Moving machines

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Have you tried asking Warco how much extra they would charge to put the machines in their final resting place? They probably have all the necessary lifting kit and more importantly expertise to do it.

Failing that offer to buy a round at the local rugby club.

[Stuart Smith 5Participant @stuartsmith5]

My Warco WM290 was delivered on a pallet. The lathe was in a plywood crate with packing under it and this was sat on a standard pallet. The stand was in 2 cardboard boxes sat on top of the lathe crate. It had all been wrapped in plastic. Warco sent it via palletways, delivered to me by a local transport company. The driver used an electric pallet truck to move it to my garage. He would have put it into final place for me but I hadn’t cleared the space.

Georges (mechman 48) method looks the best idea if you can get the lathe and mill delivered in their pallets to inside your workshop.

I used an electric hoist to lift my lathe but this depends on having a suitable strong enough attachment point. New sling from tool station.

When I bought my WM16 mill I split it into 3 pieces to move – base and column, head and table.

Stuart

[norman valentineParticipant @normanvalentine78682]

What to do? I wish to move my loughborough training lathe through 90 degrees. I have tried but I cannot move it an inch. I don't have any friends to ask, also I am impecunious. Any suggestions?

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

what sort of floor is it on? If it is concrete then a pinch bar would appeal to me. Slow but steady and very unlikely to drop anything

[Chris CrewParticipant @chriscrew66644]

Assuming your lathe is mounted on the original Raglan stand, the first thing I would do is make sure it is not bolted down. This doesn't look a very heavy machine to me and if you are only shifting round 90 degs a pinch bar rammed under one end and a slewing round in radial movements of the bar should do the trick, I would have thought. It's the way I would do it. Are you sure it really won't move at all? Seems a bit strange to me, it surely must be either bolted down or grouted in?

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

I did forget to mention that I have two strong grandsons who would help as well.

[Nick WheelerParticipant @nickwheeler]

Posted by Derek Lane on 21/06/2021 19:16:25:

I did forget to mention that I have two strong grandsons who would help as well.

Then you don't need to complicate things with a crane.

[RobinParticipant @robin]

I realised that I don't actually need to lift machines very far to move them around my garage, an inch is overkill.

I took two lengths of 2" x 4" box section, fitted a heavy-duty castor to all four ends and adapted the machines so that the act of bolting them to the box sections lifts them 3/4" off the floor.

I still have jacks, engine hoist, 2.5-ton pallet truck, etc. but the box sections are my favorite..

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Posted by norman valentine on 21/06/2021 18:46:54:

What to do? I wish to move my loughborough training lathe through 90 degrees. I have tried but I cannot move it an inch. I don't have any friends to ask, also I am impecunious. Any suggestions?

Firstly, on what is it standing? A pry bar, on its own, may not be appropriate if the floor surface is inadequate to withstand the forces. You may need to lift one end of the stand (a scissor-type car jack would be adequate, with appropriate precautions) to insert a suitable hard surface before moving with the bar.

A couple, or three, pieces of pipe (used as ‘rollers’ ), placed under the base may make it easier to shift.

Edited By not done it yet on 22/06/2021 07:19:53

[norman valentineParticipant @normanvalentine78682]

My Loughborough is on a wooden floor but it is standing on a wooden box to raise it to a sensible height. It is not fixed down but I am not able to move it with my strength. I like the idea of a pinch bar. I had been thinking of complicated ideas like jacking it up and inserting rollers but I have neither jack or large enough steel for rollers.

Edited By norman valentine on 22/06/2021 07:42:25

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

From that pic, you are presumably wanting the tailstock end moving in an arc (removal of the tailstock would otherwise be impossible). If the headstock is adjacent to the wall, using a drawbar, or poking long stock through the spindle, will be severely restricted.

Removal of tailstock (and carriage) would lighten that end for lifting purposes. Even chuck removal would help but to a lesser extent.

The lathe stand should be securely fixed to that box, if considering moving it by shifting the box.

Does the box either have a solid base or at least thick side elements?

You are out of luck if no means of lifting, I think (particularly if damaging the floor surface is to be avoided) unless you can find some funds to do the job (safely) or some free assistance from a reliable/responsible source.

As an aside, this query would be better on its own thread, rather than hijacking Derek’s thread.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by norman valentine on 22/06/2021 07:41:48:

My Loughborough is on a wooden floor but it is standing on a wooden box to raise it to a sensible height. It is not fixed down but I am not able to move it with my strength. I like the idea of a pinch bar. I had been thinking of complicated ideas like jacking it up and inserting rollers but I have neither jack or large enough steel for rollers.

Edited By norman valentine on 22/06/2021 07:42:25

.

If you are confident in the strength of the box and the floor < that may be a big IF > and can find a convenient anchor point … I would look at using a ratchet strap to drag it.

Anchor one end of the strap, wrap the other end around the box … suitably arranged, this could rotate it in-situ.

MichaelG.

.

Ref. __ https://www.spanset.com/uk-en/products/HDR?id=271

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 22/06/2021 09:54:08

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

Posted by not done it yet on 22/06/2021 08:19:46:

As an aside, this query would be better on its own thread, rather than hijacking Derek’s thread.

I am not too worried as my question has been answered, but thank you for the thought

[norman valentineParticipant @normanvalentine78682]

The box and the floor are 20mm osb. The box has 3×2 corner posts and the floor is fully supported so I am confident it would be strong enough. Ratchet strap sounds a good idea, I could screw the anchor point(s) directly into the floor wherever needed, and a ratchet strap would have other uses, a pinch bar would unlikely to be needed again. Thanks for the suggestions.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

FWIW,

FIRSTLY, take care not to have the lathe topple oiver! It won't do the lathe or you any good whatsoever!

Use pinch bar to raise one end of the box, until a length of round bar can be placed underneath.

Move to the other end and repeat.

Roll box, with lathe on top, to and fro, moving the Tailstock end sideways, as far as possible each time, until the box and lathe have been rotated through 90 degrees.

Use pinch bar again to retrieve the bits of bar. Job done.

Remember to leave clearance behind the Headstock, so that longer pieces of can pass through the Mandrel.

Being a Loughborough, long work pieces through Mandrel will, be small diameter, so can't be too long, or they will "whip"..

HTH

Howard

[norman valentineParticipant @normanvalentine78682]

Howard, thanks for your suggestion. I had planned to have the tailstock end towards the wall. As I said earlier I don't have any round bar, to use as rollers, of a suitable size and to buy some would be a waste as I have little call for it, plus the cost of a pinch bar that would probably never get used again. If I had the headstock against the wall I could cut a hole in the wall to pass long stock through, with a flap to keep the draughts out. All my stock isl less than 600mm so whip wont be a problem, I made that mistake once and it is not something that I wish to repeat. I will be buying a ratchet strap as suggested by Michael, I can see further uses for that.

Edited By norman valentine on 22/06/2021 12:59:07

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Pieces of broom handle, or pipe may serve as rollers., once you have found a means of levering the box and lathe off the ground.

You may, at some future time want to remove the Tailstock, do don't have it too close to the wall.

Good Luck with the rearrangement!

Howard

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