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Lathe Feet - Is This A Good Idea?

RonkPM

Plastic
Joined
Nov 2, 2012
Location
Auburn, WA
Hello all:

Looking for feedback if this is a good way to mount a wide-bed 9" lathe to a bench to give leveling capabilities. The bench it is going on is made of 2"x2" 1/8" wall steel tubing with a 3/8" plate steel top. Does it give you anything extra to tie the lathe into the bench or would leveling feet that do not attach to the bench be a better idea? Should I forego this plan for made up feet or will this do? Thanks in advance.

LatheMounting.jpg
 
If the feet are cast iron, how about a hardened washer on the top too?

Don't want the top nut digging in. Maybe a split lockwasher too? Or an elastic stop nut on top to prevent it from coming loose.

Steve
 
with the cast "feet" of the leg, and only , I would use a "washer"/disk with a diameter to support most of the flat of the foot, just to get under the change in direction of the foot from the angle to flat
 
The sheet aluminum worked well for my workshop lathe.It is 1/2" sheet with 1 1/2" schedule 80 legs.It has aluminum stiffeners side and across.The floor goes down abt 5/8" in the length of the table (40") so I have blocks under one end (5/8 SS)Both the back bolts have .010 shims,to get the bed in plane.The table is not bolted down,but the machine is very smoothe and quiet.Every time I check it it is still in plane.Im using a B&S precision level that shows .001/foot.
 
SteveM: I will definately add a washer on the top and will probably use a Nylock nut to hold it all together.

MJK: The hardened washers I have a quite large for being 3/8" washers. Around 1 1/2" diameter and 1/8" thick.

k3vyl: Sounds pretty stout. I used 1/2" bolts with hockey pucks to make the adjusting feet on my bench.

BTW...Here is the bench I built. The door was to get to the underdrive assembly on my recently sold 6" Atlas.
LatheBench_zpscba3e0a8.jpg
 








 
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