# Lathe & Mill on wheels



## hacklordsniper (Feb 1, 2013)

Is there any good reason why i should not install heavy duty wheels on my mill or lathe table to move them for easier cleaning/mainteance

Example of my mill table


http://hacklordsniper.com/Slike_projekata/Projekt_(52)/DSC02219.JPG


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## weez (Feb 1, 2013)

I have my lathe and mill mounted on top of a toolbox on wheels and have not had any issues.  I would make sure to use locking casters on at least two of the wheels.


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## Walsheng (Feb 1, 2013)

hacklordsniper said:


> Is there any good reason why i should not install heavy duty wheels on my mill or lathe table to move them for easier cleaning/mainteance
> 
> Example of my mill table
> 
> ...




That is a heck of a table top, very nice.  I don't know if I could work with the reflection of me staring back at me though

John


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## n4zou (Feb 1, 2013)

I have my 12" X 36" lathe mounted on a heavy duty Boeing equipment cart. The data plate that was attached to the cart rated it for 1 ton (2000 lbs). My lathe weighs 1,020 lbs plus about 50 pounds of  8" U channel steel that mounts the lathe to the cart. I've never had any problems since I purchased it and put it on that cart in 1985. It came with 4 jacks that allow lifting it off the wheels and levelling it. It was made to roll whatever equipment was mounted in it to an aircraft to service it.


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## Alchymist (Feb 1, 2013)

Have my 9" South Bend lathe on casters, and my small mill on a 2 drawer cart. Works fine. Also have a Grizzly shaper and a 16" planer on casters.  Would have a real problem it they weren't.


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## bazmak (Feb 2, 2013)

If you look at my website diary of a mini lathe you can see what i have done
Used this method many times over the years for machines up to 100 Kg
including woodworking machines.The secret is to fit 2 wheels not castors
and have 2 fixed legs on the other end.Just lift and move no need to lock wheels
regards Barry


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## rebush (Feb 2, 2013)

I can see having a mini-lathe on a rolling cart and it not having an effect on it's performance. With a larger, heavier lathe is there a concern about the cart slightly twisting on less than perfect floors. I have a Monarch model K which is stationary and I have a Atlas 10x24 which is leveled and mounted on a fixed bench. Having the Atlas portable would be great since it sits behind my mill (which is on a rolling base) and I don't like to move the mill so it's kind of close quarters when I use the Atlas. I'm sure the heavier the material for the cart the more rigid it will turn out. Any ideas? Thanks Roger


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## n4zou (Feb 2, 2013)

rebush said:


> I'm sure the heavier the material for the cart the more rigid it will turn out. Any ideas? Thanks Roger



The angle iron used in the Boeing cart my 12 X 36 lathe is mounted on  is made of 2 1/2" X 2 1/2" X 5/16 angle iron. It's extremely rigid. I never had any droughts about putting my 1,020 lb lathe on it. It's substantially  heavier than the factory made optional angle iron legs that were available for purchase with it.


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## Tin Falcon (Feb 2, 2013)

my thoughts. 
safety first insure that the cart or mobile base is strong /rigid enough
make sure the wheels are large enough to roll smoothly and rated for the weight 
insure the footprint of the base is larger than the lathe or mill.
the rig will likely have a high center of gravity so make sure there is no tipping hazard. 
I would make at least two of the feet if not all adjustable  and build in a bulls eye level. 
And last but not least IMHO you can not have enough drawers for storage so I would likely build in drawers. 
tin


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## ShopShoe (Feb 2, 2013)

I have my 7x minilathe on a mobile stand that I built with adjustable levelers, but with a mobile base underneath that can be activated via eccentrics on a shaft to move the cabinet around on a smooth floor. It will not go over obstacles or slopes, but it allows moving for cleaning and small re-arranging.











--ShopShoe


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## hacklordsniper (Feb 2, 2013)

Did it today. I bought nice small wheels, rated for 70 kg each. There is 8 of them on every table. Its a nice system and you can buy any wheel mount so i took M8 studs which originally were just a "plug & play" instead of my M8 leveling feet. Was much much more expensive investment than i thought (16 wheels and 16 studs)

I will not mount the 11X36 lathe on wheels but my mill just loves to throw quite alot of swarf behind itself and below itself. Moving it without the wheels to clean the floor what quite challenging. As it was to lift the table to replace leveling feet with wheels also.


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## Alchymist (Feb 2, 2013)

Here's the casters I put on the lathe:


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