best way the mount a lathe

[tim]

Hi all
i have just bought a warco bv-20 without the stand , I need to make a bench for it, so what would be the best way and what material to use to avoid twisting the bed(lathe weight 140kgs). any ideas welcome

thanks

[steammadman]

Tim,
LOOK THROUGH BACK COPIES OF MODEL ENGINEER
you are sure to find a host of ideas

[chameleonrob]

easyweb.easynet.co.uk/%7echrish/homepage.htm

have a look on the techniques pages

[jackrae]

Hi Tim,
Noone seems to have given direct info so here goes

In a word - steel !

Build yourself a strudy framework out of "angle iron" say 2x2 with a decent set of feet.

If youve a solid concrete floor, great. However if your floor is a suspended wooden floor you either need to ensure the base of your steel frame spreads its weight over the whole enclosed area or you need to cut suitable holes so's you can make solid foundation lumps for your lathe frame to stand on.

I've seen lots of ideas about using wood and whilst I cannot critisise them I believe that wood is a living material that shrinks and expands depending upon humidity and temperature. For this reason alone I do not consider it ideal as a lathe bed - unless of course you're thinking of building it out of sleepers !

That should get you some responses
regards
Jack

[GeorgeRay]

Jack
I would agree with your advice unless you can afford to build a cabinet out of really thick block board. At least 3/4". I have just disposed of my old ML7 cabinet which was made out of that material and weighed more than the latest Myford Industrial stand. Normal plank and strip wood moves too much but blockboard because of its construction is more rigid.
The one advantage of this material is that its noise transmission into the structure is less. Chris Moores from Myford when he saw my cabinet thought that it was quite sufficient for my new Big Bore 7, however I needed a bit more space than the old cabinet allowed, it was actually bigger than it really needed to be.
Block board or perhaps kitchen worktop chipboard on a steel frame might actaully be the best of both worlds.

[catgate]

I had always assumed that the best way to mount a lathe was from the rear, using a pair of sturdy step ladders,and also wearing steel toed boots and a hard hat. (crampons optional).