On Tue, 8 Aug 2017 12:46:35 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message
news
"bob prohaska" wrote in message
news
I just acquired a wood office desk made in the 1930's which looks
like it would make a good bench for my South Bend 10k lathe. The
desk has lots of drawers, very helpful for all the little (and some
not-so little) hunks of metal that come to roost around
metalworking
machines.

The top is 50 by 34 inches and about two inches thick. Because of
its
age I'm fairly sure it isn't ersatz wood, but rather plywood or
possibly
even solid wood. The joinery is well done, the cabinetry
straight-grained
and clear of knots. It's a smaller and less-ornate version of this:
https://www.facebook.com/LincolnDesks

The obvious approach is to just bolt the lathe and countershaft to
the
top of the desk, that wouldn't be any worse than the table it's on
now. The lathe is far stiffer than either and straighter to boot.

I wonder if it might be better to bolt the lathe and countershaft
to
a sheet of half-inch or so plywood, just strong enough to support
belt tension (which isn't all that great, there's a prop rod 'tween
headstock and countershaft assembly) and place it on a cushion atop
the desk. That isolates the lathe from irregularities in the desk,
the cushion will serve to absorb at least some vibration.

Has anybody tried something like this? It's hard to believe a bench
contributes much if anything to the stiffness of a machine tool,
but
it could contribute to vibration damping.

Thanks for reading, and any thoughts.

bob prohaska


The most critical concern is not twisting the bed, normally
addressed by leveling both ends crosswise. The Heavy 10 can be on a
sheet metal stand because it has a pivot under the tailstock that
lets the bed center itself, but after it does the locking screws
have to run in to hold it there against the cutting force that
pushes the carriage down.

Find the manual for the 10k and see what it says about mounting
requirements.

Sometimes auto parts stores sell large oil drip pans. I was given a
used (flattened) Auto Trend Products pan almost 4' long.
-jsw

This says the 10K has the same bed adjuster:
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb...-twist-301557/

-jsw
-jsw


I have a 10L on a steel base, and that has the adjustment you're
talking about. But the 9" SB's were made mostly as bench-top lathes,
expected to be mounted on wooden benches.

I have a precision level that I use to check mine whenever I move it.
I've had to adjust it whenever I do so, which is about once every 10
years. g

However, I think that a 10K, which really is a 9" SB with a built-in
riser on the head and tailstock, should work out well for hobby use on
a sturdy wooden bench. Gluing another layer on top, as someone
suggested, should help. Plywood is a lot more stable in changing
humidity than solid wood.

--
Ed Huntress