- Joined
- Nov 16, 2012
- Messages
- 5,596
Sweet! You guys in Canada are lucky. Those are nice machines. That was on my short list during the year I spent researching and looking for a new lathe. How's it running for you?
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Standard Modern users?
- Thread starter wpala
- Start date
Wow $1250 for a Standard Modern lathe in that condition with the taper attachment is a steal, never mind even without the taper it's a steal! :thumbsup:
Hi. I am new to the forum and thought I would post my SM here.
It is a 26x30 out of a military mobile machine shop. It is basically a 17x30 with factory risers, but I don't think they could be removed even if I had the desire to do so.
In the trailer:
Getting it out of the trailer:
The stand I built:
In my messy garage:
I built the stand a little too tall so I have to have a "step" to use it unfortunately. If it weighed less than 2 tons I would have probably shortened the stand by now, but it has not annoyed me enough yet to begin that undertaking.
It is a 26x30 out of a military mobile machine shop. It is basically a 17x30 with factory risers, but I don't think they could be removed even if I had the desire to do so.
In the trailer:
Getting it out of the trailer:
The stand I built:
In my messy garage:
I built the stand a little too tall so I have to have a "step" to use it unfortunately. If it weighed less than 2 tons I would have probably shortened the stand by now, but it has not annoyed me enough yet to begin that undertaking.
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2011
- Messages
- 478
That's an interesting machine. Do you have any more photos of the machine shop trailer?
I'm concerned that your stand is going to turn out to be too light and flexible for such a large lathe. Tool room lathes like the Monarch 10EE have massive cast iron bases that allow them to take heavy cuts and produce a nice surface finish. The more your stand vibrates the more it will affect the surface finish.
You might be able to improve things by welding heavy gauge panels to the sides of the base.
Cal
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2012
- Messages
- 7,912
+1 on the stand. What are your provisions for leveling the lathe?
I'm also very curious about the mobile machine shops. I know of lathes on ships but didn't know about these. Are they common & I wonder what jobs they service for such a big lathe? Too bad you couldn't buy the whole truck/trailer, how cool is that.
I'm also very curious about the mobile machine shops. I know of lathes on ships but didn't know about these. Are they common & I wonder what jobs they service for such a big lathe? Too bad you couldn't buy the whole truck/trailer, how cool is that.
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2012
- Messages
- 5,596
Mobile machine shops are fairly common around water shipping ports like Baltimore Harbor near me. Overseas ships get into port and sometimes need parts they can't make onboard. They're usually custom made based on at least a F650 chassis. Typical rate is $300+ per hour while machines are running.
Ray
Ray
Not to hijack the thread but this one was Vietnam era. I did have the whole trailer, I just don't live somewhere conducive to storing a gull winged semi trailer, and my parents were tired of looking at it in their yard. The generator had about 300 hours on it. It did have the ability to be externally powered so operational hours may be higher. My guess is it never went to Vietnam or it probably would not have made it back. The lathe shows little to no wear to my untrained eye. My guess is it was for working on tanks and such, the whole trailer was outfitted for really big stuff. It had a 25, 50, & 100 ton press, Powermatic 1200 drill press, big Baldor grinder, valve grinding jigs, nice 2 stage air compressor, and some other doodads (all 3-pahse). Most anything that was not bolted down was missing though.
This is following the trailer home for 7 hours. It is the only external picture I have of the whole thing. In hindsight I should have taken more (I think there are a couple form the for sale ad, but not sure if they still exist). I sold the trailer shell with the 3-phase generator, power panel, and welder in it. It is probably retrofitted for oil country or in South America by now. You can buy one from DRMO every once in a while.
Here is the lathe in the trailer and me and my dad removing it.
Dad is very friendly.
Me with the lathe the day we moved it prior to getting the motor back on top. I am 6' tall for reference. The stand I built is too tall, but going to be a bear to shorten at this point.
As far as the stand. It is mostly 2x2x3/16 tube with 1/8" plate on top. Probably weights about 150lb. Very stable, but not in the massive cast iron weight category. I am relatively new to machining and don't do this for a living, so trying to hog of 1/4" from steel is not something I am likely to try anytime soon. I have gotten some harmonics turning long(ish) rods. I assumed a follower rest should be used, but that is the one common attachment that was not included. Sooner or later I will try and make one since finding a OEM one will be nigh impossible.
There are more pictures of it in the album that the links above are in. If anyone is interested in something in particular I will be glad to photo it. From what I can tell it is just there standard 17" lathe with factory risers, so while it is uncommon dimensionally, I don't think it has any features that are.
Edit: As far as leveling, it has adjustable feet on the stand. But, from what I can tell perfectly level is really not important as long as it is true with a test bar. If level was truly necessary the machine shops in ships would have a real difficult time operating. Although, I did level it as best I could with a Starett 98-12 level. Probably a little short, but so is the bed of the lathe =).
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2011
- Messages
- 478
I think you'll be astounded to find out how flexible that stand is. Try this: mount a test indicator on something nice and solid, maybe the tractor, with the tip against the end of the lathe. Push on the lathe as hard as you can by hand and see how much the indicator deflects. Now watch the indicator needle, release, push, release... in time to the motion of the needle. That will give you an idea what the natural frequency on that axis is. The stand is going to have at least three vibration modes: X, Y and rotation about Z. Each will have a different natural frequency. Any vibration in the machine will excite the various vibration modes and will show up in your surface finish, even for light cuts.
Cal