I am going to extend the distance between centers on my mini lathe to about 34" by bolting down another lathe bed in line with the first one. This will allow me to put the tail stock on the end of the second bed. Being new at this, I would appreciate any hints at:
1) How to accurately line up the beds before bolting them down on the table?
2) How to match/test centers in head and tail stocks? Given that I can only do cutting on the first bed. The lead screw and the rack do not extend to the second bed.
The best way to accomplish the goal you have set out to achieve is to:
a) raise mini-lathe up about two feet off of bench. b) translate it to the right about 5 feet. c) install larger lathe in location previously occupied by mini-lathe.
Jim
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Thanks for the comments everyone. I would have followed your advice if I could fit a 12x36 lathe into the elevator and get it up to my second floor apartment hopeing that the floor would not give in under the weight.
There are some lighter 12x36 models out there. Generally this is not considered an asset, but in you instance it might be. I would not hesitate at all to drag an old atlas into an apartment. Shouldn't exceed the weight of a bathtub full of water, a refrigerator, or a piano, for instance. In fact, getting it into your apartment would not be unlike a piano. I can carry my 10-42 atlas(bed length, not center to center). You can certainly continue on the path you previsouly selected, but oddball approaches like thisgenerally do not pay unless you have a very specific job that you will repeat very often and no alternatives. You have already identified the issue of carriage travel. Additionally,once you line everything up, you have the issue of how to mount the two beds so that their relative positions remain the same. A wooden bench isn't going to do it, since they will shift appreciably the first night from moisture or temperature. Never mind, that even if your building is solid concrete it will move as well. The best way to counteract this is to build a very substantial steel support. This steel support would end up giving you pretty much the same issues as a small 10-36 bench lathe or 12/36 bench lathe. Thus the answers you have been given to date.
In spite of my previous comment, I have to admit that's some pretty nice work there.
Jim
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is a related yahoo group, "for those who have stretched their original 7x10 or 7x12 mini-lathe to 7x24, those who already have and those who are part-way thru it". Not a highly-active group in terms of messages but you can see additional files and pictures.
and click on links. There are a lot of mini lathe sites, I remember someone had fastened two beds together. You should be able to find it through the links. Good luck
A 12x36 bench lathe will weigh under 1,000 pounds. There should be no worries about the floor handling that weight (less than a waterbed). The machine, minus stand, should be about 2 feet by 5 feet. Should be easy to stand it up on a refrigerator dolly in any elevator that can handle
Actually I was gonna say... anyone who would tackle the job of grafting two lathe beds together (and that one web page I saw really was nifty) could *certainly* figure out a way to a) move a larger machine up an elevator and b) shoe-horn it into a tight space.
And yes, I was the person who had a 9" atlas lathe (four foot bed) in my kitchen when I lived in MA years ago.
Jim
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I've actually seen a machine shope extend their turning length capacity by setting two identical machines in precision alignment with eachother end for end. These were in the size of 20"x80" machines. Little bit bigger than the mini lathe. Same principal though. This was a hydraulic cylinder shop so I guess the extra length was neede on occasion.
Anyone with the werewithall to join two lathe beds like that can figure out how heavy something is. Getting a slightly larger machine like a 9 or 10 inch atlas, or long bed 9" model A south bend, would be a better approach IMO.
Jim
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Especially when 6 inch atlas machines are pretty common and pretty cheap. I saw a couple real nice ones at NAMES the last 2 times I went. Dick Triemstra might have been the dealer.
A 7x20 myford would be real nice too! Dick has one of those two. I even have a myford ML7 FS. 1950s vintage in real nice shape. chuck
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