# I killed my lathe today



## The Hobbyist (Apr 25, 2015)

My HFT reversible lathe is on wheels so it is easy to move around. Unfortunately, it is also top-heavy.

Well today, I saw what a 1/2" diameter piece of gravel could do.

The lathe tipped over and landed on the control knob, shoving it through the cast motor body. Even if I fixed the face by attaching a cover plate, the whole mount broke into a dozen pieces too. :frown: $300.00 shot to Hell. :crying:


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## Shop guy (Nov 22, 2012)

Bummer!


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

Spare parts for the next one?

Sorry it's unfixable, but save the good pieces.

Charley


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## N'awlins77 (Feb 25, 2011)

Dat sucks.... Sorry!!


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## OutoftheWoodwork (Oct 4, 2012)

OWIE!!!! Kinda like what happened with my drill press....


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## fire65 (Oct 29, 2008)

Dammmmnnn,,, that sucks. At least it did not fall on you.


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

Now you can get the one you really want!!

HJ


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## The Hobbyist (Apr 25, 2015)

honesttjohn said:


> Now you can get the one you really want!!





honesttjohn said:


> HJ


You know ... I was just thinking last night ... 

"If I buy another one, and take the BASES of both machines to a machine shop, could they cut the left end off of one, and the right end off of the other, and graft them together to give me a SIX-foot lathe? :wink:

Joe



.


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

That's enough to make a preacher cuss! >


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

A colleague once (in curing careless behavior once is a great teacher) tipped a large cast iron cabinet saw out the back of his truck. One can imagine the jigsaw puzzle that made. 

Sympathy Joe.


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## RÖENTGEEP (Feb 18, 2014)

fire65 said:


> Dammmmnnn,,, that sucks. At least it did not fall on you.


+1 :crying:


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Dang! Makes me think about how many tools are top heavy. I'm thinking it would be a good idea to bolt on a couple of 4x4s with casters to extend the base another 12-16 inches. Eats floor space, but it makes it much easier to keep the center of gravity within the base.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

The Hobbyist said:


> You know ... I was just thinking last night ...
> 
> "If I buy another one, and take the BASES of both machines to a machine shop, could they cut the left end off of one, and the right end off of the other, and graft them together to give me a SIX-foot lathe? :wink:
> 
> ...




Not a joke. When I was in my early twenties I got to know an old woodworker in his eighties. He had taken the bed off a dead lathe and mounted a good one and the dead one end to end on a wooden bench and had a lathe that would turn 8' columns.​


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

Ouch! Christmas wish-list filled out yet?


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

The Hobbyist said:


> You know ... I was just thinking last night ...
> 
> "If I buy another one, and take the BASES of both machines to a machine shop, could they cut the left end off of one, and the right end off of the other, and graft them together to give me a SIX-foot lathe? :wink:
> 
> ...




You most likely can, but a 6' lathe is hard to fit into most shops, and how many times will you really need a lathe that long. Railing balusters are the longest that I've ever needed to turn, and a lathe with 40" between the chuck and tail stock is more than enough. Perhaps, consider adding another 18" and not the full 36" as a balance between "too short" and "too long", but it's up to you and your available shop space.
I'll bet it would stop shop visitors in their tracks when they saw a 6' lathe though.

Charley​


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## The Hobbyist (Apr 25, 2015)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Not a joke. When I was in my early twenties I got to know an old woodworker in his eighties. He had taken the bed off a dead lathe and mounted a good one and the dead one end to end on a wooden bench and had a lathe that would turn 8' columns.


You know ... it NEVER occurred to me to simply mount the two lathe beds in line. That is exactly what I'm going to do. THANKS!!

Now to wait for one of those 25% off coupons so I can go buy a NEW lathe.

Joe


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Sorry to hear...glad you didn't get hurt...


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

Joe I know this sucks big time but I bet it will not happen again. The $300 you lost will make you be more aware. I know your lose will make me be more careful.


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## The Hobbyist (Apr 25, 2015)

hawkeye10 said:


> Joe I know this sucks big time but I bet it will not happen again. The $300 you lost will make you be more aware. I know your lose will make me be more careful.


The problem was that the wheels I used were too small in diameter. Those little wheels can be stopped by a fat nickel!

I just ordered several sets of 5" diameter wheels from Amazon. A really great deal at $30.00 for a set of (4), with two static casters, and two rotating casters equipped with brakes.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BYMFQQK/ref=pe_2313370_208328610_em_ti

I will eventually weld up steel bases for all of my rolling tools and shelving, and put these bigger wheels beneath them. That should solve the problem.

I know ... machines and shelving on _wheels?_ :surprise: Well, yes. I do put many things on wheels so they are easier to move around. I have several drill presses, band saws, metal cutters and such, along with shelving units, etc. I like the ability to move things around according to need. In that way, the radial arm saw doesn't need 30-feet of wall space. It can be right next to a drill press or another tool, and rolled out into position when needed. More importantly, if I choose to work on a large project, I can easily move everything out of the way by pushing them off to the side.

I will add solid legs to each dolly, so that a foot lever or some other mechanism can lift the load off of the wheels when placed in position for use.

One BIG mistake I learned about caster wheels is that you can't just bolt them on and expect things to work right. 

Two static and two rotating casters means ONE person can steer the machine while moving it. Four rotating casters makes it easier to position the machine, but creates a problem when you roll it down a sloped driveway, for instance. Gravity has the advantageu with four rotating casters.

Static casters touch down at one point directly beneath the mounting plate, while the rotating caster touch down on one point of the circle made by the wheel. When these circles are tucked too far under the load, and those wheels both rotate to the inner points, the machine becomes very unstable and prone to tipping over. 

The rotating casters need to be mounted so when they face each other, the contact points with the floor are at the minimum required width for stability.


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## vindaloo (May 30, 2009)

CharleyL said:


> ................. and how many times will you really need a lathe that long. ...............


Single piece snooker/pool cues?


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Single piece snooker/pool cues?

I haven't thought of Snooker for years, thanks for jogging my memory, a lot of fun times.
Herb


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## Dejure (Jul 27, 2009)

About the only tools in my shop without wheels are the miter and the cabinet saw. The cabinet saw would be, if UPS hadn't killed the one I bought off Amazon. Even my cabinets have wheels. 

Generally, the wheels are not to make the items easy to move for use and storage. Rather, they are so I can rearrange the shop easier. For example, when I bought the 8" spiral jointer, I had to move one of the dust collectors back, toward the parts storage area. Then, when I had to arrange to allow my carving machine, it got a new, mobile base and the router table and Router Crafter got rolled aside a bit to allow it.


"I know ... machines and shelving on wheels? Well, yes. I do put many things on wheels so they are easier to move around. I have several drill presses, band saws, metal cutters and such, along with shelving units, etc. I like the ability to move things around according to need. In that way, the radial arm saw doesn't need 30-feet of wall space. It can be right next to a drill press or another tool, and rolled out into position when needed. More importantly, if I choose to work on a large project, I can easily move everything out of the way by pushing them off to the side."


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## The Hobbyist (Apr 25, 2015)

CharleyL said:


> how many times will you really need a lathe that long.
> 
> Charley


I'm one of those, _"If a 2x4 will work, a 4x8 will work better!"_ kind of guys :wink:

Who knows. I might become the property with the purdy-est fence posts in Kentucky!

Joe



.


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## Dejure (Jul 27, 2009)

I'm with you. After all, that circular saw would be great if the blade reached down into a 4x just and extra few inches, the jig saw was running an eight inch blade, the mini lathe had just and extra ten inches of bed. . . . .

As it is now, the mini I bought, to see what this whole lathe thing is about, has become one of those oft used machines in my shop, but doesn't reach out quite enough. So, now, there is a Rockwell Delta 46-450 sitting to the right of it, waiting for a paint job......




The Hobbyist said:


> I'm one of those, _"If a 2x4 will work, a 4x8 will work better!"_ kind of guys :wink:
> 
> Who knows. I might become the property with the purdy-est fence posts in Kentucky!
> 
> ...


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