Lathe set up

[swatson144]

I just temporary leveled the lathe and made my own on it.

Steve

 

[Tom Griffin]

Which leveling pads would yall recommend for the PM 1340. http://www.machinetoolonline.com/PM1340new.html

I have been looking though all the leveling feet, and getting too confused. 1/2" studs, 5/8" studs, 2" pads, 4" pads, 500lbs, 2000lbs, 6000lbs? I just don"t know which ones. I need 6 of them, and i am looking in the $20 to $30 each range.

Thanks,

Jonathan

Jonathan,

You'll need pads with a stud that will fit through the holes in your machine base and are rated for at least 1/6 the weight of your machine. Mcmaster Carr, Enco, Travers, MSC will all have what you need,

Tom

 

[jonathan01]

Jonathan,

You'll need pads with a stud that will fit through the holes in your machine base and are rated for at least 1/6 the weight of your machine. Mcmaster Carr, Enco, Travers, MSC will all have what you need,

Tom

I was figuring about 500lbs, so 500x6 would be 3000lbs. So, no matter what I turnd in the lathe the feet will hold.

I just didn't know if I got ones with rubber pads rated over 2000lbs, the rubber might be too hard to be effective.

Would these be a good http://www1.mscdirect.com/cgi/NNSRI...re=ItemDetail-_-ResultListing-_-SearchResults



Thanks

 

[Tom Griffin]

I was figuring about 500lbs, so 500x6 would be 3000lbs. So, no matter what I turnd in the lathe the feet will hold.

I just didn't know if I got ones with rubber pads rated over 2000lbs, the rubber might be too hard to be effective.

Would these be a good http://www1.mscdirect.com/cgi/NNSRI...re=ItemDetail-_-ResultListing-_-SearchResults



Thanks

I would select one with a rubber pad to help absorb vibration, like the one below:

Leveling Pad

Tom

 

[8ntsane]

Not that I have tried those rubber foot leveling pads. I would have to wonder about the hard verses soft issue. If some vibration could be absorbed with these pads, then great. But are the base cabnets solid enough to make it substantial? I would think in my own mind, a hard rubber would be more solid. The soft rubber would make me wonder if I was sitting my lathe on a swamp.

I would be inclined to sit the machine on some metal plate as pacer has suggested, and try it out.
I would want to set up, and level the machine, and not want to deal with rubber pads compressing.

On another note, tying the lathe to the wall? Ive never seen that before. Anyone that has done so, could you explain the benifits as to why one would do that? I cant see a machine as heavy as yours tipping over. If you machine is 1400 lbs, I doubt its going to walk across the floor, unless you have a severe imbalance.

Maybe its just my way of thinking, but rather set the machine on solid ground. Your base should have spots to install bolts to level it. But I dont see a point to sugar coating the deal with rubber feet.

 

[AR1911]

My lathe is a heavy 10x24, with a threaded spindle. Several times when removing the chuck I had to pull hard enough that the rear feet lifted.
Now I have a strap from the chip pan to the wall.

 

[8ntsane]

My lathe is a heavy 10x24, with a threaded spindle. Several times when removing the chuck I had to pull hard enough that the rear feet lifted.
Now I have a strap from the chip pan to the wall.

Ok, that would be a darn good reason to add a wall mount. Never thought about that happening. I sure if I had a lathe that did that, I would do it aswell.

Im sure the first time was a scary experiance to say the least. Good tip, pun intended on any machine capable of doing that.

 

[Tom Griffin]

The rubber pads work fine Paul. All of my machines have been on them for 20 plus years with no hint of movement. The nice thing about rubber over steel is it distributes the load over a larger area which is a good thing if the machines are sitting on an uneven floor. There is also no way a machine is going to shift if it's sitting on rubber instead of steel.

Tom

 

[jonathan01]

Tom, I think I will give the Manson pads you pointed out in your post a try If for some reason I don't like them, I will try making some pads of my own.

While I am leveling the lathe, is the idea to have equal weight on all 6 pads? Will the headstock end have more weight or what? Also, with the headstock base having 4 pads, how would you level it. Would you leave the pads by the chuck off the ground, and level it with just the 4 outside corners, than push the inside pads to the ground, and recheck level.

Or, would I level the headstock base both ways, than set the lathe on the bases, and level the tailstock base to fit the height of the headstock base.

 

[Tom Griffin]

Jonathan,

I would level the machine front to back at left hand mounts first, then level it front to back under the tailstock, then level it right to left by equally adjusting the tailstock mounts. When that is all good, tighten the other two mounts to take up the slack then recheck everything. You do have a machine level? If not, do the best you can and then take a trial cut or indicate a test bar and make sure the carriage is moving parallel to the centerline of the spindle. If there is twist in the bed, you'll see a taper on work machined in the chuck. getting the twist out of the bed is the most important part of leveling a lathe.

Tom