How not to lift a lathe !!!

Lifting from the spindle probably isn't as bad as it looks, but I'd draw the line at using the tailstock like that!

Tim

Having been a machine tool fitter most of my working life that is certainly not the way to lift a lathe, especially when you consider that the tailstock is relying on one bolt. I would ask to see the runout before I considered it.

Martin P

considered

I agree with all that's been said, however the 'official method' with a Student like that is a screw in lifting eye into the bed in a tapped hole provided for the purpose (which is usually packed with rusty swarf!), so again that's only one 'bolt'. The later Students and Masters are supposed to be lifted with an eye bolt that goes into a 'bedplate' that clamps across the ways.

AWEM

Eye catching first picture, first thing I thought was "have they just lifted that out of the dock" but then noticed there was no water running off it. At least I suppose they lifted it at the rear of the tailstock barrel where a slight bend would not be such an issue. I also guess from the fact that they got it back on the ground the tailstock lock works OK.

Regards

Keith

It's pretty common to put a strap under the spindle to lift a lathe and its close to where the centre of gravity is, so the strap under the tailstock spindle might not be as bad as it looks...especially since they are using straps and not chains.

Common, but very wrong Bob

The difference being the words lifting eye designed for the purpose.

Martin P , so again that's only one 'bolt'. The later Students and

mine was done like this

all the best..mark

I must admit that I have lifted an ML7 off and onto its stand by putting the gantry crane hook through a fixed steady located at the balance point. Fine adjustment of pitch and roll were made by positioning the carriage and cross slide. OTOH, an ML7 isn't very heavy at all, just a bit much for one person to manage with much control.

Mark Rand RTFN

Now if that's as I think it is VERY naughty as the strop is bearing on one of the feed shafts

AWEM

Perhaps you could be more explicit?

Tom

F'ing common and bl**dy wrong?

Mark Rand RTFM

Aren't expletives the last resort of the vocabulary impaired? :-) Or in this case the technologically impaired? :-)

Tom

What were you doing outside our house????

Tom -

If you can't figure out why this is wrong, maybe you are the one with the technological impairment

Regards, Tony

You may be right, Tony, now is your chance edify the technologically impaired amongst us, to what is wrong with the method of lifting that particular lathe. Or are you one of those "me too" brigade?

Tom

Well Colin Chapman of Lotus (a pretty decent engineer if rather too fond of focussing on weight reduction) used to say "You can lift a double decker bus on a 1/4" bolt". You could therefore easily lift a Colchester Student on one (Bus 7.5 tons, Lathe 3/4 ton).

Now I'm not very good at the complex maths of cutting forces and so on but is the loading on the spindle under a very heavy cut any more or less than a slow lifting of the 3/4" ton lathe? OK, It's designed for cutting forces and not lifting forces, that might contribute. I can quite see that it would be *bad practice* to lift on a spindle but is it actually that harmful? I'm not qualified to have an opinion but would like to know from those with more experience.

Charles

It's only harmful on 60 year old South Bends as it will affect their renowned ability to turn to 0.00001" over a 24" length .

Peter

I don't think it is so bad. Well, the sling on the tailstock doesn't look that good, but CG is close to the spindle (as others have noted already).

I lifted my lathe a similar way. Put some solid bar into the left end of the spindle and lifted it there (and near tailstock).

Forces? Well, look how much the lathe weights, get a bearing-mfg catalog and look up that bearing (static load). You'd be tempted to put some bus onto the lathe to get a bit more load.

Strap is close to the bearing, so very little momentum!

A quick check: Taper bearing, ID 45mm. Static load from 44000N to 102000N.

Nick