I now am the proud owner of a Precision Matthews 1340 Lathe. I've provided a few pix of the machine and its current state; A metamorphosis from crated to uncratedness.
I'm now in the process of building running gear for my welder.
Can anyone help me with designing a mobile leveling base? I have leveling feet and a precision level. However, I will use a dolly with the lathe. I understand that moving will cause re-leveling with a precision level but I will not be in this shop for more than a year.
The thing weighs around 1600. As of now I have it on some skates. This is temporary but I can easily wheel it.
Any comments?
Yes. One.
Please do NOT link pictures to this forum that display larger than 800 pixels in width. You'll save yourself and me a lot of aggravation.
Feel free to remove these comments if you replace your links.
Harold
Ok Harold no problem
Thanks in advance to all
Jon
The ubiquitous machine crate.
Last edited by psient on Thu Dec 17, 2009 7:57 am, edited 3 times in total.
The naked truth!!!! Girded by a transparent allure!!
Upskirt
all in pieces!
As a new owner I am really pumped!!!!
Ok so I need to design something that has two outriggers for the 2 bases and a straddle bar to connect the two. Casters and leveling feet on the outriggers.
If you have any suggestions please share them
I'll be trying to figure out what metal to buy. Till I have more to report I'm cutting the stock and beginning to weld my running gear Tomorrow.
Thanks!!!!
Jon
Last edited by psient on Thu Dec 17, 2009 7:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
Personally, I would spend the money on a folding shop crane. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... umber=7620
And set the boxes on the ground. The additional ~4" in height can be a problem for some folks. YMMV.
Nice looking machine.
Dave J.
Every day I ask myself, "What's the most fun thing to do today."
9x48 BP clone, 12x36 lathe, TIG, MIG, Gas, 3 in 1 sheetmetal.
Actually, you can have casters and a machine that is less than an inch higher. I bolted a heavy bar across each end of the base then bent the bar ends up and then out. The offsets were such that with 4" casters I had maybe 1/2" ground clearance for the lathe base. My lathe stayed on the casters for several years and got moved four? times.
I am 5' 9" and wish my 14X40 lathe was at least 4" higher. That said I can't imagine you would want a "precision" lathe on rollers, (even if they were 5" cast iron). You want that thing on steel or cast iron pads. Determine where you want it, level it then leave it. If you really need "precision and it is on new concrete on newly scraped ground you will want to check the level every 6 mo. for a few years. If this is just for hobby use I would just put it on pads and forget it.
I am a professor and have been dealing with finals so work is progressing steadily but slowly at this time.
The height is a concern and I'll address this before I complete the design. There are ways to maintain mobility such that the casters are recessed or removed before leveling proceeds. I have a shop crane. I was able to pick up an HF 2 ton foldaway for 150.
To be sure rigidity and precision are a key.
I may not have been clear in my original post. I DO NOT want the lathe supported by casters. The base is bolted to the outriggers, and the outriggers have leveling pads. Each pad is rated at 600 lbs to maintain rigidity.
When the machine is in place it is solely supported with these pads and the casters are suspended off the floor. Thus it is configured as if attached to the concrete directly.
The placement is such that the floor is stable and the lathe will be within 2 feet of 18" deep perimeter footings. I know as I built my home with my own hands in '85.
I will check and re-level it every 4 mos for the first year regardless. I believe this may clarify what I have in mind.
That said I've been thinking of 2X4X1/4' tubing laid on its side. I can recess the casters and through-bolt the leveling pads. with a cut out for access. I feel the wall thickness suggests once the base is level all the separate elements should carry through this alignment. Thus I am leveling one rigid piece rather than an agglomeration of attached separate pieces on an unlevel floor. This may be a rationalization but it does seem relevant.
The vote seems to be 'forget about the mobility just set it up and use it'. For sure I will consider this again but the last time I found myself setting up a new shop in a new location on my ranch in less than 3 years. It seemed like the base would be a good way to proceed. Any help is really appreciated at this point.
Again, I'll be assembling my running gear for my welder/plasma cutter. Pics to follow this afternoon.
>The vote seems to be 'forget about the mobility just set it up and use it'.
Allow me to be the nay-sayer. I have my 9x20 on a bench and went to some trouble to equip the bench with levelers before placing the lathe on it. When I get time for a do-over, the bench will get casters and external levelers. I should have done that up front so I could rearrange things as needed. I say - do it now and you'll have it, then make the chips. The better, more flexible base you have the more you can enjoy the machine. When I built my mill base, I put casters and levelers - made a BIG difference for me. As soon as I set the mill on the base and moved it around, I was thinking "why did you not do that for the lathe".
Indeed Dave it had. I could not find the reference so I am starting over again. I had a distinct memory of this base and it's manufacture. I could not remember the details hence my request.
Thanks for this info as I could not locate it with a search of this forum.
If you just want to be ready to move, two wooden skids will do. It can be dragged - even up over the edge of a trailer, or rolled on pipes, and when it is loaded it's more likely to stay put.
BC
BC
If there was only one way to do each machining job, the smell of sulphurized cutting oil smoke would have fewer fond memories.
