Thread: Small Lathe Lifting

Forgive me if this sounds dumb but am a newbie to this group
Have decided to get into model making after not having touched a lathe or mill since I was about 18 ( 50 years fly by )
Have just bought an Optimum small lathe from H and F
The base is manhandleable !! - but the lathe itself weighs about 200kg and its going to be a tight fit into my shed
Intend picking up on a trailer and then using an engine lift to pick it up and put it on the base
Can anyone point me in the direction of info as to where best to sling from - recognise need to keep slings clear of the screws and handles
For the history buffs - thats my dad at Joseph Lucas leaning on his trusty Dean Smith and Grace

Thanks Rumble

If the manual is any good it should tell you where to lift the lathe from,

BTW instead of "Australia" its probably better to provide a city/town/region as your location. This will give you forum responses more relevant to your location.

Originally Posted by BobL

If the manual is any good it should tell you where to lift the lathe from,

BTW instead of "Australia" its probably better to provide a city/town/region as your location. This will give you forum responses more relevant to your location.

Thanks Bob
Like to preplan and figured the guys on this forum would have done it better - some great advice in the threads
Were both in Perth by the look of it

Rumble

When I was a storesman for a small machinery shop, we slung one around the chuck (choker not basket hitch with the sling), and one around the end of the bed whereever the sling wouldn't move from.

Ahoy from Perth as well

Hi Rumble,

This was how I slung my AL356 lathe.

Dave
257.jpg

I used a length of 30mm rod at one end and a 10mm eyebolt (into the endstop) on the other end, just to lift the lathe.

When I removed the previous Lathe/Mill Combo (HQ500), I placed 2 lengths of 16mm re-bar through the lifting holes in the bed, and slung it from them, very stable.


Peter

Dave
Much appreciate the reply
Yours is a much bigger brute but the process will work the same
Regards
Rumble

Originally Posted by dmac666

Hi Rumble,

This was how I slung my AL356 lathe.

Dave
257.jpg

When I did my apprenticeship (40 years ago) we were taught that lifting a lathe by the spindle was a big no no.
Due to potential damage to the spindle and bearings. There were a lot more old lathes with plain spindle bearings around then so maybe that was the reasoning. However, personally, I wouldn't like to put all that weight hanging off the top of the headstock. That's just me though.
When ever I lift mine I sling it around the bed just in front of the headstock, with hard wood blocks between the feed and lead screws to hold the sling off them. Then I use a rope ( or a come along, chain pull etc even a big ratchet strap as its only a little machine) from the crane hook to the tailstock end to adjust the balance.
No weight on the headstock at all.

peter

The guy that moved mine ran a sling under the bed and used timber blocks in the same way. He then crossed the sling over the bed, then ran it up each side of the spindle behind the chuck. On the tail stock end he went down through the bed looped it around a large web with a shackle. Both slings ends went up to a steal beam that could be setup to adjust for balance.
When he off loaded at my place he dropped it onto four skates and we pushed it 15m to the corner of the shed where it has been for 20 + years.
The whole thing was very professional and glad I paid the extra. At approx 1300kgs there was no way I was going to do this myself.

[QUOTE=bollie7;1959623]When I did my apprenticeship (40 years ago) we were taught that lifting a lathe by the spindle was a big no no.
Due to potential damage to the spindle and bearings. There were a lot more old lathes with plain spindle bearings around then so maybe that was the reasoning. However, personally, I wouldn't like to put all that weight hanging off the top of the headstock. That's just me though.
When ever I lift mine I sling it around the bed just in front of the headstock, with hard wood blocks between the feed and lead screws to hold the sling off them. Then I use a rope ( or a come along, chain pull etc even a big ratchet strap as its only a little machine) from the crane hook to the tailstock end to adjust the balance.
No weight on the headstock at all.

Peter
Its interesting that not many people have this concern - think your solution will work fine for this as its only a small lathe

Russell

Originally Posted by bts

The guy that moved mine ran a sling under the bed and used timber blocks in the same way. He then crossed the sling over the bed, then ran it up each side of the spindle behind the chuck. On the tail stock end he went down through the bed looped it around a large web with a shackle. Both slings ends went up to a steal beam that could be setup to adjust for balance.
When he off loaded at my place he dropped it onto four skates and we pushed it 15m to the corner of the shed where it has been for 20 + years.
The whole thing was very professional and glad I paid the extra. At approx 1300kgs there was no way I was going to do this myself.

Cheers
This way the spindle is only stabilizing not doing the lifting !! sounds like a plan

Rumble

I have an Optimum 3008G and the manual states to sling from the bed webbing. If you do this just be careful of the lathe rotating!
Enjoy the new lathe.

My Men's Shed purchased a lathe from H&F this year, bigger model than yours but the method will probably be the same.

If you ask the staff at H&F how to sling it, they will explain which is the correct way. This is what we did and it worked out quite well.

We had it delivered on a crane truck and it was dropped onto a purpose built trolley, which we quickly whipped up just for this job. Dismantling it after the event.

Getting it in place in the shed was another issue, however by whipping up a gantry from some timber laying around, we did it comfortably. We positioned the lathe on the trolley under the gantry then used a block and tackle to lift then deposit; easy as.

The way this lathe is slung is the correct way according to the H&F people, which was also illustrated that way in the owners manual, which accompanied the lathe.

If you can, view the image by right clicking, then you should be able to apply the magnifying tool and see rather more clearly, how the sling is positioned around and behind the shafts.

Mick.


Shed_Lathe_Positioning_IMG_20191008_093009.jpg

Originally Posted by Hugh123

I have an Optimum 3008G and the manual states to sling from the bed webbing. If you do this just be careful of the lathe rotating!
Enjoy the new lathe.

Hugh
Through another contact was told of someone who did exactly that and ended up with the lathe upside down and smashing his leg !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rumble

In general the slinging method shown by Dmac 666 Dave is not good rigging practice. Leaving aside the lifting from the headstock for the moment, it is much safer to use 2 seperate slings, in Dmacs situation, one from the headstock to the lifting hook and one from the tailstock end of the bed to the hook. This will prevent the sling sliding through the hook as the weight is being taken. This is quite possible especially in the case where you have a serious industrial machine like the DSG pictured earlier where the headstock almost takes up half the bed length, and the headstock end is significantly heavier than the tailstock end of the lathe. It is often a good idea to remove the tailstock altogether for the lift, to save it coming loose and falling off, and rigging through the webs in the lathe bed, or alternatively if the lathe has holes cast into the bed to take round bars to lift the lathe, use these. DSGs have these lifting points cast into the bed as does the lathe pictured in Manx's post. If you just take the weight you will see if one end is heavier than the other, you can to an extent balance the load by moving the carriage to the lighter end to level the lathe, while it is just a few mm clear of the floor.
while some may lift from the spindle with impunity, I would advise against it. Not only might the bearings be damaged, possibly only a small chance, but perhaps more likely is the chance of headstock mis-alignment if the lathe is lifted from the spindle. As others have said, the lathe manual will generally show how it should be slung, and if you have to choke hitch around the bed, then you must pack the slings out from any power feed rods, control rods and the lead-screw to prevent them being bent as has been mentioned earlier.