Gunsmithing I Keep Foolin' With My Grizzly G4003G

[cwood3]

I like my lathe, so far, but the spindle center is just a little too high for my comfort (I'm 5'-8"). My garage floor has a slight slope downward towards the drive way, so water runs out. I am not in love with the cast iron 2-piece base/stand. I am set up to do all kinds of metal fabrication (all types welding, cutting, etc.). I am considering using some 2"x2"x0.120" wall (11 ga) square tubing to make a bench to set the lathe on (and use the cast iron pcs for other things). I can make a "frame" that is flat/square/plumb with the world, no problem. The cross members will be drilled through for 6, 1/2" bolts to secure the lathe to the top. I'll use the existing chip pan. Then I want to use 4 machine leveling feet (5/8"-11 thread x 3" base with 15-deg of play any way) to level the lathe. I think a good stiff/flat base with 4-point leveling would allow me to level the machine very precisely.

Am I chasing my tail here?

Thanks.

 

[m1k3]

Re: I Keep Foolin' With My Grizzly G4003G

Nope, not at all. I did the same thing with my TurnPro 13x40. i couldn't put up with the stands any longer. Way too weak and light for a good lathe stand. Built mine from 2x3 steel and welded the hell out of it. Just used four feet made from 3/4 bolts and leveled out beautifully. Cuts smooth as silk and is considerably quieter too.

Real close to this design:
Link!

I'll dig up a pic of mine and post here too.

Mike

 

[cwood3]

Re: I Keep Foolin' With My Grizzly G4003G

Thanks for that link. That is extremely close to what I am contemplating.

 

[treebasher]

Re: I Keep Foolin' With My Grizzly G4003G

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: m1k3</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Nope, not at all. I did the same thing with my TurnPro 13x40. i couldn't put up with the stands any longer. Way too weak and light for a good lathe stand. Built mine from 2x3 steel and welded the hell out of it. Just used four feet made from 3/4 bolts and leveled out beautifully. Cuts smooth as silk and is considerably quieter too.

Real close to this design:
Link!

I'll dig up a pic of mine and post here too.

Mike</div></div>

Mike,

Pictures would be appreciated, I have a Turn Pro myself and I was just talking with my buddy about drafting a drawing for a stand.

Thanks!

 

[cwood3]

Re: I Keep Foolin' With My Grizzly G4003G

As a side note, and for comments from you guys, I am also considering swapping out the 2-HP single-phase 220V motor for a 220V 2-HP three-phase motor and KB VFD. This would allow me to turn slower than 70 RPM's when needed, and perhaps reduce motor vibration even more. I have two link belts that I am going to use to replace the factory V-belts with.

What sayeth ye...ya'll..???

 

[LRI]

Re: I Keep Foolin' With My Grizzly G4003G

If your using box tubing fill them up with sand/lead/concrete maybe?

Mass always helps with any piece of machinist equipment.

 

[sixtwoeightyfour]

Re: I Keep Foolin' With My Grizzly G4003G

I would use 6-feet total 4 on the headstock and 2 on the tailstock

 

[m1k3]

Re: I Keep Foolin' With My Grizzly G4003G

Here's the pics:

First what was needed:
Old School Sony (1990's)

Coffee:

Steel:

and . . .

Done:

Here's the biggest mistake that I made. I should have made the whole stand minus the cross supports that the lathe actually bolts to. That way, you could get the lathe stand fairly level and then weld in the cross supports 100% level, like machinist level. The biggest problem I had when I was done was that the support for the tail stock was not level or in the same plane as the headstock supports. I had to create shims to get the tailstock level since the tailstock would have created a twisted bed. If I had done the stand first, it would have been simply to just tack one side of the supports, get it level with a good level, then tack weld the other side.

With the shims on the tail stock, a little torquing of the mounting bolts and adjustable feet and I got all of the bed twist out. The lathe is rock steady. I thought about adding sand to the frame but overall, I didn't think it would add that much plus it would always be there. I like the modular design stuff. I figured that if I wanted to add more weight, I could easily add a shelf to the lower feet and then add a few bags of sand there. I might be moving it soon anyways since I seem to be taking up most of the garage now and need more room.

The original stands were just sheet metal tack welded together. I complained to Enco about it but it would have cost me time, shipping fees, 15% restocking fees, and then what ever they decided to value the returned stands. I might have gotten $20 back over all. I even argued that the damn chip tray didn't even really fit the stands so they were defective to begin with.

 

[300sniper]

Re: I Keep Foolin' With My Grizzly G4003G

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: m1k3</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Here's the biggest mistake that I made. I should have made the whole stand minus the cross supports that the lathe actually bolts to. That way, you could get the lathe stand fairly level and then weld in the cross supports 100% level, like machinist level. The biggest problem I had when I was done was that the support for the tail stock was not level or in the same plane as the headstock supports. I had to create shims to get the tailstock level since the tailstock would have created a twisted bed. If I had done the stand first, it would have been simply to just tack one side of the supports, get it level with a good level, then tack weld the other side.

</div></div>

welding plate steel pads at the mounting locations and finding someone to blanchard grind the surface after all welds are complete would probably net the best results.

 

[hero's machine]

Re: I Keep Foolin' With My Grizzly G4003G

If you have a transit, laser, water level....etc, you can use it to shoot your finished fab heights to make sure its money before you land your lathe on it. Much easier to grind a bit here or there than to chase your tail shimming or twisting the frame.

 

[cwood3]

Re: I Keep Foolin' With My Grizzly G4003G

I have the top frame (4 members)flat/square/level/plumb with the world. The 3 internal cross members are cut and drilled. I may pick up the lathe with my hoist bolt the members just snug, and set it in the top frame. Fit it level, tack from below, securely. Remove the lathe, clamp/brace the 3 cross members before welding. Weld, set chip pan on top, then lathe. Should be good. I still want only 4 points touching the floor. The original cast iron stands become pedastools for bench grinder and large disc sander.

 

[m1k3]

Re: I Keep Foolin' With My Grizzly G4003G

All of these ideas should work better than the eyeball method. I'm not sure how far you really need to go since the bottom of the lathe castings, at least on my lathe, weren't anything special. I wasn't dealing with bed-rail quality there, you know? Just Asian castings.

Either way, there is really no point of getting the factory stands for my model lathe. They can't be used for storage cause one is just hollow, no floor. The other has half a shelf and then is walled up half way as well, and no floor. I'm 6'2" so they are too short to make stands out of. Complete waste of money in my case. I guess they would make decent concrete forms if you wanted to keep them as lathe stands, but they have no floors in them so you'd have to fab something there. I might make a solid little desk out of them with some of those desk tops I bought recently. Like the shelf in my lathe stand pic.

Good luck with your project, sounds like you should do fine.

Mike