One of the possibles - have the bolts in the floor - and through the equipment with
nuts on - but not tightened onto the metal. e.g. trapped from walking or bucking - e.g.
safe from problems - but not torking the frame out of shape as it flexes in temperature
during a season or day.
Martin
Martin Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH & Endowment Member
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder
David Utidjian wrote:
Gunner wrote:
On Sat, 11 Mar 2006 15:02:21 -0800, Grant Erwin
wrote:
David Utidjian wrote:
I need to anchor a 9"swing 40" long bed (with cabinet base) Rockwell
lathe to a concrete floor. I need to make it as level as possible
and then level the bed. There are level adjusting nuts and screws
between the cast iron bed and the cabinet.
The cabinet has 1/2" diameter holes in 4 tabs at its base.
The floor is well cured smooth flat concrete (poured about 30 years
ago). I have a Starrett No. 199 Master Precision Level for the final
leveling.
My plan was to use 3/8" X 3 3/4" "redhead" or "ramset" anchors and
those automotive shims that are about 1" square with U slots in them
as the levelling shims.
Does that sound like a reasonable plan?
Are there better tricks for getting the cabinet level than jamming
in shims?
Would 3/8" be strong enough? Would(approx) 3" of the bolt below
grade be deep enough?
I was thinking since the bolts will actually be studs and if I have
enough thread above grade I could first put a big washer and nut to
secure the stud in the concrete and then add another nut and washer
as a "jack" then comes the tab on the cabinet base and then a final
washer and nut. Of course this arrangement would raise the cabinet
tabs at least the thickness of two nuts and two washers above the
floor surface. I would also make leveling MUCH easier. Does that
sound like a reasonable idea? Should I go with the full 1/2" anchors
instead of 3/8"?
Also... currently the lathe is about 6" from a cinderbock wall.
Makes it damn difficult to clean behind it. Since I have a lot of
room to play with how much clearance from the wall would be a good
idea? Just enough to walk around it easily?
Since this is my first time setting up such a (relatively) large
machine and since concrete anchor bolts are rather permanent I would
like to do it right the first time.
-DU-...etc...
I would not anchor the machine to a really flat floor; just move it
to where you want it, and level it.
I have given thought to how to orient a lathe in a small shop, and I
now suggest that you have it coming out 90° from a wall, with the
tailstock end towards the wall, spaced out far enough from the wall
so that you can get around behind the tailstock to squint at the
marking for when you are adjusting tailstock setover. It's bad news
to put the headstock end towards the wall, because that interferes
with passing long stock through the headstock. Nor do I like having
the back of the machine face the wall as I have to get back there to
clean chips and also to look carefully at the scribed degree markings
on the compound, or to monkey around with the motor.
GWE
Most of my customers shops have the tailstocks at the wall..with the
lathe at a 45' angle for this reason. Gives a bit more floor space
than a true 90
Gunner
Thanks for the pointers.
A few comments:
As I understand it OSHA requires that machine tools be anchored to the
floor. This shop is in a small state college in New Jersey. I am
required to comply. With that said... none of the machine tools have
been anchored since installed about 30 years ago. I am having problems
with this lathe. It seems that the centerline of the tailstock is 0.005"
lower than the centerline of the headstock. Seems to me that I should
anchor it and level it _before_ I start to try and sort out the aligment
problems.
The worst things about these machines that I have been assigned is that
they have been abused and neglected over the years. Yet I find I can
still do useful work with them.
The manual says to anchor and level the machine to the floor.
Everything I have ever read on lathe setup says that machine tools
should be anchored and leveled to a solid floor. ( A machinist from the
USN says they used to weld their tools to the deck plates... but that
was a rather special situation I think ;-))
My high school machine shop (Berkeley High, Berkeley CA) had over a
dozen lathes. Most were mounted in two rows well away from the walls.
There were work benches and cabinets along the walls. All of the smaller
lathes (12" or less swing) were angled at about 60 degrees to the wall
(closest wall to back of lathe was the included angle). The big lathes
(Hardinge and Reed-Prentice) were at right angles to the walls and at
least as far as the lathe was long. It was a big shop. Very roomy and
well lit. Oh how I miss it.
I like the angle-from-wall idea with the tailstock closest to the wall.
I may move it out far enough to put benches and cabinets along the wall
space it used to occupy.
Thanks again for the suggestions.
-DU-...etc...
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