Wheels for a lathe bench, yes or no?

[Navy_Guns]

I just brought home a South Bend model A 9" x 3 1/2' lathe. I found a Little Giant 30" x 48" metal workbench online for about $250 that has hard urethane castor wheels with brakes. I think having the lathe on a moveable base would be nice in my small basement. Are there any reasons why this would cause problems? I figure the lathe itself is so stiff that wheels on the bench wouldn't be an issue.

And it's not off topic, I'll be using the lathe to do barrel threading as soon as I get it up off the basement floor.

 

[dirtyjim]

as long as all four wheels are lockable and very heavy duty i don't think it would be much of a problem.
the problem i see is having to relevel the lathe every time you move it so it doesn't cut a taper

 

[Onmilo]

+1 A fixed bench is best option for a lathe or mill.
There should be no reason to move the lathe once it is positioned and trued.

 

[montveil]

I assume you have limited space and use the lathe occasionally. .
I have found that if you have adjustable legs repositioning is made easier. A multi directional 4 wheeled dolly placed under the base and elevated with wedges to clear the floor will allow movement. When you get to your new location remove the wedges, re level and you also have a dolly for other uses

 

[rcmodel]

I sure wouldn't.
Everything top heavy I have on wheels in the shop trips on something and falls over occasionally.

I sure as heck wouldn't want a South Bend lathe falling over on me!!

Not to mention keeping it leveled and running true.

rc

 

[dfariswheel]

The problem with wheels are that no matter how good they are the lathe is going to have vibration.
This will cause all sorts of problems from chattering bits to broken bits and on.

Lathes simply aren't designed to be moved once set up.

 

[Navy_Guns]

OK, so it's a bad idea. Thanks for saving me the trouble folks!

 

[Clark]

No one approves, but for gunsmithing, I think it is better.

When I moved my old lathe around the shop, it fell over and broke.

Now I can move it around, and it will not fall over, even in an earth quake.

 

[Navy_Guns]

Clark, you are still my hero!

 

[Pokyman]

Sounds as though you have decided against wheels for your lathe. However, if you do decide to go that route, urethane wheels are a bad idea. The urethane will develop a flat spot and will make it difficult to start to roll. If you go with casters, use steel or cast iron wheels. They roll easier and lessen the chance of tipping your machine over.

 

[rondog]

Nearly everything in my garage is on wheels, bead blaster, parts washer, benches, etc., and it's wonderful to be able to move things around at will. But as a former machinist, I don't think I'd do that with a lathe or mill. They need to be set, level and stable.

JMHO.

 

[Ruger GP100 fan]

In the machine shop where I used to work I've had full-size production lathes pull themselves clear out of the floor. They were always held down by bolts embedded in the concrete floor,but if it ain't level or all corners loaded the same or something out of balance a lathe can become an animal. A guy I worked with had a huge chuck actuator come clear off at about 2000RPM. The only thing that saved him was an electrical cabinet. Needless to say he had to retreat to the locker room to change pants.

 

[Clark]

My brother worked for years at JC Manufacturing:
http://jcmfg.net/

They have lots of big machines and do very accurate work on hard to cut materials.
No machines are leveled there. They are all on felt pads on concrete floor.

 

[HisSoldier]

They have lots of big machines and do very accurate work on hard to cut materials.
No machines are leveled there. They are all on felt pads on concrete floor.

There are reasons for leveling and securing a lathe to a thick slab of concrete. I've seen all kinds of carelessness and poor handling of machine tools over the years, usually by people who have no understanding of the history of machine tools nor respect for the great men who invented and improved them.

For me setting up a lathe requires a master precision level and usually takes two days. The final source of info would probably be the manufacturer's manual, but short of that "Reconditioning Machine Tools" by Connelly would be a good source.

 

[Ruger GP100 fan]

I suspect the problems I encountered were due to improper install,perhaps bolting down solid sealing the fate of that machine's coming loose at some point. I can see where simply setting it on felt pads unattached would have been superior. But,then,no one ever accused that shop of doing anything right