Install new lathe, plinth required, timber OK?

I have apropriated an old belt-fed lathe, 40mm bore, aprox 36" centres. Legs and bed cast as one piece.
I need to raise it aprox 200mm (8") off concrete shed floor.
My questions are three:

1) Could I use end-grain (butcher block) sleepers to do this? - the advantage (to my mind) would be that the wood would absorb some vibration, however it may allow the bed to develop an harmonic at certain speeds/feeds?

2) I can concrete in H blocks and bolt it down to that, as I would if the floor was level and the correct height. - There's no real disadvantage to this that I can see

3) For levelling, would it be OK to use M14 bolts through the holes, with 3-4" washers underneath and level using the threads? An "adjustable feet" setup.
OR is it better to shim the entire length or the casting, and use bolts to clamp it down?


Bonus question: There's no manufacturers stamp in the casting that I've found, I will post pictures when I get to a PC, it has a brass? plaque with:
"W R
7 3 4 9"
Google doesn't turn up any information. I'm New Zealand based, and wonder if could have been made for "Wellington Railways" or something. Any help on ID is appreciated.

I used some 6 inch diameter heavy wall PVC pipe about 12 inches long. I filled them up with concrete and used some smaller pvc pipes to cast in holes for the hold down bolts. after the concrete dried I pulled the small pipes out. I left them in the big pipe so it looked more finished then my poor concrete skills would. When they had cured a few days and could be lifted I put them in a bucket and kept them underwater to cure for a week or so. Then I placed them on top of drop anchors with allthread about 13 inches above floor level and lowered the lathe unto them. Raising my lathe by 12 inches. I would have done 11 but 12 allows me to put a milk crate underneath full of bits and pieces for the lathe.
Bill D.

Hi, and thanks for the quick reply. What size lathe are you talking? I'm pretty handy with concrete and blockwork so there's no prob there. I think I'd have to go larger than 6" to support this lathe...

Harrison m300. 13x40 lathe weight 1750 pounds.
Bill D.

Also I should mention I'm particularly interested in any good reason NOT to use timber, either from experience or knowledge, As I quite like the idea of it.

Timber sure seems good enough to me. Only reason for it to need more would be if belt tension would be such that it will move the little guy around, and I'm just not seeing that - especially with a wood interface to the floor. The steel H beams or the cast bed would slide much easier.


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

I raised a 13" Southbend by pouring a small concrete pad for each end about six inches high. Easier on the back.
John

Only thing I can think of off hand would be potential for the wood to move about due to changes in humidity/liquids on the floor/ moisture moving through the slab. Don't know how particularly worried you are about level in or twisting of the bed but that would be a potential reason not to use wood.

Thanks for the input guys. Somehow wasn't subscribed to the thread so have only just got back to it.

Bill D said:

Harrison m300. 13x40 lathe weight 1750 pounds.
Bill D.

Click to expand...

Cool, pretty comparable in size, this might be a bit heavier though.

Gas Ax said:

Only thing I can think of off hand would be potential for the wood to move about due to changes in humidity/liquids on the floor/ moisture moving through the slab. Don't know how particularly worried you are about level in or twisting of the bed but that would be a potential reason not to use wood.

Click to expand...

Something to consider, for sure, I would have thought that laminated, clamped glued on-end grain would have been fairly solid in terms of twist and pretty controllable for level, but yep, it'd soak up liquid for sure. Maybe would have to pre-soak it all in cutting oil

All irrelevant now though as I got bored and mortared my blocks in, filled with concrete. I'm going to screed a levelling mix over them, then the mission of lifting the thing up there...

I've had to put lathes onto concrete plinths in the past with no overhead cranes or forklifts etc. I normally skate them into position lengthways with the base of the machine packed up to about 1.5" higher than the top of the plinth. Set the skates inboard from the edge of the headstock by about 12". Position the lathe over the edge of the plinth and put some 1.25" steel bars under the headstock end. Jack up the headstock end and remove the front skates, lower the headstock end onto the steel bars.

Manoeuvre the lathe into position on the bars at the front and the skates at the back and then do the same with the rear skates at the tailstock end. Roll the lathe on the steel bars into it's final position on the plinth. Either jack or crowbar the lathe up enough to remove the steel bars.

Of course it helps if the plinth is all one piece and not several separate plinths.

I had to do this once with a big 8 ton CNC chucking lathe on a floor that sloped downwards quite a lot, that was interesting !

Regards Tyrone.