a honeycomb frame would also work, but would not be as heavy.

You could shim the door to your frame, secure it, then through bolt your bed to the top. My experience tells me you would also need to place the bed on metal plates prior to bolting it to the top. Otherwise it will be a pain to level it. Those bed feet WILL sink into the wood -- ever so slightly -- and will negatively affect your leveling effort.

I assume also that your frame legs are securely attached to the floor.
 
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