Toolbox cart as lathe base/stand?

[Mach_Zero]

Hello everyone,

I'm planning to buy a Precision Matthews PM1030 lathe. I see that they have lathe stands for their lathes, but they don't really have much storage. What do you all think about a toolbox cart like this one from Harbor Freight instead of the one from precision matthews? the PM1030 might overhand the sides by a few inches but I can build a sturdier top for the tool cabinet.

 

[benmychree]

Forget about keeping the lathe level/aligned with a flimsy base, much less on casters.

 

[DavidR8]

I'd be leery about putting lathe on a toolbox. You want a base that's solid. Easy enough to fab up something out of wood or metal.
My 10x36 South Bend is on a wood base. Top is a chunk of laminated fir beam 3.5 " thick from an old grocery store roof. Base is just 2x4's glued and screwed together. I added a drawer for storage. Works like a treat.

 

[Dabbler]

@Mach_Zero It could be hard to get good accuracy without taking a few extra measures to ensure your lathe bed isn't twisted. A lot of guys like @DavidR8 use their old South Bend 9A lathes on wooden benches, so it can be done with care.

If I may suggest:

Get a plate of steel that fits the top of the tool chest, about 1/2" thick... *OR* if the lathe is much smaller, get one that fits the lathe plus about an inch larger all around, the thicker the better. This will allow the lathe to 'float' independently from the base.

Seriously consider removing the casters and replacing them with leveling feet. Level the tool chest as well as you can.
Install the steel, and use a machinists level to ensure the steel is in a single plane (by measuring along each edge)and shim to make it happen.

Then bolt your lathe to the steel, and run your dogbone (two-collar) tests until you are happy.

I applaud the idea of getting great storage. Most guys with welders make a frame/lathe base around the tool chest that is super rigid, and wheel the chest under the lathe base.

 

[tq60]

The box will hold the weight just fine but the lathe needs proper support from twisting.

The box will move...

Start with a solid surface, 3/4 melamine is perfect stuff as the plastic surface is easy to clean.

It is on one of our benches with the Logan.

Place the lathe on the bench without fasteners and see how it sits.

If naturally in plane meaning no twist then secure it and go.

If it has some twist you may need todouble up the surface and use adjustable feet that are anchored to the surface.

Many will get hung up on twist resulting from moving the unit to new spot.

Insure it is stable when parked and worst case maybe adjust again or make a 3 point attachment between surface and tool box.

However, if you are just doingshort things and not building for aircraft it simply does not matter that much.

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk

 

[SLK001]

In other words, "Don't do it..." Mount your lathe on a solid and stable base, so that you can level both ends properly. You don't need a level lathe, you need a "planar lathe", so you just need to make sure the bed doesn't twist and leveling is one way to assure that it isn't twisted. If you think that cast iron is stiff and solid and there-is-no-way-it-can-twist, you would be incorrect. It will sag under its own weight and even leaning on the lathe can affect the twist.

So, make sure your mount is solid and stable. Having the HF toolbox right beside your lathe is just as useful, but at the expense of increased footprint. For the size of your lathe, I wouldn't use anything less than steel for the mount.

 

[graham-xrf]

Hello everyone,

I'm planning to buy a Precision Matthews PM1030 lathe. I see that they have lathe stands for their lathes, but they don't really have much storage. What do you all think about a toolbox cart like this one from Harbor Freight instead of the one from precision matthews? the PM1030 might overhand the sides by a few inches but I can build a sturdier top for the tool cabinet.

If it has castors, you have to add bypass pad-base screws.
Leveling? Sure - Earth gravity horizon level gives you the free reference that allows you to detect way twist.
Theoretically, a bed only has to be straight, untwisted, and not under some steady stress that will have it eventually become twisted. Level does that, and the bypass pads, made adjustable, can do the leveling job too.

Any wiggle that can affect rigidity, however small, is a no-no. Vibration wobbles are harder to eliminate than most people think.

If you plan to put a lathe atop a tool case, then it had better be one braced to the point it supports the lathe like the stands that were traditionally designed for them. My welded stand frame with drawers that a previous owner made for the lathe, even though probably stouter than most tool chest frames, still manages to "move" relative to the wall when I shove hard on it. It's a common plan, with the smaller lathes, to take apart the tool chest, and brace it with steel in various ways. Very stout wooden benches do rather better.

 

[Mach_Zero]

Thanks for all your responses! That's exactly the information I was looking for. In an ideal world. I could use the toolbox without much trouble, but I don't really want to turn this into a project. So I think I'll stick with the PM base. It does have some storage and I think it'll be just fine. Maybe one day I'll upgrade to the rolling toolbox with some steel plate for rigidity and without the castors.

Have any of you used the precision matthews bases? I'm assuming they should be rigid and stable enough if they sell them specifically for their lathes.

 

[JPMacG]

I use a tool case for my Atlas. The original castors that came with the tool case were indeed very wobbly. I replaced them with hockey puck feet, which can be adjusted to level the lathe. In order to move the lathe I added deployable castors. It has worked out well. But the cost of the C channel and deployable castors was not cheap.

 

[Mach_Zero]

I use a tool case for my Atlas. The original castors that came with the tool case were indeed very wobbly. I replaced them with hockey puck feet, which can be adjusted to level the lathe. In order to move the lathe I added deployable castors. It has worked out well. But the cost of the C channel and deployable castors was not cheap.

That's awesome! I might do that one day.

I'm realizing that, to do it right, I would need to spend more than double what the PM stand costs. For now I'm going to stick with the PM stand.