Apartment lathe.

Larry on Lake Superior · Oct 25, 2019

I'm thinking about putting a 14-1/2 inch SB into a spare bedroom in my apartment. There is 230V circuit for a clothes dryer I can use. I want to switch the 2HP to a 3HP motor and use a static phase convertor. This should work to restore the loss caused by the static convertor.

The flat belt drive is very quiet but I wonder about quieting the power feed gear train. Any ideas?

I can drape the wall with a plastic drop cloth. I'd put 3/4 inch plywood under the leg and pedestal to spread the load. The rest of the floor would see thinner ply. I can get rubber roll roofing and cover all the plywood.

Has anyone else been silly enough to try this? If so, what was the outcome?

Thanks,
Larry

naru · Oct 25, 2019

Please tell me you’re on the ground floor... the way you talk about spreading the load on the floor scares me.

My concerns aside. Sure you could reengineer the system to make it quieter! Trash those straight cut spurs and replace them with proper helical cut gears! Jokes aside, I suppose having them 3D printed or recut in a plastic or acetal resin. For my old 13” the loudest parts are the reversing tumblers and the slide gear. The back gear is pretty noisy too but I think that might just be an improper adjustment.

Personally I think it’s a bad idea, it’s an accident waiting to happen. Keep watch of your power usage or someone might assume you’re a grower.

thermite · Oct 25, 2019

Larry on Lake Superior said:
I'm thinking about putting a 14-1/2 inch SB into a spare bedroom in my apartment. There is 230V circuit for a clothes dryer I can use. I want to switch the 2HP to a 3HP motor and use a static phase convertor. This should work to restore the loss caused by the static convertor.

The flat belt drive is very quiet but I wonder about quieting the power feed gear train. Any ideas?

I can drape the wall with a plastic drop cloth. I'd put 3/4 inch plywood under the leg and pedestal to spread the load. The rest of the floor would see thinner ply. I can get rubber roll roofing and cover all the plywood.

Has anyone else been silly enough to try this? If so, what was the outcome?

Thanks,
Larry

An @las 6 X 18 for some years. Trick was to run it in a shower stall or on a board across a bathtub for easier cleanup.

Gets fewer sharp and hard chips into the carpet... or the soft and gentle parts of the blanket-sharer.

Last static alleged-converter was easier and faster. Went directly to the landfill. Didn't need to make the same mistake even ONCE on that sort of lie. Only thing those are likely to grow off a power budget is rectal calluses.

Larry on Lake Superior · Oct 25, 2019

Floor is concrete. Spread load to save carpeting. No more accident prone than any other space. 3-4 extra kwh daily not noticeable. Hobby use. It has been a while since I've run a SB. Linen or canvas phenolic tumbler gear maybe possible.
Thanks for your input.
Larry

jim rozen · Oct 25, 2019

thermite said:
An @las 6 X 18 for some years.

My very first lathe was an altas 9" which I kept on a bench between the kitchen and the living room,
in our apartment in someville, ma. It was this one, with no back gears, but a unusual belt reduction setup.
1930s vintage.

Atlas 9-inch lathe

Larry on Lake Superior · Oct 25, 2019

You're too quick for me thermite.

Rubber covered floor would ease clean up. Would need to remove shoes when leaving room. Keep cordless phone in room.

Years ago I bought a milling attachment that you could mount to your lathe tool slide. The guy I bought it from had a 10 inch lathe and a 15 inch mill/drill in his inner city apartment. He was really accomplished. He held patents on artificial joints. As I recall they were for robotics as opposed to implantation. He was working on duplicating wrist function when I met him.

Why didn't the convertor meet your expectations?

Thanks,
Larry

thermite · Oct 25, 2019

jim rozen said:
thermite said:

An @las 6 X 18 for some years.

My very first lathe was an altas 9" which I kept on a bench between the kitchen and the living room,
in our apartment in someville, ma. It was this one, with no back gears, but a unusual belt reduction setup.
1930s vintage.

Atlas 9-inch lathe

Click to expand...

Most 'ere have had to get a job done with what we had, not what we wished we had.

That fool @las was bought 1968 or so as a "virgin" save that as a display model, Sears Landmark here in Nawthun Virgininya, it had some bustid Zamak handles and a patina of rust on the bed.

90 lbs avoir, for a guy used to 4-Way toolposts as went over 200 Avoir and WHAT a POS it turned out to be!

My need in the era had to do with customizing & experimenting with carbumotator jets and needles, most of all.

TWICE I hand-lapped the bed of that bugger arrow-straight. It would hold decent accuracy for all of about 20 hours of use, thereafter!

I don't think I had even a hundred power-on-hours on it when I dragged it out from under a bench - cowardly shite was hiding-out from the 10EE's - and handed it over to my handyman for its Iron value at the local recycler, chucks, faceplate, tooling and all.

Too lazy to dig a hole and bury it in the back garden as seed for growing my own 8 penny common nails. I like a better grade of nails, y'see.

Meanwhile, back in the saner world... an acquaintance back in the '70's and '80's had been looking down his nose off what is a very nice "apartment lathe" as would have been PERFECT for that metering-rod and jet work.

He ran a well-tooled Derbyshire "Model A", and hadn't even had to pay all that much for it.

Larry on Lake Superior · Oct 25, 2019

Jim,
Thanks for your thoughts and great pics. Lathes.co.uk is good for many enjoyable hours. I think SB made some v belt spindle drive lathes as did Sheldon. Never saw a v belt SB but knew a couple guys w/Sheldons. They were very happy campers. I'm sure if I had started with Sheldon lathes I'd have ended up w/their final generation 15 incher.

My first lathe was a loose change gear 9 or 10 inch Logan. Bless those w/patience for loose gears but they're not for me. Next was my 1st SB--an 11 incher w/ QCGB. I had more fun w/that 1 than any other tool I've ever owned. I quit replying to all the noob posts agonizing about their 1st lathe purchase.

My advice was always the same--read "In Praise of Old Clunkers" buy 1 and see if you like it.

I next bought a 13" SB--12" Hendey gear head--16" P&W--16" HES--12" P&W--and my final lathe the 14.5" SB. I think the P&Ws were hands down the best--the HES the most elegant and powerful. The 13" SB I think is the best hobby lathe. I bought the 14.5 inch machine because it was half the price of a comparable 13.
Well enough of an old farts ramblings.
Thanks for listening,
Larry

jim rozen · Oct 26, 2019

In my case I did not realize I was buying a piece of history from my co-worker at GTE labs at the time. It was just an
interesting piece of hardware that had a lot of problems. I think 100 dollars changed hands there. The poor machine
was missing a lot, no handle on the tailstock and the carriage traverse gearbox was missing. Only a few change gears
came with it.

At the time I could, and did, purchase original new zamac gears and the traverse gearbox from the Clausing Service Center in
some far off land. Brand new. For a 1930s lathe. Think about it.

The landlord was mildly concerned about its existence in the kitchen hallway but not enough to jam things up. I learned how
to run and repair machine tools at the same time. And oh, the lathe came with the classic "How to Run a Lathe" book. The
machine also prompted me to take several semesters of a machining course at Minuteman Tech in Lexington. Where I
realized there was entire universe of crazy folks who did this.

And, remember, all of this was before the internet, around 1982.

Larry on Lake Superior · Oct 29, 2019

Never mind. Too many problems. In a rental house I think it would be possible. In an apartment--not so much.

The apartment I'm renting is on the 1st floor above the grade level garage. The garage ceiling is concrete with all kinds of pipes, conduits, etc. suspended from it. Floor to ceiling is about 12'. There are concrete pillars about every 20-24'.
The lathe was going to be placed parallel to and 1' from an exterior wall. I'm sure the floor is adequate but the carpeting would be toast.

My next rental will have an attached garage or a walk out basement.

I appreciate all your replies.

Thanks,
Larry

Tony Quiring · Oct 29, 2019

Stop!

Visit building department and check for your floor loading.

Concrete means zip.

Residential load rating likely less than 150 pounds per square ft.

Lathe has 2 feet at ole end and 4 sq ft base at other.

The tail stock end has point loads as the feet are small.

Less weight there.

Head stock very heavy, 150 x 4 is 600, the headstock far exceeds 600 pounds.

Tail stock per foot weight likely a couple hundred each when leveled.

It is stable but also heavy in its own.

We made a truss box consisting of 2x10 on edge glued and screwed between sheets of 1.125 sheet to spread out a concentrated load in an upper floor office.

Self engineered but a "suit" who did not like me sent it out for checking, many dollars later it as approved as was and loading less than residential.

For motor leave original and get a 3 hp vfd.

Ours has rpm to mpr (minutes per revolution) in back gear and plenty of low speed power.

No idler noise and sift start reduces light dimming on motor start.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

MichaelP · Oct 29, 2019

I can imagine a look on your landlord's face when he sees a 14" SB and all the plastic tarps and roofing rubber.

jim rozen · Oct 30, 2019

"Residential load rating likely less than 150 pounds per square ft."

I know guys if they stood one foot, they'd break that number....

Larry on Lake Superior · Nov 1, 2019

I used to work for a utility company. The odd things one comes across are never ending.
1. Friendly neighbors. They knocked out sheetrock between 2 studs so they didn't have to go out the door to visit.
2. Raising Great Danes in the basement. Rental home 60 ft. lot. Basement was divided by chain link fencing. I think there were 3 adults plus pups. It was amazingly clean. I didn't ask about excrement disposal but there must have been massive amounts.
3.Housing project for recent immigrants. Residents were burning the hair off of a dog they were preparing to eat. This was being done in the kitchen.
I could go on and on. My wife was a child protection social worker and she had hair raising stories as well.
What's wrong with plastic film to protect the walls? Why do you think there are hard floors in kitchen and bath?
The reason I gave up on this idea is because the load MAY cause cracks in the drywall. I'm 75 and I can't think of one instance of a residential floor failing catastrophically. I read and read and by code aquariums and gun safes probably are in violation. It's amazing how seemingly fragile our residences are.
These people who claim they have plenty of power at 6 Hz must have very small needs. A quick glance at horsepower formulas shows that if the torque is constant the power will decline in a linear manner i.e. 2HP at 60Hz--1HP at 30Hz--.5HP at 15Hz etc.
Calm down guys--I'm not doing it.

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