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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
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    Tasmania
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    102

    Default A new stand for my Hercus lathe

    Hi guys,

    My poor old Hercus Model A has been dismantled and in storage for 3 years now due to moving house and me deciding that it will not be re-assembled until I have a decent stand to put it on. Well it has taken way longer than I hoped for but due to this virus pandemic and being sent home to work I now have a lot of extra time. So my lunch breaks have involved a lot of grinding and welding lately!

    I am going for the 'spanning beam' style of stand, the lathe with sit up on a piece of 200mm x 100mm RHS on top of the drip tray. The frame is 50mm SHS. All pieces scavenged cheaply from local scrap yards, and the drip tray was done by a local sheet metal place for $80 which I thought was reasonable.

    I am currently working on a drawer which will run on the ball bearing slides and it will have a shelf on the bottom. Will post some more pics as it progresses.

    20200415_171533.jpg

    20200415_172445.jpg

    20200427_131843.jpg

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2019
    Location
    Newcastle, AU
    Posts
    238

    Default

    Looks really good!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Werribee, Melbourne
    Posts
    177

    Default

    I got this from a friend 13 years ago - he built the stand and drip-tray about 20 years ago so the basic design is a solid one and will give you many years of service.
    Adding some sliding drawers has been on my 'to do' list for a long time.


    IMG_0050.jpg

    One thing he did that I found useful was to extend the plates on the bottom of the legs so you can add a temporary cross piece with casters - I was moving this from the garage to the shed at the time.
    These plates normally have adjustable feet fitted - visible in the drip-tray.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Tasmania
    Posts
    102

    Default

    That's a beauty! I like the extra width, plenty of space.

    I actually picked up an old hand trolley with solid rubber wheels when I was scrounging for scrap metal, to do exactly as you describe. So I can jack up one end and fit the wheels whenever I need to move it around. But I need the lathe in action first so I can make axles!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Tasmania
    Posts
    102

    Default

    I fitted the drawer up today. Runs rather nicely on the rails and I am very happy with it. I will have to take the drawer out and the rails back off when I do the final paint job though. Next task will be making the lower shelf and then cutting and welding in the back and side panels. That will really test my welding ability, I have some 1mm sheet metal for the job.

    20200430_143803.jpg

    20200430_143859.jpg

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Southern Flinders Ranges
    Posts
    1,536

    Default

    Coming along nicely, I like it

  7. #7
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
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    7,182

    Default

    Looks good!

    I would maybe have considered 2 narrower drawers located on either side of a space in the centre.

    The bigger the drawer and the more they are filled with tooling the more dangerous they becomes when closing.
    I have a set of large metal document drawers that are about the same size but half the depth of your drawer.
    These drawers run on arms with bearings but even when half filled with tooling and measuring gear and they start to close they have a fair momentum so they become potential finger crushers and have copped a couple of black nails from them.

    The reason for leaving a space in the centre is running a flood lube /coolant system usually requires a drain somewhere near the middle or at least middle-edge of the tray.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Tasmania
    Posts
    102

    Default

    Coolant is something I have never used or really know much about to be honest, but I could definitely work something out for it still. In regards to the drawer I can see what you mean once its loaded up, although these rails have soft closers and the gap at the top is pretty wide, you wouldn't jam you hand let alone a finger so i think I will be OK there. I am just tossing up whether I put 2 levels of shelves below or just 1.

  9. #9
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Feb 2006
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    Perth
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    Quote Originally Posted by ratters View Post
    Coolant is something I have never used or really know much about to be honest, but I could definitely work something out for it still. In regards to the drawer I can see what you mean once its loaded up, although these rails have soft closers and the gap at the top is pretty wide, you wouldn't jam you hand let alone a finger so i think I will be OK there. I am just tossing up whether I put 2 levels of shelves below or just 1.
    One way to get around needing a lube/coolant drain is to look at a coolant/lube misting system. I have one on my mill and I really like it as there's no reservoir/tank/pump required but it does require using a compressed air source so running a compressor. I also have the bits for another mister for my lathe but just haven't got around to installing it yet.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Revesby - Sydney Australia
    Age
    56
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    1,183

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by ratters View Post
    I am going for the 'spanning beam' style of stand
    Your beam is also supported in the middle, so it isn't really spanning? That is cheating!


    Here is mine (before I loaded it up with drawers and a drip tray):
    IMG_1408.jpg

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Tasmania
    Posts
    102

    Default

    Haha that is true now that you point it out!

    I was considering having the beam under the chip tray but decided I wanted the extra height above the tray. The trade off is that the drawer feels a little low. I've designed it so that the cross slide handle will be roughly at right angles with my elbow height.

    Sent from my SM-G986B using Tapatalk

  12. #12
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Feb 2006
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    Perth
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    No Biggie, but today I remembered another potential problem with full length drawer under the lathe is that drawers make it a bit tricker to place a safety switch at thigh/hip height for those moments when both hands get caught up in something

    nearlycomplete.jpg

    Wholelathe.jpg
    Attached Images Attached Images

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Tasmania
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    102

    Default

    Some more progress pics, it's coming along quite well now. The welding of the sheet metal back and sides was a challenge, in more ways than one. It took me a good bit of practice on scraps before I really worked out my welder settings and method, only to find once I did the real thing I was getting some warping. The first panel ended up looking a bit agricultural but fairly acceptable once the welds were ground down and painted. The drip tray warped a bit too. Lots of tack welds and then short beads all round got me over the line. As youtuber 'AvE' says - A grinder and paint makes me the welder I aint. Definitely applies here

    Went over the whole thing with a wire wheel on the angle grinder, then etch primer, and first coat of epoxy enamel. Worst time of the year to be spraying epoxy enamel, just started getting frosts, it took 48hrs to touch dry. Next coat will probably be a week later.

    20200515_140742.jpg

    20200515_210207.jpg

    20200516_152103.jpg

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Tasmania
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    A strange thing happened. After I welded the side panels and drip tray on there was some warpage of those pieces here and there, which must have induced stress into the frame. Prior to doing the paint it was sitting happily and planted on all 4 legs. Yesterday I went into the shed and discovered its rocking on 2 diagonal legs with about 3mm of height under the legs off the ground! I just find it odd that that was not immediately manifest after I welded it. Wont be hard to level it again but it sure gave me a surprise.

    The stand and beam are all painted up ready now, but with epoxy enamel paint being quite soft for a while after it dries I am just leaving things for a little while.

    This project has actually now diverged into a prerequisite side project, a parts washer. I really want to give all the parts of the lathe a good clean as I re-assemble it, some of them are hiding decades worth of grime and chips in the nooks and crannies.

    I have a very large old stainless steel sink trough which I will be using for the washer, I just need to knock up a frame. The plan will be to run a recirculating pump system with an automotive filter keeping the fluid clean, probably just low odour kerosene. I will throw a pic or 2 of that up when it materialises.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    York, North Yorkshire UK
    Posts
    6,436

    Default

    Hi Ratters,

    A strange thing happened. After I welded the side panels and drip tray on there was some warpage of those pieces here and there, which must have induced stress into the frame. Prior to doing the paint it was sitting happily and planted on all 4 legs. Yesterday I went into the shed and discovered its rocking on 2 diagonal legs with about 3mm of height under the legs off the ground! I just find it odd that that was not immediately manifest after I welded it. Wont be hard to level it again but it sure gave me a surprise.
    Expansion ! Particularly if its got the sun on it from one side.

    I have a plastic garden table that is nicely solid and level when the weather is poor, but when the sun comes up the table starts to rock which changes direction as the sun moves round. Actually quite annoying when you are having a glass and it starts to wobble.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

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