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265417 | Claudio DeLorenzi <claudio@d...> | 2018‑03‑14 | Concrete casting to mount an antique metal lathe... |
New topic: has anyone here used concrete to mount a lathe? If so, please email me off list (since it’s not hand tool related) Claudio |
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265451 | james rich <jameslrich3@g...> | 2018‑03‑15 | Re: Concrete casting to mount an antique metal lathe... |
It is if you mix it with a hoe in a wheelbarrow |
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265463 | Michael Suwczinsky <nicknaylo@g...> | 2018‑03‑16 | Re: Concrete casting to mount an antique metal lathe... |
With a shovel! On Thu, Mar 15, 2018 at 4:59 PM, james rich |
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265464 | Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> | 2018‑03‑16 | Re: Concrete casting to mount an antique metal lathe... |
Stop! You’re both right. I use a shovel to start and a hoe to maintain Ed Minch |
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265467 | scott grandstaff <scottg@s...> | 2018‑03‑16 | Re: Concrete casting to mount an antique metal lathe... |
On 3/16/2018 8:45 AM, Ed Minch wrote: > Stop! You’re both right. I use a shovel to start and a hoe to maintain > > Ed Minch Exactly right I have a hoe with big holes in the blade for this. Nope, I never set a lathe stand in concrete. But I have set many much heavier machines in concrete. Its basically like any other concrete trowling job except more finiky. Make good use of your level and straightedges! Its more about the mud than the trowling really. Use plenty of cement and do not make it too wet. It doesn't have to be miserable unworkable dry, but damn near. yours Scott |
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265469 | Claudio DeLorenzi <claudio@d...> | 2018‑03‑16 | Re: Concrete casting to mount an antique metal lathe... |
Hi Guys: Re: making a base for a metal lathe I have a cabinet that it rests on, and it's just basically mounted on a couple of sheets of plywood. I would rather it be mounted on a rigid base to permit leveling of the lathe (ie removing twist), preferably some thick steel plate, but since I can't find any cold rolled plate at a reasonable cost, I thought why not try some concrete? In about 1990, I put some sand and concrete on the shelf beneath an inexpensive "RecordPower" wood lathe, that really improved performance (weight, rigidity, and absorbed the harmonics and whatever), and I've read that the Gingery Lathe guys are using concrete bases for their home foundry cast aluminum lathes. I was hoping that someone on the list had direct experience with doing this sort of thing, and whether to use simple 9 g ladder wire reinforcement or integral glass fiber mixed in with the concrete, or whether to use the "countertop" mixes that have those sorts of things built in, or any other useful suggestions (esp what NOT to do). My thought was to cast about a 3 inch thick base with some cast in place studs for mounting the lathe. I would simply lay this slab on top of the plywood cabinet top, relying on the rigidity of the concrete to hold the lathe ways flat (after I have taken any twist out with the hold down bolts). I'm not sure if concrete "moves" with ambient moisture changes- I just don't know much about concrete since I have personally only used it to hold up clotheslines & fenceposts and the occasional small stair landing. I did ask for responses off list, so as to not offend those woodworker only Galoots (even though every single Galoot treasures metal tools, each tool consisting of parts made either directly or indirectly on a metal cutting lathe... the several thousand year old mother of all tools). Claudio |
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265470 | <gtgrouch@r...> | 2018‑03‑16 | Re: Concrete casting to mount an antique metal lathe... |
I agree with Scott: the drier the mix the better, as long as it has sufficient moisture to be completely wet. You want almost no slump. I personally like the fiberglass admix, but I also use rebar or 6-6-10-10 mesh about two inches up from the bottom. Once it is cured, there will be virtually no shifting. Personally, I think 3" is too thin. I usually pour a minimum of 4" and I use 6" where strength is critical. It's not clear to me whether or not you intend for this to be movable when completed. If it is to be moved, I would definitely go with something thicker than 3". Good luck, Gary Katsanis Albion New York, USA ---- Claudio DeLorenzi |
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265474 | Claudio DeLorenzi <claudio@d...> | 2018‑03‑16 | Re: Concrete casting to mount an antique metal lathe... |
This is for a tiny modeller's lathe, the center height is 3 1/2" (7" swing) and it only weighs maybe 220 lbs including the 'lectrical part. You might laugh, but it sits on my old patient exam table (overbuilt, welded steel cabinet construction made by Imperial Surgical in Toronto in about 1950, back when we still made good stuff in Canada) I bought this exam table used for $50 when I was flat broke, married with children, and just starting out life. When I upgraded my office stuff to new stuff, it was too good to throw out, but not really good enough for a doctor to use, so it went into my workshop, then it became the minilathe table. Because everything in my shop (except my work benches are mobile), this is also on industrial casters. I want to make the little thing a bit more solid and rigid because I've decided to rebuild/rescrape it, and just testing whether to get a new spindle while they are still available. So far we have: Gary's recommendations to go to thicker and Scott saying to use a dryish mix. Also, maybe cover it to let it dry slowly in my heated shop- is this still recommended, to let concrete cure slowly? Oh well, I should just get on with it. Worst case, a bad casting will be a small table by the fire pit to put cold drinks on in the summer time. To put the size into perspective, this thing only needs a base of 1 foot by 3 feet or so- I just want it to have torsional stabilty, to prevent any twist on the ways, and the concrete "slabette" is just going to sit on some plywood on a steel table (which is on wheels- not ideal for a metal lathe). Claudio |
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265475 | Kirk Eppler <eppler.kirk@g...> | 2018‑03‑16 | Re: Concrete casting to mount an antique metal lathe... |
Why not just throw a bag of concrete (or three) on the plywood, and be done Just add weight to the portable table, and let the table be the stiffness. On Fri, Mar 16, 2018 at 1:23 PM, Claudio DeLorenzi |
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265477 | james rich <jameslrich3@g...> | 2018‑03‑16 | Re: Concrete casting to mount an antique metal lathe... |
Wouldn't the Hoe and shovel get in the way? |
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265484 | "yorkshireman@y..." <yorkshireman@y...> | 2018‑03‑17 | Re: Concrete casting to mount an antique metal lathe... |
Claudio confesses…. (snippage) > On 16 Mar 2018, at 20:23, Claudio DeLorenzi |
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265485 | Claudio DeLorenzi <claudio@d...> | 2018‑03‑17 | Re: Concrete casting to mount an antique metal lathe... |
Richard makes some very good points: snip ‘ to mount the lathe on a rigid steel plate’. I did ask a local fabricator, and he quoted me more than $1500 dollars to make the basic bones of a Myford lathe table and tray (square, not hexagonal as the originals were). That seemed a bit rich by Galoot terms. I then tried to find a drop of ¾” or 1” thick cold rolled plate, and my local steel people said I had to buy a whole sheet of it, don’t have any cut-offs available. So, this is why I’m here asking about concrete. Reading about concrete. Did you know Romans had different kinds for different purposes? The mixed some of the lightest, foamy, volcanic rock to make the top of the dome of a building that’s still standing in Rome. They used denser aggregate in the supporting lower parts. Hmmm. Apparently concrete was around even before the Romans. How cool is that? Anyway, I will never learn enough about it just reading books though, which is why I came to the Galoot knowledge base... real experience is key to doing anything, and it takes far fewer iterations (tries, Jeff) to be successful if you have some good coaching... Claudio |
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