Mini lathe bench

[smntikParticipant @smntik]

Hi!

I installed previously my Optimum 1503V mini lathe on a bench with a rubber mat between the surface of the bench and the base of my lathe.

I read a time ago that it was good for get rid of vibrations but now I am really worry in case it could add some undesirable movements to the mini lathe.

My question is: should I take it off of can I deal with it without having problems? (It would spend a time to remove it and I barely have it)

Other question is that the wood that is on the iron bench is only 2,5 mm (1 inch) thick. Is it enough for a 23 kg lathe?

Thanks in advance,

Ruben

[smntikParticipant @smntik]

Sorry, I forgot to attach pictures:

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

The important thing about the bench is rigidity rather than strength.   23kg isn’t all that heavy, but a simple bench plenty strong enough to support that weight might wobble, side to side and front to back.    How the legs are supported matters more than the top’s thickness.

My mini-lathe came with rubber feet, and I ran it plonked down on a simple wooden bench, rear and one side fixed to wall, with 2×4″ braced legs at the front.   As the top was only 12mm pine, I added a section of kitchen worktop as well, screwed down, about 38mm total.  It was fine.   I also used it a few times on an ordinary flimsy kitchen table;  that was OK too.

The manual recommends bolting the lathe down for extra rigidity, but so far as I could tell doing so made no difference.  More convenient not to bolt it down, because then the lathe could be slid out of the way.

Are you getting chatter?  If so, might be due to a wobbly bench, but more likely excessive tool or job overhang, or maybe a blunt tool or difficult material.

Dave

PS.  Now I’ve seen the pictures, the bench looks satisfactory to me, though cross-bracing the sides and back would stiffen it up good and proper!

 

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

The importtance is that when machining, or measuring, that things are as rigid as possible.

If it is waving in the breeze, it will be neither accurate nor consistent.

A rubber mat will reduce noise, but will not be as rigid as bolting to a strong, rigid bench, because the mat is very slightly flexible.

A mini lathe sitting on rubber feet, might be better than one twisted by being bolted firnly, to a solid bench.

IMO the bench should be rigid, which implies strong, and should allow the lathe to be bolted down without any twist in the bed (if twisted, parallel turning will be difficult, if not imposible.  How accurate do you wish to be?)

See Ian Bradley’s “The Amateur’s Workshop” or his “Myford Seven Series Manual” for details (Sometimes known as “Rollie’s Dad’s Method)

But remember that a £800 lathe will not produce the results to match a £50K+ Toolroom lathe.

Howard

[HuubParticipant @huub]

I agree, rigidity is very important. Mounting a solid cast iron frame to any thing else than a rigid cast iron support will not add much rigidity.

My mini lathe rest on its 4 rubber feet. I take it with me to give demonstrations. When I turn a diameter, it won’t be off by more than 0.01 mm compared to the results at home.
My larger lathe is positioned on a light weight steel frame with a 40 mm wooden top. It is not bolted down, just secured to prevent it falling off the table.

As soon as you bolt a lathe to a solid and rigid support, you could twist the frame. So you have to precisely align (level the feet) the lathe using shims or adjustable feet.

If a lathe is so large and heavy that is has more than 4 feet you need to bolt it to the floor and align the feet. Then these feet will be far apart so that you really can untwist the bed by putting some “stress” on the feet.

[Robert Atkinson 2Participant @robertatkinson2]

The bench looks more than adequate for a lathe of that size. Given apparent welded construction and size of members it is probably stiff enough. If you did want to stiffen it up you could add a diaphram to the back and one or both sides. Basically a relatively thin sheet covering the retangular openings in the frame and firmly fastened to the box section by multiple blind rivets or threaded fasteners. This tould only be worth it if you can visibly wobble the top of the stand with manual force on the top.
Rubber mat should be fine as long as the lathe mounting surfaces are covering multiple rubber disks.

Robert.

[Martin of WickParticipant @martinofwick]

At that size of lathe (5×10) you are fine with what you have. Just check the lathe is well supported by the rubber and not wobbling about on the edge of the raised area of rubber pimples (a totally flat sheet may be better).

As pointed out, if you can shake the bench about  by hand, you may want to stiffen, but only because it is more pleasant to work on a surface than is not shaking about beneath you. It will make little difference to the working of the lathe.

I have a similar size EW lathe and a 7×14 Chinese minilathe. Both are bolted to suitably sized base units of cast off 40mm  chipboard kitchen worktop (note chipboard and not laminated wood, which will warp like a good ‘un). 6mm rubber has been stuck to the bottom of the worktop base pieces. This arrangement allows the whole unit, base, lathe, workpiece, tooling, associated swarf etc, to be picked up and plonked down on any convenient bench top / worksurface / table top etc, or dumped on the floor, shoved in a cupboard and so on as required (have even used a B&D workmate as a bench…Yeeech!).

The mass of the chipboard is very good at absorbing vibration and the rubber stops the unit skittering about when in use. Absolutely no need to bolt lathes of this size to the centre of the earth!

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