Concrete Base for Lathe ?

[wizer]

Right, so the new (very big and heavy) lathe is coming soon and I thought it might be a good idea to sort out the floor that it sits on. The concrete floor in my garage\workshop is very rough and uneven. The last lathe wasn't really as stable as i'd have liked. I had to use the adjustable levelers to their full extension and it wasn't ideal.

Screeding the whole garage would just be a complete nightmare. So I was thinking about making a kind of platform to take the lathe and me while I'm standing at it. The plan in my head is to use something like 18mm softwood to make a framework, level it and then pour some concrete in there. Then when the lathe comes I can drill through the new platform and fix it into the concrete below with some bolts.

Will this work, or do I have to do something to bond the 2 surfaces?

It's either that I just sit the lathe on some hardwood that's been leveled and grip filled in place.

 

[johnf]

Hi Wiser

that should work okay how thick concrete did you have in mind

the best way would be to dig up the floor in the area required and reconcrete a new slab that way the slab would be level with the existing floor.

 

[chris_d]

Drill a few holes (~10) and glue some 8-12mm threaded bar cut to a length that will leave them just below the finished surface of your plinth - these will prevent creep. Then use some chemical etchant (from screwfix) to remove the film of dirt from the existing floor.

Also, unless you expertly scribe the shuttering to the floor then remember to deal with the seepage points. If you eventually intend to remove the shuttering then don't forget to chamfer the edges of the plinth whilst the concrete is still wet for impact protection.

Cheers,
C

 

[chris_d]

Have you considered flooding the whole workshop with self levelling compound or is that impractical?

 

[CHJ]

If you have good measurements then you could drill fixing holes in your existing floor to take rag bolts, fit temporary wood dowels in these to the height of new base, then when you bolt lathe down though new base and into old floor everything will be secured.

If you need extra hight for centre of lathe so that you can stand more upright then don't raise base where you will want to stand.

 

[wizer]

cheers chaps. I was only thinking of making it 18mm thick\heigh.

Chris: I'd love to sort out the whole workshop but it'd mean removing all the have stuff and storing it at least over night. I thought about hiring a van, filling it and then parking it right up against the house. But it'd require the work to be done and finished in one weekend. Not a language I'm familiar with. (tho thinking about it, I do need to hire a van to get the lathe).

Chas: Good point about raising the lathe centre a bit. That's probably a wise idea. I guess exact measurements are possible before it's delivered but could still allow for error.

It would be nice (tho not absolutely essential) to put it straight into place when it's delivered. Otherwise I'll have to enlist the family to help me again to get it in place and I might be latheless even longer.

I think I'll make 2 shallow plinths to take each leg. Oh, what about some paving slabs leveled and then grip filled?

 

[Tom K]

Golly it hasn't been five minutes since you got the thing :shock:
Is it a Blister upgrade or something?

I don't know about lathes but with large compressors they used to suggest standing them on wood to dampen vibrations

 

[wizer]

yes it's an upgrade to a swiveling head lathe to help the B word.

Wood to dampen the vibration sounds sensible but I'm sure I've read that you shouldn't do this with a lathe? Would make life easier as I've got one or two pieces of pieces of wood...

 

[Steve Maskery]

Here's another option. I'm no expert on this, so feel uninhibited in slashing the idea to pieces.

You already have a concrete floor, right? This lathe-thingie has 4 legs, right?

You could drill 4 holes in your existing floor and bond four lengths of studding into it. Something big like M20.

Then you drill 4 holes 25mm in your lathe legs (well, the feet bit). Then you have two nuts for each leg, with some big washers, one above and one below the foot. By adjusting them you have a perfectly level machine that ain't goin' nowhere nohow notime soon.

I think that's how they get street lamps vertical, so it should be no problem for a little piddlin' lathe.

Easy, cheap, effective.

Go on, tell me I'm crazy.

S

 

[wizer]

Not sure Steve. Are you saying the weight of the lathe is taken by just 4 nuts or rather the thread of the bolt?

This is the lathe

Little Piddlin' it aint.

 

[Finial]

If you think you may need a floor standing tool rest try to include an area for that too.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Little Piddlin' it aint.

OK, but I bet it's not a lot heavier than, say, one of those CCTV cameras way up on a pole in the high street. Maybe it is, I have no data. But those things are adjusted in just the way I describe.

There must be better engineers than I on here to assess the idea.

I'd do it.

Cheers
Steve

PS OK, I'd put two in each big leg and one in each little leg. M25 if you prefer.

 

[Tom K]

O.K your crazy he will never hoist it onto the studding... not with his back :lol:

 

[wizer]

I like your wacky thinking Steve but I'd be worried about going this route. Mainly because of vibration. I'm less of an engineer than you but it just seems like the wrong way to do it.

 

[NickWelford]

An 18 or 25mm thin base covering would probably crack and come away from the underlying concrete. DAMHIK

 

[wizer]

Yes Nick I thought that might be the case. I can't really drill out the floor. So that leaves either wood or some sort of paving\concrete slab.

....or Steve's idea ...

 

[brianhabby]

If you only need it 18mm, why not just grip fill a suitably sized piece of 18mm ply to the floor. You can then drill through this into the concrete and bold the lathe down.

regards

Brian

 

[Night Train]

Here's another option. I'm no expert on this, so feel uninhibited in slashing the idea to pieces.

You already have a concrete floor, right? This lathe-thingie has 4 legs, right?

You could drill 4 holes in your existing floor and bond four lengths of studding into it. Something big like M20.

Then you drill 4 holes 25mm in your lathe legs (well, the feet bit). Then you have two nuts for each leg, with some big washers, one above and one below the foot. By adjusting them you have a perfectly level machine that ain't goin' nowhere nohow notime soon.

I think that's how they get street lamps vertical, so it should be no problem for a little piddlin' lathe.

Easy, cheap, effective.

Go on, tell me I'm crazy.

S

This would work and one M20 thread is pretty strong so four would be fine holding your lathe.

Essentially you have four bits of stud poking out of the existing slab. On each one you spin a nut down to the bottom then place a washer.
On top of that you place the lathe.
You can then turn each nut to get the lathe level.
Then place another washer and nut to lock it down.
If you are worried about the point loading on the lathe feet then you can place a steel plate onto the studs over the first washer to match the shape of the feet to spread the load.

To lift the lathe on to the studding I would place a couple of lengths of timber adjacent to the studs and higher then the studs and then rest the lathe on the timbers. You can then jiggle the lathe about until it lines up with the studs.
Then lift one end of the lathe and remove the timber so that it can be lowered onto the studs. Repeat at the other end.
The do the leveling.

 

[chris_d]

I'm with Brian if all you want is 18mm - easier to lift the lathe on to the ply sheet than the studs. You might need to take a masonry chisel to the worst of the unevenness on the floor otherwise the ply may rock/warp.

 

[matt]

The last thing I'd want to do in my workshop is introduce a step - even a small one, especially en-route to a machine. If it's just 18mm then I'd stick to keeping it under the lathe only rather than having a step for you to stand on too. Personally I'd just wedge the legs until it's level and then drill and bolt through the wedges - does it require any more than this?