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Questions For Moving a Free Clausing 5914

CutterComp

Plastic
Joined
Jul 5, 2019
I have the opportunity to obtain a Clausing 5914 for free, I just need to go get it. The scenario is an estate cleanout; I'm good friends with the sister of the man who owned it. He rented space in a factory and had the lathe there. Now that he has passed on, the factory wants it gone ASAP. The family said I can have it if I can move it.

I had the chance to look at it months ago. It seems to have only had light use, the vari-speed drive seems to work correctly and isn't too loud, although I noted the resevoir was empty. The ways seem to have little wear. Mind you, I wasn't investigating it too closely because this was before I knew I had a good chance of getting it. And unfortunately, it's an hour and a half away from here and access to the premises is difficult. Hence, I'm coming here with a few questions for other Clausing 5914 owners.

I'm planning to make a wooden frame on which to bolt the lathe. Basically, 4x4s running perpendicular to the bed that will be through bolted to the machine feet. I will also take 2x4s running parallel to the bed and lag them to the topside of the 4x4s as stabilizers. Heavy duty casters will be bolted to the underside of the 4x4s at all four corners. I will lift one end of the lathe at a time with an engine hoist to install the 4x4s/casters. My thought is to widen the footprint of the lathe to give it more stability because I know they're top heavy and weigh roughly 1600lbs. From there, I hope to roll it out of the building which involves a long ramp, a step over the door threshold, and a small step down onto the pavement. Then use a winch to pull it up the trailer ramps onto a car trailer and strap it down.

Questions:

1) Can someone give me an accurate measurement of the center to center distance between the two headstock feet (measured perpendicular to the bed)? And the same measurement for the two tailstock feet?

2) A measurement of the distance between the headstock and tailstock feet. I will need to have the lumber precut.

3) Do the leveling screws thread right out of the feet? What diameter are they? Need to know what size bolts I can use to bolt through the feet.

4) Other advice on moving this? Getting it onto the trailer with ramps, a winch, and engine hoist? No forklift will be available for loading. Pictures of how you moved yours would be great.

5) I know there was a Yahoo Group for Clausing Lathes but now Yahoo Groups is dead. Did that group move elsewhere? I want to be able to use that resource.

Thanks!
 
If you don't have machine moving talent just hire out the job.

making a dolly use through bolts, nuts, and lock washers. 3/8 or better..(bolt through not lag bolts)

Qt: {Getting it onto the trailer with ramps, a winch, and engine hoist?]
A local tow truck might lift it straight up and then offload for $100 / $200 bucks or so.

We have guys who rent a tractor for a couple hundred to offload hunting blind.

A ("Wide") sled made of 4x4s can drag along and is safer than homemade casters dolly..

photo of the like. (nice machine)
Clausing Model 5914 Metal Lathe 12X36 - $3400 (Peck) | Tools For Sale | Lewiston, ID | Shoppok
 
When out in the field and faced with this stuff, I usually plan on fabricating the skid on site. Bring your materials with out and a cordless circular saw or sawzall and a cordless impact. I use SPAX 1/4" diameter T30 drive screws for screwing together boards and blocking. Then ratchet straps for securing to the skid. I usually end up getting stuff at the spur of the moment, I just recognize that a trip or two to Home Depot is part of the game.

The tow truck is a good suggestion. $75 to $150 will usually get a tow truck to show up and do some random thing for you. Great for getting things off the ground and onto a trailer.

I agree with previous responder who suggested dragging versus wheels. Unless you are going to get hella stout wheels, you will have a hard time. Seems like you really only want about 1/4 of the "rated" load of a caster actually on that caster.

Most factories will have a pallet jack you can borrow.
 
Build the skid with 4 x 4 cross bars and 2 x 6 runners running length wise. dump the caster idea and use pipe rollers (you will need at least 3). Those lathes are not that heavy and the 2 x 6 lengthwise runners will be plenty stiff enough. Make the 4 x 4 (or 2 x 6) cross runners at least a foot wider than the base of the machine to give the whole thing more lateral stability ( read as this will make lathe harder to tip over). Put extra cross bars on the top of the long 2 x 6 runners at the very ends so you can bar the ends around and lift the ends as needed. Yes, you need a machinery bar to make your move easier. You can drag, roll or winch the machine onto a trailer or slideback at that point.
Good luck.
 
A) Make your perpendiculars 4" X 6" , not 4" x 4".

B) Make your longerons 4" X 4", not 2" X 6". IOW - plan to be able to get a pallet jack, trolley jack, or FL under it in case one happens to be made available -
Given it is THEY who want it "gone", and soonest, so they are TF over and DONE with it, that could happen, even if "unofficially".

- I'd still through-bolt it, but at least in the wider material you CAN use lags rather than through-bolts with lower-risk the crap timbers sold today will just split.

- FORGET "casters"! Nature of the beast to FAIL when side-loaded. And the buggers WILL manage to get theirselves sideways, every dam' time.

If you MUST roll, get you a pair of Northern Tool's cheap and cheerful Chinese machinery skates, place them at center mass, not the ends. You can then pivot-swivel to aim. Drag cleats are all you need to control tilt toward either end......and BOLT the skates in place, please! Gravity is dead-reliable, but a seriously fickle b***h as to finding ways to sneak wheelish-s**t out from under a load on uneven surfaces, read "all of them!"! Part of why center-mass single pairs beat four-corner two-pair rigs is that they are NOT likely to see one drift out from under a corner.

- Otherwise? Yes, skid-drag, not roll.

A sheet or two of hobby-rack galvanized steel and a spritz of oil for gliding over the rough spots, apply a pry bar, you can "aim" well, and off you go in the direction of your choice, snailing right along, no risk it will run away if you stop to take a s**t.

- No, no f*****g pipe rollers! Those are for use by experienced teams, minimum two sets of hands and eyes. Used single-handedly only by foolhardy amateurs ... or the weary OF's who have misplaced their OTHER suicide kits.

Simply put? Too DAMNED hard on a one-man job to apply their non-existent fixed suspension, brakes and steering!

:(

YES, to a wrecker call-out.

One-time use of a 6K or so H-F sling placed INSIDE the ways around a web, choker rope or chain to adjust long-axis tilt, and yer done in minutes.

Cost last-go was about $80 + another $20 "US Grant Presidential thank you note" (Monarch 10EE MG-era approx 3,200-3,300 Avoir- or roughly double the mass of the Clausing, is that?) ... and I was back on the road.

Same again to unload, BTW. Not as if you had to shell out the coin every MONTH.

When I need a FL, the drop & recovery charge is easily as great as a wrecker call-out. And then I have the day's FL rental as well.

Make it easy and JFDI with a wrecker & sling. One with hook, not a rollback, or course!
 
My manual says the distance between the holes is 17.5" front to back, and 36" for the 24" bed, or 36" for the 48" bed along the length. Overall length is 59 or 71"

PM me a phone number and I will text you a picture of the page.

You are correct that they are top-heavy, but not terrible to move around. I moved mine from its original location with some cheap dolly and a second guy. I used a come-along to pull it up on a small trailer with a tilt bed. It's really not bad.

I'd do the 2x6 perpendicular to the bed, and 4x4 runners for the length and roll it on pipes. You could probably lift the tailstock end by hand, enough to wedge a block under. A johnson bar and a bunch of 2x4 or 3/4" plywood for cribbing would also work for lifting it up.

Bring your battery powered impact and some lag bolts.
 
I see five foot long wheeled pry bars rated at 6600 pounds all over ebay. Is that long enough to be useful. I think good ones are closer to six feet long.
Bil lD
 
I see five foot long wheeled pry bars rated at 6600 pounds all over ebay. Is that long enough to be useful. I think good ones are closer to six feet long.
Bil lD

My Vestils are a tad OVER six feet for 5K rated, actually. Their design could be better. The pallet-jack type wheels are too large and too far back, and the pivot heel "spur" the same.

"Classical" ball-bearing-wheeled Oak "Johnson" bar, steel tongue, is far the more useful deal as far as turning a load or foot-sliding a proper shim, wedge, or toe-jack into place.
 
Never mind the details, Clausings can be fixed.

I'd just hire a rigger and just get the lathe before it vanishes. Make sure you have the chucks, steady and follow rests, tailstock, dog plates, adapter sleeve for the center in the spindle, and all the tooling. Note that the footpads tend to fall off. It nmay also come with a 5C collet setup.
 
See attached for dimensions from the fine manual. My 5914 seems to measure closer to 46.5" between feet along the length (manual says 47"), could not conveniently measure the other way; the manual says they are 19.75 under the headstock and 17.75 under the tailstock. I expect there to be some variance on these things so do not predrill.

If the adjustable feet are intact they have a 3/8" through hole. The adjuster part has a 3/4-something thread so probably need to go to 5/8" bolts to pass though.

I took my lathe apart to major components, most pieces are single man lift, bed is probably 250-300#, 2-man lift.
 

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Most such tie down bolts are grossly oversized compared to tensile strength. A 1/4-20 grade 2 bolt is rated at 1750 pounds tensile strength, 1049 shear. 3/8 is 4250 pounds tensile so 5/8 is way overkill. It really comes down to you probably can not find 1/4" bolts long enough to do the job even if one would be plenty strong enough. using four bolts any size that fits will be more then enough.
 
This is the skid I built to move my Clausing 1300 lathe:
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My 1300, I believe, is slightly newer than the lathe you’re after, but comparable in size and weight. I cut everything and did the counterbores for the 1/4” lags before I set out, but didn’t actually make the skid until I had everything sitting in front of the lathe. The crossbars went on the ground, the longer runners were spaced to let the lathes feet land in the middle and the lathe sat on top. The shop I bought the lathe from had a forklift to get the machine onto my skid and I left the leveling feet in place and ran lags through them into the skid.

In my case I was able to make use of a production company stake-body truck with lift gate to make the delivery to my shop. I’m fully aware that’s not an option for most and it was the only time I’ve been able to do so myself.

Most of my other large equipment has been found as locally as possible and I’ve eaten the cost of a truck in some fashion. I actually prefer rollback-style tow trucks as most lift gates are only good for a ton. The rollback winch, coupled with a solid skid and a pallet jack, has gotten several pieces of my equipment safely up onto the trucks bed and down and into my shop.

As others have mentioned, a pallet-jack is well-suited for the task you have ahead of you. I kept my lathe on that skid for over a year and it only came off to be replaced with a better, metal skid. It still picks easily on a pallet jack with some shuffling of the tail stock and carriage to achieve good balance.

The riskiest parts will be any time the machine has to go up or down. The lift onto your skid, the lift into and out of a truck, etc. I don’t mean to sound cavalier, but no lathe is in any danger of tipping over off its feet statically. Increase the footprint by no less than 6” and keep it as low as possible and you’ll be safe moving it along *mostly* level ground. I second all above, don’t bother with casters, not money well spent. Pallet jacks are designed for loads bigger than what you’re moving and are controllable and maneuverable. And if you get into trouble or don’t like what’s happening, the jack drops fast with a lever right where it should be.

I wish I had a good suggestion for actually getting the machine on your skid. You mention “factory”, which means a loading dock somewhere to me, but follow by saying the lathe will have to go down a ramp and over a threshold?!? Factory also tells me there’s hopefully a beam capable of holding the machine weight? Whether you can reach said beam with a chain hoist is another story. A cherry picker style engine lift *might* safely lift an end at a time. Whatever material you make the skid from, I’d recommend getting double so you’ll have dunnage to work with. I’d probably bring a sheet or two of 3/4” plywood, or 1 1/8” if I could find it and ditto above on the cordless kit. I’d bamboozle, connive or possibly just outright kidnap a truckload full of the strongest guys I know. The ones that pick up heavy things for FUN?!? Look on google and see if there’s a CrossFit gym close to the lathe. Tell them you’ve got something WAY better than a tractor tire and CHARGE those wackos to pick it up and put it wherever you ask them to!

No matter what you do, you’re going to have to spend SOME money getting this lathe under your roof.

Where there’s a will there’s a way, but plenty of smart, willing guys have hurt themselves or ruined equipment as well. You’re starting off in a better spot than I’ve ever been in as your machine hasn’t cost you anything yet but time and some synapses firing. If the machine is ready to run now it’s worth a least a grand possibly more to some and depending on geography. Me personally, if I could have it safely under MY roof for that number or less, I’d take that as a win. It won’t be worth much at all if it’s broken into pieces after a fall and it could be the most expensive free lathe that’s ever existed if it maims or kills you.


Here’s my absolute BEST idea:
Rent a 3k forklift from the equipment rental facility closest to you and have the delivery made to where the lathe is. Follow the rollback truck and your forklift for the day. Ask the drivers advice about moving the lathe. Make conversation as he’s unloading your forklift. Possibly con the driver into assisting you in some part of your venture. Slyly ask him where he’s headed. Fein surprise and slip in that you and your new machine are headed that same way. Offer him a couple of crispy, nice, new $100 bills to load your lathe and the forklift on HIS truck to your roof. He may turn you down at any stage of the game. My money says he doesn’t. My money says he’s happy to take your cash and may even beat you to the punch and OFFER any or all of this. My closest Sunbelt Rentals advertised a daily forklift rental at $300. I’d be prepared to see the three turn into a five. Another $2-300 if the driver takes the bait, plus the cost you were already gonna spend on materials to make the skid with. Your free lathe now costs $11-1200, a portion of which you were gonna spend no matter what. You’re still doing quite well in my book. I know several guys in Atlanta that would be happy to just BUY that lathe for $2k. There’s no need to throw money away, but I do recommend keeping in mind you’re blessed to be starting way ahead of the 8-ball.


Be safe and stay healthy




Jeremy
 
You can put it on a sling and hoist it with an engine hoist. If you have a trailer you can roll it right up. The whole thing only weighs 1200 lbs. Still, be careful the thing is tippy the center of gravity is somewhere at the bottom of the lathe bed.
 
I rented a Bobcat with wheels and forks when I received my 13” SB lathe.
If the doorway is big enough you should be able to drive in to pick it up.
I would put it on a skid 2ea 4x6 length wise and 2ea 4x4 cross wise.
If you can’t get the bobcat inside you can use a pallet jack to get it to the doorway. Make sure you strap the lathe to the forks and backplate before you move it with the Bobcat, they bounce.
Most rental places have them and will deliver and pick them up.
A lot cheaper than hiring a rigger and shipper.
 
I know others have probably already said to ditch the casters under the skid. Even wheels well rated for the weight will just put the load up high and make it much less stable.

Here is a lathe I just recently moved in similar fashion that probably weighed 5-6x more than the Clausing. A pallet jack under each end moved it to the door, and then winched onto the trailer simply sliding on the skid. If you need an aid to roll use pipes before trying the wheels.

I have all the equipment I needed to do this, and the confidence that I could do it without destroying the lathe or hurting anyone. I still called all the riggers in town to see if there would be availability before doing it myself. (It mostly just came down to too short of notice to hire it out) Even if you are determined that it needs to be moved by you it won't hurt to call around first for moving quotes.

I would also add that by the time you have rented a forklift or other heavy equipment you are likely often close to if not over what you can pay to just have it be handled by someone else.
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