I am going to extend the distance between centers on my mini lathe to
about 34" by bolting down another lathe bed in line with the first
one. This will allow me to put the tail stock on the end of the second
bed. Being new at this, I would appreciate any hints at:

1) How to accurately line up the beds before bolting them down on the
table?
2) How to match/test centers in head and tail stocks? Given that I can
only do cutting on the first bed. The lead screw and the rack do not
extend to the second bed.

Thanks,

David Heidary

In article ,
says...

1) How to accurately line up the beds before bolting them down on the
table?
2) How to match/test centers in head and tail stocks? Given that I can
only do cutting on the first bed. The lead screw and the rack do not
extend to the second bed.

The best way to accomplish the goal you have set out to
achieve is to:

a) raise mini-lathe up about two feet off of bench.
b) translate it to the right about 5 feet.
c) install larger lathe in location previously occupied by
mini-lathe.

Jim

==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at yktvmv (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

Why screw around. Just buy a 12X36 and be done with it. You
can make a Gremlin from a Pinto, but....it's still a Pinto,
only worse.
JR
Dweller in the cellar

David Heidary wrote:

I am going to extend the distance between centers on my mini lathe to
about 34" by bolting down another lathe bed in line with the first
one. This will allow me to put the tail stock on the end of the second
bed. Being new at this, I would appreciate any hints at:

1) How to accurately line up the beds before bolting them down on the
table?
2) How to match/test centers in head and tail stocks? Given that I can
only do cutting on the first bed. The lead screw and the rack do not
extend to the second bed.

Thanks,

David Heidary

--
--------------------------------------------------------------
Home Page: http://www.seanet.com/~jasonrnorth
If you're not the lead dog, the view never changes
Doubt yourself, and the real world will eat you alive
The world doesn't revolve around you, it revolves around me
No skeletons in the closet; just decomposing corpses
--------------------------------------------------------------
Dependence is Vulnerability:
--------------------------------------------------------------
"Open the Pod Bay Doors please, Hal"
"I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.."

On 29 Jul 2003 20:22:39 -0700, jim rozen
wrote:

In article ,
says...

1) How to accurately line up the beds before bolting them down on the
table?
2) How to match/test centers in head and tail stocks? Given that I can
only do cutting on the first bed. The lead screw and the rack do not
extend to the second bed.

The best way to accomplish the goal you have set out to
achieve is to:

a) raise mini-lathe up about two feet off of bench.
b) translate it to the right about 5 feet.
c) install larger lathe in location previously occupied by
mini-lathe.

Jim

Absolutely correct.

Gunner

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty
is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!"
-- Ben Franklin

Thanks for the comments everyone. I would have followed your advice if
I could fit a 12x36 lathe into the elevator and get it up to my second
floor apartment hopeing that the floor would not give in under the
weight.

Regards,

David Heidary

There are some lighter 12x36 models out there. Generally this is not
considered an asset, but in you instance it might be. I would not
hesitate at all to drag an old atlas into an apartment. Shouldn't
exceed the weight of a bathtub full of water, a refrigerator, or a
piano, for instance. In fact, getting it into your apartment would not
be unlike a piano. I can carry my 10-42 atlas(bed length, not center
to center). You can certainly continue on the path you previsouly
selected, but oddball approaches like thisgenerally do not pay unless
you have a very specific job that you will repeat very often and no
alternatives. You have already identified the issue of carriage
travel. Additionally,once you line everything up, you have the issue
of how to mount the two beds so that their relative positions remain the
same. A wooden bench isn't going to do it, since they will shift
appreciably the first night from moisture or temperature. Never mind,
that even if your building is solid concrete it will move as well. The
best way to counteract this is to build a very substantial steel
support. This steel support would end up giving you pretty much the
same issues as a small 10-36 bench lathe or 12/36 bench lathe. Thus
the answers you have been given to date.


Charles

David Heidary wrote:

Thanks for the comments everyone. I would have followed your advice if
I could fit a 12x36 lathe into the elevator and get it up to my second
floor apartment hopeing that the floor would not give in under the
weight.

Regards,

David Heidary

David Heidary

I am going to extend the distance between centers on my mini lathe to
about 34" by bolting down another lathe bed in line with the first
one. This will allow me to put the tail stock on the end of the second
bed. Being new at this, I would appreciate any hints at:

1) How to accurately line up the beds before bolting them down on the
table?
2) How to match/test centers in head and tail stocks? Given that I can
only do cutting on the first bed. The lead screw and the rack do not
extend to the second bed.

Thanks,

David Heidary

Hello, David,

Another David is already in the process of doing this. Perhaps you can trade
notes. Here is his web site:

http://www.broncosaurus.net/7x20.html

Michael

Michael Mandaville

In article ,
says...

http://www.broncosaurus.net/7x20.html

In spite of my previous comment, I have to
admit that's some pretty nice work there.

Jim

==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at yktvmv (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

MichaelMandavil wrote:
David Heidary [wrote:]
I am going to extend the distance between centers on my mini lathe to
about 34" by bolting down another lathe bed in line with the first
one.
....
Another David is already in the process of doing this. Perhaps you can trade
notes. Here is his web site:
http://www.broncosaurus.net/7x20.html

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/7x24Mini-LatheCNC/ is a related
yahoo group, "for those who have stretched their original 7x10
or 7x12 mini-lathe to 7x24, those who already have and those
who are part-way thru it". Not a highly-active group in terms
of messages but you can see additional files and pictures.
-jiw

(David Heidary) wrote in message . com...
I am going to extend the distance between centers on my mini lathe to
about 34" by bolting down another lathe bed in line with the first
one. This will allow me to put the tail stock on the end of the second
bed. Being new at this, I would appreciate any hints at:

1) How to accurately line up the beds before bolting them down on the
table?
2) How to match/test centers in head and tail stocks? Given that I can
only do cutting on the first bed. The lead screw and the rack do not
extend to the second bed.

Thanks,

David Heidary


David,
Go to www.littlemachineshop.com and click on links. There are a lot of
mini lathe sites, I remember someone had fastened two beds together.
You should be able to find it through the links. Good luck

Paul in Ohio

David
This is the link to the site of a guy that extended his bed and
modified a lead screw to use the total lenght.
http://www.broncosaurus.net/projects.htm

Paul in Ohio


(David Heidary) wrote in message . com...
I am going to extend the distance between centers on my mini lathe to
about 34" by bolting down another lathe bed in line with the first
one. This will allow me to put the tail stock on the end of the second
bed. Being new at this, I would appreciate any hints at:

1) How to accurately line up the beds before bolting them down on the
table?
2) How to match/test centers in head and tail stocks? Given that I can
only do cutting on the first bed. The lead screw and the rack do not
extend to the second bed.

Thanks,

David Heidary

On 30 Jul 2003 10:31:01 -0700, (David Heidary) wrote:
Thanks for the comments everyone. I would have followed your advice if
I could fit a 12x36 lathe into the elevator and get it up to my second
floor apartment hopeing that the floor would not give in under the
weight.

A 12x36 bench lathe will weigh under 1,000 pounds. There should be
no worries about the floor handling that weight (less than a waterbed).
The machine, minus stand, should be about 2 feet by 5 feet. Should be
easy to stand it up on a refrigerator dolly in any elevator that can handle
4 or 5 people.

Gary

In article , Gary says...

A 12x36 bench lathe will weigh under 1,000 pounds. There should be
no worries about the floor handling that weight (less than a waterbed).
The machine, minus stand, should be about 2 feet by 5 feet. Should be
easy to stand it up on a refrigerator dolly in any elevator that can handle
4 or 5 people.

Actually I was gonna say... anyone who would tackle the job
of grafting two lathe beds together (and that one web page
I saw really was nifty) could *certainly* figure out a way
to a) move a larger machine up an elevator and b) shoe-horn
it into a tight space.

And yes, I was the person who had a 9" atlas lathe (four
foot bed) in my kitchen when I lived in MA years ago.

Jim

==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at yktvmv (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

I've actually seen a machine shope extend their
turning length capacity by setting two identical
machines in precision alignment with eachother
end for end. These were in the size of 20"x80"
machines. Little bit bigger than the mini lathe.
Same principal though. This was a hydraulic
cylinder shop so I guess the extra length was
neede on occasion.


(David Heidary) wrote in message . com...
I am going to extend the distance between centers on my mini lathe to
about 34" by bolting down another lathe bed in line with the first
one. This will allow me to put the tail stock on the end of the second
bed. Being new at this, I would appreciate any hints at:

1) How to accurately line up the beds before bolting them down on the
table?
2) How to match/test centers in head and tail stocks? Given that I can
only do cutting on the first bed. The lead screw and the rack do not
extend to the second bed.

Thanks,

David Heidary

In article ,
says...

Careful here. Many 12x36 bench lathes weigh less, as I noted, but I
have seen and owned several that easily exceed that, including my old
prewar Sebastian.

Anyone with the werewithall to join two lathe beds like that
can figure out how heavy something is. Getting a slightly
larger machine like a 9 or 10 inch atlas, or long bed 9"
model A south bend, would be a better approach IMO.

Jim

==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at yktvmv (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

Actually I was gonna say... anyone who would tackle the job
of grafting two lathe beds together (and that one web page
I saw really was nifty) could *certainly* figure out a way
to a) move a larger machine up an elevator and b) shoe-horn
it into a tight space.

Especially when 6 inch atlas machines are pretty common and
pretty cheap. I saw a couple real nice ones at NAMES the
last 2 times I went. Dick Triemstra might have been the dealer.

A 7x20 myford would be real nice too! Dick has one of those
two. I even have a myford ML7 FS. 1950s vintage in real nice
shape.
chuck