A new shop being born!

[Bernd]

Hey Kermit,

Still can't find that offspring of yours. :big:

It's been almost 10 days since you were going to pour the table for your lathe.

That concrete should be hard by now. Rof} Rof} Rof}

Bernd

 

[Kermit]

His housing situation has been rather poor since Hurrican Ike blew through. He got a chance to improve that situation last weekend and yesterday(Sat.) he was dog sitting for some friends in exchange for a small single bed and frame. I'm hoping to see him this evening, but if not I may start without him.

I've gotten alot of the priming done but I'll have to stand it up by myself if I'm to do anything else with it this weekend.

My thanks to those who have followed this.
If you've been "tickled" by the over engineering I'm engaged in, then I'm tickled too! And I'd love to sell you another bench about 5 years down the road as well!

Thanks for shopping with CheapStuffBreakscomebacksoon INc.
Kermit

 

[Kermit]

Back to work - FINALLY

SO - pulling needles through cloth. I've started on the final coat of paint for the back and bottom of the bench.

Pretty good match on the color. Hopefully without further drama on the homefront we'll have the top poured and more pictures of the grand finale.

Kermit

 

[fdew]

Your Epoxy Concrete is quite fitting. Many machine tools including all the Hardinge machining centers are made from epoxy concrete, Usually called Polymer Concrete. It is a normal mix of stone from dust to about 3/8 inch and about 7% epoxy

When painted it looks like cast iron and works better then cast iron. I have been fortunate to design a few things using it.

Here is one, these are 30 feet high

Frank

 

[Kermit]

Wife put me in the picture again, but I've got photoedit capabilites to protect you!

;D

But I've really got to go baby,
Kermit

 

[cfellows]

Kermit, maybe you've already answered this, but where did you get the tray embedded in the bench top? It looks like fiberglass? What are the dimensions of the tray?

Thx...
Chuck

 

[Kermit]

It's the base plate of the Lathemaster 9x30 lathe. Just painted stamped steel. It came with several chipped paint spots and a free helping of rust ALL for no extra charge. ;D Being a cruel and evil individual, I promptly suppressed the parts self expression and de-rustified and painted it. If it's lives in my house it will obey my dress codes. :big:

Covered in primer,
Kermit

 

[Kermit]

TA DA!

I chucked up a long piece of steel and indicated off the axis along about two feet of it. I could not see any deviation at all. The indicator dial wavered less than the thickness of one tic mark .001".

Tool holder moves parallel with center axis with less than .001" deviation over two feet? What exactly have I just measured and did I do it right?


The nature of the question changes but I still got questions 8)

 

[Bernd]

Very nice looking bench there Kermit. I really like that top. Very neat and clean looking. Thm:

One comment I have to make though.When standing at the bench with your toes up against the bottom bottom of the bench, do you find that your bending over forward slightly? I would think that will but a kink in your back after working on the lathe for a while.

Bernd

 

[bearcar1]

Great looking bench and unusual method of attaining a fine finished result. That must be fairly easy if not quick to clean up/off. Makes my maple top look antique-ish at best. ;D Get some crude and chips on it and then show us some character flaws, then I won't feel quite so bad. :big:

BC1

 

[Kermit]

Scratched up some paint just getting it set. Don't worry bearcat1, it'll be looking like a REAL lathe in no time. ;D

The bench is about four inches higher than my belt buckle, so the carriage handwheel is at my elbow, my eyes when looking straight ahead just clear the top of the chuck safety cover. I'm six foot one inch tall, so it's a good fit for my height.


Thanks for the compliments fella's
Kermit

 

[Kermit]

Dredged up this old thread, just to put in a picture of something WOODEN. :big:

The bench for the mill is coming along slowly. As all of my projects seem to do.

Glue and screw. Then I'm gonna deviate from the last build and prime it as I go. I'll be using .187" thick angle iron for bracing the top also.

More to come,
Kermit

 

[Artie]

Gday mate, just read this whole thread, nice result! How did the lathe bench finish up? Got any recent pics?

Cheers

Artie :bow:

 

[Kermit]

How did the lathe bench finish up? Got any recent pics?

Cheers

Artie :bow:

It is pretty much as last pictured here. I ran out of the special mixed gray paint before I could cover the front. Added some heavy duty drawer slides to the bench drawers. I got them out of rack mount power supply install kits our company didn't use. ( the install kits that is)...so, I'll get another gallon to make this one match, and then be able to finish painting the lathe bench. I've been waiting to put on the drawer handles until it's painted. Plan on adding a built in AC power plug in station, leaving the entire bench with only one power cord to plug in, instead of 3 or 4 from all the different equipment. That should take me about three more years.

Thanks for stopping in to visit,
Kermit

 

[steamer]

Hey Kermit,

I don't know how big a mill your putting on that bench, but might I suggest some cross braces on the legs.....that'll stiffen them up dramatically......some 3/4 stock with glue and screws will do...

;D
Dave

 

[Powder keg]

That is a very nice cabinet you built for your lathe!!! You did an outstanding job! I'd like to mess with that epoxy you are using. It looks like you could do a lot of things with it.

Wes

 

[Kermit]

That epoxy was expensive, but the results seem to make it worth the price in my view. I'm planning on using the exact same formula, but with added granite rubble, as a fill for my X2 clone mill. That is supposed to stiffen the column some.

I've been making brackets for mounting my angle iron pieces together, and getting the frame ready for priming. The top I showed on the first pic of the mill bench was just sitting there; I hadn't attached it to the frame yet.

The brackets being drilled

Not much done today. The Cowboys won their game and I had loads of turkey and dressing with potatoes and gravy, and candied yams followed by hot apple pie and vanilla icecream. Understandably, I skipped dinner and just had another piece of pie with some coffee.

Ahhhhh,
Kermit

 

[steamer]

oh I didn't even make it to dinner ;D


Dave

 

[New_Guy]

I chucked up a long piece of steel and indicated off the axis along about two feet of it. I could not see any deviation at all. The indicator dial wavered less than the thickness of one tic mark .001".

Tool holder moves parallel with center axis with less than .001" deviation over two feet? What exactly have I just measured and did I do it right?


The nature of the question changes but I still got questions 8)

sorry Kermit if anyone has already pointed this out but you weren't testing for tapper in that Picture above with the steadies were you ???

a steady works by holding the rotating object and stopping it from flexing above the cutting tool so even if the bar is running out at the chuck (which it will) it cant run out at the steady its held in position and the 3 points push it true well sort of it is possible for the bar to sit to high or low at the steady and there for not be truly parallel to the bed or the spindle axis if this happens its fine after a little run time i understand if the bar is to high it will start to move out of the jaws!! i assume if the bar is to low then the tool may not cut as well as it should but it may walk to i think just be aware of it

sorry if i just pointed what you already knew but i have been caught out with this stuff before if you haven't already read up on rollies dads method its a really great way to get the bed and spindle axis parallel

 

[Kermit]

Yes. As I recall I was checking the work in the chuck for run-out.

Also. The steadies were just there; not actually engaging the work, because I had moved the jaw tips up out of the way. This was the first time I had turned the lathe on to see how she worked, so I had 'everything' attached to the lathe. Hey, I didn't know any better. But, No, the steadies were not in contact with the steel rod I had chucked up.

Kermit