Moving a Lathe

Looking at the hobby lathe options, the 7x12 (or 14 or 16) all look to be two-man-liftable, as they're in the 30-50kg range.

But looking one size step up, such as the 8x12-20 (Chester's DB8V or the famous SC5 from seig). And the weights go up to something less manageable. Around 100kg.

Transporting from the road, down a steep gravel drive and then over a lawn is easy to do if carried between two people, more tricky if we need some more all terrain mechanical aid.

How do people move their lathes? I can see putting it on its end on a sack truck. But then raising it to bench level is non-trivial.

the 10x22 lathes aren't difficult to carry that sort of distance by two people.

One person can easily lift a 7x12 onto the bench whenever it's needed.

You could take a look at this thread from a few days ago Biggest portable lathes . On a good day even I can (just) lift a 7x mini lathe in full working order from the floor to a bench, but a 10 x 30 is hard work for two, even with the chuck and tailstock removed, mainly because so much of the weight is at the headstock end. Not impossible though, just hard work, and with two of us, not worth hiring an engine hoist.

Brian G

It would probably help to bolt the lathe onto a frame to make it easy to pick up and carry. The weight is not unmanageable but getting a secure comfortable grip on a bare lathe is not easy. The problem with just two people is a stumble or back twinge can be disastrous. A frame for an easy four man lift means one man can drop out and the rest carry on.

Mike

Make it wider to avoid tipping over by bolting to 3x2say 2ft long going crossways of course, firmly not silly little screws put in with an electric screwdriver.
For the moving part up to say 150kg a sack truck can move a lot if it is big enough. Again not a silly little aluminium one, not a folding one but one standing 4ft high so you can get the leverage to tip it.
If the ground is rough lay down planks and have a helper to balance it using a long bar projecting out the side to give leverage and keep feet away from danger.

I have a double gas cylinder trolley that is good as it is wide but the wheels are a bit small. I also have something similar to this though for everything else lightweight it is a bit unwieldy yet for the big jobs it is worth having.

I've moved quite a few machines, initially using primitive methods, but am now older, weaker and have an engine crane, chain blocks, pallet trucks, and tractor with front-end loader, and no longer take pride in doing everything possible solo. Given the right gear, it's easy, of course.

However, before the mechanical aids came along, one of the most useful things was a pair of discarded formical-covered wardrobe doors. Things slide easily on formica! Lifting one end of a machine at a time, with pry-bars or suitably-placed jacks allows rollers to be placed underneath (scaffold poles, for instance, although smaller diameter makes handling rather easier) and then it's usually possible to insinuate a sheet of ply underneath the rollers, if one has to cross gravel, grass or uneven surfaces. I've never had to negotiate stairs with anything heavier than a Myford Super 7 (easy two-man lift, with motor and tailstock removed). Hats off, and sympathy to those who have stairs to contend with.

I've made various flat-plate trolleys, of various iizes, using scrounged casters and thick ply. It's often surprisingly easy to wrestle one end of a machine at a time a few inches up onto such a trolley, and then you're away...

It's surprising how much easier it is to carry a heavy lump if it can be slung from a long pole, on the shoulders of a couple of sturdy blokes (or, with the benefit of a longer leverage arm, a sturdy wife...). Knees bend, and only try to raise it a couple of inches.

And grippy gloves double your lifting ability!

Not much to add to excellent tips given above, except to say that of course one hires the gear from Hire Centres and if there is an industrial estate near you, pop in (to a couple if possible) and see what is available - 'new' options & innovations are increasingly available because no-one in trade or industry is being asked to bust their back lifting & dragging stuff around anymore (and rightly so).

Much will depend on the tightness of turns, height of steps, available headroom etc., so that breaking the job down into specific 'tasks' and thinking through how exactly each of these individual manoeuvres will be accomplished is the way to go.

Hence having some idea of the shapes, capacities, abilities & constraints of the equipment that might be available in your arsenal is useful at the outset.

In which part of the kingdom are you, broadly speaking?

I had wondered about hire centers, but they seem to only have stuff that won't work too well over the gravel and grass. I've got access to sack truck and some wooden planks so that'll be a good start I think.

Location is Gloucestershire.

But it looks like advice is that the SC4 is manageable by two people, based on what people have said. So that with careful use of pry bars, planks and a sack truck should be ok.

I knew I'd regret asking - PM sent

Osccasionally, LIDL do small trolleys with a 250 KG capacity. for about a tenner. Probablyneed two for ease of novenemt, rather than capacity. A machine Mart trolly has quite weight capacity, but not the space for anything larger than a mini lathe.

For traversing the gravel, you really need to put down boards, to stop wheels sinking in, and possibly causing a topple over. No point in trying to do things the easy way; have topple over, and have damage as well the problem of gettings upright again.

An engine crane, or block and tackle, if a suitable overhead fixing is possible

If the worst comes to the worst, you will have to jack and pack. SLOW but by CAREFUL use of pry bars, blocks and hopefully, a jack., it will be possible to lift the machine from the floor and across onto the bench.

+1 for sliding things across Formica covered doors / boards.

Haste is NOT of the essence for this sort of work.

Howard

A couple of sheets of mdf or cheap ply will sort the grass and gravel

I’ve yet to move a Raglan 5” centre lathe with help other than lifting it down from its position (and carrying one bed down a flight of stairs.. The stand is not included here.

I’ve shifted them in a peugeot 205 and citroen saxo without needing extra help - some with carriage removed and all with motor chuck and tailstock removed.

An inclined plane and suitable pivot made loading/unloading easy enough.

If adequate space, using an inclined plane and ratchet straps is a good way to raise heavy machinery from ground level to bench/stand/cabinet.

In my case I have used an aldi 250kg electric hoist to raise the Raglans to a stand. I strapped the lathes to a sturdy sack barrow to shift the machine from car to workshop.

Up until recently, 50kg would be carried/lifted short distances, but anno domini is catching up on me, now my 75th birthday anniversary is rapidly approaching.

Moving a small lathe is trivial - as long ac you plan/prepare carefully and work ultra-safely. ‘Belt and braces’ is far better than ru-ing the failure afterwards.