Mini Lathe footprint dimensions and will it slide

I m in the process of setting up a shelf for my 7 x 12 mini lathe.The width will be 31 inches and the depth around 24 inches. I will use 1 inch marine ply possibly laminating two pieces of 1/2 inch depending on availability.

Can anyone confirm that the 7 x 12 is 770mm or 30⁵⁄₁₆in wide?

To make the best use of my limited space [ I live on a boat ] I will want to push the lathe to the back when it is not in use and pull it to the front when I am turning something.

I gather it comes with rubber feet. If I want it to slide easily what surface finish should I use on the shelf ordinary white paint, epoxy floor paint formica aluminium sheet or stainless steel sheet. ? Maybe using a squirt of WD 40 ?

Edited By John Duncker 1 on 14/06/2019 02:39:45

I think you need to do your own measuring. Some lathes are sized such that they will accommodate the full length between centres when fitted, but some are not quite so generous and may not enable a true 12” length to be mounted.

Shelf? Worktop comes to mind as a more useful description for situating a lathe. A well supported ‘shelf’ might do, but hanging 40kg(?) away from the attachment point would need very strong fixings. The loadings may well considerably exceed the mass moment, especially if something jams suddenly.

I would suggest that the distance between the feet might be the better measurement for the actual length of the shelf (overhang would clearly need taking into account), but the mass would be supported by the feet and any extra shelf length would be taking up space at all times?

There are more than 1 mini lathes on the market and are not all identical. You should be able to download an operators or parts manual for the lathe which you intend to purchase which should show overall dimensions, mounting dimensions and weight.

Paul.

I used a Cinese mini-lathe (Chester Conquest) for about ten years and grew to like it,....I mostly made my first clock on it along with much other stuff. Compared to other lathes of my experience the mini-lathes are 'quirky', one of these being the rubber feet which are quite close together front to rear. At higher speeds my lathe 'waddled' about on the bench and at the highest speed rocked back and forth. Needless to say i never go to like that 'quirk' and plotted and planned to eliminate it by making four cut-outs for the feet in 18mm ply. However, eventually I just removed the rubber feet and replaced them with stainless disks about 4 inch in diameter. This simple solution turned my mini-lathe into a different machine,..quite literally!

Edited By Bob Stevenson on 14/06/2019 08:20:16

The ArcEuro website gives dims of 700mm x 320mm x 300mm for their SC2 lathe which is a 7 x 12 machine.

If you are short of space have you considered fixing the lathe to the shelf and sliding the shelf in and out mounted on slides/runners. Heavy duty runners are available, I recently saw a pair on ebay rated at 90Kg and I bet you can get even heavier ones. Your shelf could then be just 12 inches deep, pull it out to use, slide it back to store, you would need to lock it in place of course but that shouldnt be difficult to do.

I've just measured mine for you. The footprint of the drip tray is 220mm x 755mm. If you add the length of all the overhanging parts like the hand wheels and have the tailstock advanced all the way to the right it measures approx 320mm x 840mm. Hope that helps.

Mine is an amadeal cj18a which I believe is an 14 inch machine. 

Edited By Hollowpoint on 14/06/2019 10:28:52

Edited By Hollowpoint on 14/06/2019 10:29:12

If you coat the surface of the shelf with "Formica" or some similar product, the lathe should slide fairly easily.

But tie it down if you ever plan to go to sea!

Howard

I'd go with Ron's sliding shelf. Use an offcut of 40mm kitchen worktop, heavy duty sliders and hinge a sheet of plastic to the rear of the shelf then as it is pulled out the plastic can lean back to form a shield to prevent swarf going down the back. Bolt the lathe to the shelf, even on a permanent mooring you may get rocked or nudged which could displace the lathe.

John

Thank you that is an excellent idea. The extra weight stabilizing the lathe and the stainless will slide more easily than the rubber.

The shelf is not to be cantilevered off a vertical surface but fitted between bulkheads.

I am in a marine environment so avoid materials like MDF and mild steel. regardless of coating in a situation where it will wear. So standard household stuff is out.

My first trawl through the internet for stainless steel heavy duty drawer slides came up with this LINK

With a 352 lb capacity they should survive even a rough interisland passage with the dreaded Caribbean 2 step running. These are short steep waves and everything bangs about when you come off a wave.

I could fit them reversed so that when the lathe is pulled forward for use the slides are in the closed position and pushed back would be open.

But I like simple solutions and might start with stainless steel feet running over Formica.. I could always add the slides if needs be.

I will of course have some kind of positive lock for use when sailing.

As you have bulkheads, If you have any height above or bellow the lathe you could have it swing on a parallelogram at each end. Or with a trapezoid linkage it could tip back out of the way.

Just need some stainless bars and bolts.

Do you even need a shelf? just bolt it directly to some box section.

1" marine ply will be plenty strong enough for the weight unless the bulkheads are 6 feet apart.

Could you drill two sets of holes in the shelf, front and back and use bolts and wingnuts to secure the lathe in either position?

That is an interesting idea. Yes I do have space above and below where I would have the shelf which is also my workbench.

Above would be simplest with a 4 or 6 part pulley to lift and a some kind of linkage to control the position. I have just had a play with a couple of wire coathangers and the linkage is doable. with one solid strut and one wire link on each side.

My initial idea was to just push the lathe to the back of the shelf which would give me a strip at the front about 12 inches wide as a workbench. Lifting the lathe up and back gives me the whole shelf as a workbench. Hmm do I need that space.

Me thinks you either have not had a a workshop or one of those weird people who have a tidy one. Of course you need the space.

I used to live on a canal boat, fixing items into odd spaces that are too small is a familiar problem. You defiantly need to concentrate on the restraints in both in and out position. Even in a berth, a passing boats wake will give the lathe a good shove.

If you are building yourself a workshop on a boat then you are sure to need a solid point where you can give things a 'good bashing' without compromising the boat structure. A moveable shelf could need to have a lot of load capacity in hand, over just the weight of the lathe.

I read somewhere that mounting a mini lathe on a good thick steel plate is good for stability and suppressing vibration. It worked for me - but that is all on a regular timber work bench.

Lots of ideas here to work on.

Yes I will have a small vise with an anvil for light bashing. Serious bashing gets done ashore.

The lathe will be locked down on passage probably with a couple of through bolts and wing nuts. As to dealing with wakes I guess I need a short tie which allows me to push it back and forward but stops it coming off the shelf.

As to neatness well I suffer from a variation of Murphy's law which says that I will cover any flat surface with random stuff. So don't tempt me with extra shelf space, I will just fill it.