Installation of a Myford (or any machine tool)

This topic has 9 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 6 November 2019 at 17:29 by Adrian 2.

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6 November 2019 at 08:34 #13689
derek hall 1
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@derekhall1
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6 November 2019 at 08:34 #436175
derek hall 1
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@derekhall1
Hi guys

Due to a lack of foresight when I installed my Myford I made a mistake that I now want to correct.

My workshop floor is concrete and I then found a piece of thick kitchen worktop that I then placed on the concrete and then bolted the lathe cabinet through this worktop into the concrete.

I then levelled the lathe as normal.

However over the years cutting oil (suds) has ended up on this worktop which mainly consists of crushed Weetabix with a hard pretend wood finish (you know what I mean!). This has obviously penetrated into the chipboard/weetabix and its now got got wet and has started to crumble and degrade.

So what is the solution?, I propose to lift the lathe and cabinet, remove the old "wooden" pad and either bolt the lathe cabinet direct to the concrete floor (losing about 2 inches of height – which I would rather not as I am 6ft tall and prefer the increased height) or possibly looking at another method such as interposing proper anti-vibration machine mounts or is this overkill?

Any other advice would be welcome as this must be a very common situation when installing a machine tool…

Regards to all

Derek
6 November 2019 at 08:54 #436177
Former Member
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@formermember19781
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6 November 2019 at 08:58 #436178
Mike Poole
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@mikepoole82104
I think I would just use a couple of lengths of heavy box tubing, one at each end. If the floor is reasonably level then the lathe can be levelled with the raising blocks if you have them. If you wish to level the cabinet then use a suitable arrangement of bolts and nuts to fix the stand to the box tube. I would drill holes in the box so you can use a socket to tighten the bolts if you want to bolt it all down to the floor.

Mike
6 November 2019 at 09:02 #436179
Bob Brown 1
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@bobbrown1
My Boxford sits on 4 x 2 treated timber to get it to a more comfortable height, raised 8" by doubling up 4 x 2.
6 November 2019 at 09:20 #436181
Martin Kyte
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@martinkyte99762
My workshop floor is concrete with a self leveling screed on top. This is further covered with flooring grade chipboard on top of a felt insulating layer. The Myford is bolted to the concrete in the following way. I marked the cabinet lug hole positions on the floor and cut 4 off 1.5 inch discs out of the chipboard. Rawlbolts (studs actually) were then fitted in the fixing positions. 4 substantial bushes were turned up around 1 1/4' diameter with a suitable centre hole and faced to length to bring the tops on a level plane when fitted over the studs. The cabinet then went on top and was bolted down. This keeps the cabinet slightly off the (painted wooden floor) so there is ventilation ( no dampness from any spillages, not that I have any) and I get to stand on a warm floor with the lathe on a firm foundation.

regards Martin
6 November 2019 at 09:22 #436183
Nigel McBurney 1
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@nigelmcburney1
Use flooring grade chip board,my S7 has stood on it for 25 years,and is freestanding ie not bolted to the floor,no need for a small lathe, my clochester sits on the same floor,again not bolted down.from my experience in the 1950s/60s was that most machines were free standing,machines that were bolted down were those that were top heavy ie drilling machines,particularly radial drills,
6 November 2019 at 09:51 #436186
Mark Barron
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@markbarron78673
I use the self leveling machine mounts for my S7 and Wabeco miller as I didn't want to drill through the floor. They work and don't seem to affect the stability of the machines.
6 November 2019 at 12:36 #436211
peak4
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@peak4
A couple of thoughts spring to mind, Currently my own Myford S7 clone sits on a clone cabinet, but essentially all similar to original.

As a temporary measure when I moved in to the new house, where the garage floor is uneven, I use 4 adjustable height feet; essentially lengths of threaded rod, with a ball end plugged into a disk of nylon. They are plenty strong enough and easily allow adjustment for the uneven floor; I'd have struggled with lengths of box section, as I'd have still needed lots of bits of packing.

The advantages; ease of adjustment, quick, cheap, allows some storage underneath in old baking trays, adds enough height to save me bending over too far, makes it easy to move the lathe away from the wall, for access to motor etc.

Disadvantages; if something is out of balance, the whole assembly is more prone to vibration, a real pain finding stuff underneath when you've dropped it, arguably less stable, but I can't imagine it toppling forwards, and there's a wall behind it.

In my old house I had a washing machine in the outside toilet, again on an uneven surface. Eventually I added a couple of heavy 3'x2' concrete paving slabs on a layer of mortar. This allowed easy levelling of the slabs before the mortar set. maybe replace your old work surface with a pair of these. They are the 40mm plain concrete paving slabs, not the lightweight ones for garden paths. They are also heavy enough that you could bolt the cabinet to them, without drilling the floor.

Bill

Edited By peak4 on 06/11/2019 12:38:00
6 November 2019 at 17:29 #436236
Adrian 2
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@adrian2
I too am tall and also went down the paving slab route plus spacer/feet. I used inverted coach bolts settled in depressions in steel discs. All free standing on bedded slabs. One bolt/spacer is adjustable for levelling/stability. It works a treat and my lathe is at a very comfortable height. Level the slabs carefully.

Adrian.
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