I'm open to comments/advice or even sabotage efforts. Lathe move tomorrow

[TorontoBuilder]

Tomorrow we move my brother's new Colchester Master 2500 lathe from its current home in Hamilton to its new home in Pickering.

Of course the factory lifting plate and eye are long gone, and I'm far less familiar with this lathe than I'd like to be... It weighs ~1800 lbs without tailstock and chuck and the headstock has so much metal that the lathe will want to be out of balance.

Colchester says dont sling under the bed, you risk bending the lead screw and feedshaft.

No bars or webbing thru the spindle to lift any weight by the head stock or risk screwing the bearings.

I didn't take any close up photos, but I don't recall there being any openings in the bed/web where I can run slings thru.... so I have no idea what to expect tomorrow in the way of how to pick this lathe up to get it onto a pallet and then onto a trailer. I hate winging such things.

I am now even hesitant about buying eye bolts to bolt thru the feet of the head stock to allow me to take a little of the weight up from the bottom of the head stock. I do believe that is my best second lift point though. Either thru the feet or just under the casting.


Thoughts?

 

[phaxtris]

I can't find an over head view but I imagine the lathe has webbing in the bed, probabaly just choke with 2 straps around the cross ways webbing of the bed

 

[Matt-Aburg]

Looks like web through the casting in this manual. Your pics are from the same manual.

https://motofaction.org/books-catalogues-brochures-manuals/colchester/colchester-metal-lathe-master-2500-manual-motofaction-org.pdf

 

[TorontoBuilder]

I can't find an over head view but I imagine the lathe has webbing in the bed, probabaly just choke with 2 straps around the cross ways webbing of the bed

I'm almost positive that there is a massive web right near the middle of the lathe. My fear is that will be the only reliable lift point and very poorly balanced lift will be the result.

@Aburg Rapid Prototype you're referring to figure 27?

 

[Former Member]

Why not sling makes sense.

Heres how I'd approach it to metal plates 1/2 x 4 x 12 drill and tap several 1/2 holes one bottom plate inline (gives you a bit of flexibilty) matching top plate drill 5/8.

1/2 threaded rod and nuts.

Clamp top and bottom bed (you have your own lift point not risking lead screw.

 

[Matt-Aburg]

I'm almost positive that there is a massive web right near the middle of the lathe. My fear is that will be the only reliable lift point and very poorly balanced lift will be the result.

Make a steel plate that uses the bottom piece from the steady rest. You could then move till balanced . (eyebolt in of course)

 

[TorontoBuilder]

Make a steel plate that uses the bottom piece from the steady rest. You could then move till balanced . (eyebolt in of course)

I don't have the follow rest here to check the size of the bolt I can pass cleanly thru the plate, and no data on the stud threading is available. But I'll hope a 1/2" bolt can pass thru and then bolt a 2x2 structural tube across the top of the bed.

I'll also take the tail stock plate with us since it is slotted with a wide slot that may be easier to work with.

 

[phaxtris]

yea if the web is in the middle your screwed

would you trust the 1800lbs of the machine on 4" of the bottom of the cast ways (steady rest bottom)? i dont think i would, that original lifting arrangement probably doesnt lift from just below the ways, i imagine it goes through the bed and lifts from the bottom of the bed

easy thing would be to bring a 2x6 and a saw, when you get there cut two boards to use as spreaders inside the choke under the bed wide enough to keep the straps off of the lead screws, and then just choke it with your two straps, i would only put the straps a foot or so apart to avoid them possibly slipping in, as they wont get a ton of bite with the lumber in the choke

the balance point will be easier with 2 straps, and it can be adjusted by moving the carriage and tailstock

like so

 

[Downwindtracker2]

Use softeners, pieces of wood, to protect the rods. I like nylon slings . spread the load, say over three points. Don't use short ones. Use come-a-longs to get it to "fly right".

 

[Matt-Aburg]

yea if the web is in the middle your screwed

would you trust the 1800lbs of the machine on 4" of the bottom of the cast ways (steady rest bottom)? i dont think i would, that original lifting arrangement probably doesnt lift from just below the ways, i imagine it goes through the bed and lifts from the bottom of the bed

easy thing would be to bring a 2x6 and a saw, when you get there cut two boards to use as spreaders inside the choke under the bed wide enough to keep the straps off of the lead screws, and then just choke it with your two straps, i would only put the straps a foot or so apart to avoid them possibly slipping in, as they wont get a ton of bite with the lumber in the choke

the balance point will be easier with 2 straps, and it can be adjusted by moving the carriage and tailstock

like so

View attachment 32750

I lift my lathe through the web(s) in the casting. After reading you response your straining the ways, not good...Mind you, I only lift 1/2 at a time to get the skates under.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

yea if the web is in the middle your screwed

would you trust the 1800lbs of the machine on 4" of the bottom of the cast ways (steady rest bottom)? i dont think i would, that original lifting arrangement probably doesnt lift from just below the ways, i imagine it goes through the bed and lifts from the bottom of the bed

easy thing would be to bring a 2x6 and a saw, when you get there cut two boards to use as spreaders inside the choke under the bed wide enough to keep the straps off of the lead screws, and then just choke it with your two straps, i would only put the straps a foot or so apart to avoid them possibly slipping in, as they wont get a ton of bite with the lumber in the choke

the balance point will be easier with 2 straps, and it can be adjusted by moving the carriage and tailstock

like so

View attachment 32750

I just need a second lift point in addition to the main lift point at the middle web. I dont know how wide the space between the feet of the bed are, so dont know if the spreader idea will help, but I have a couple of pieces of structural steel tube I can bolt together with 1/2" threaded rod from above and below the bed as close to the head stock that would work as spreaders... with a 2x6 jammed between the tubing and the lifting strap thru the bed webbing to keep them spread apart... I really dont trust those bottom plates for more than a few hundred pounds of loading.

This isn't the lathe in question, but same model. I think I can use steel tube above and below to make a clamp with 3 rods,

 

[Downwindtracker2]

You don't need to choke it, you can basket it,if you are careful about a "flying right"

 

[phaxtris]

do not basket it, there is a lot of weight above the point of lift, if it decides to roll, its going, it could be slung beautifully and a sudden momentum change (forklift stops), and its gone

looks like lots of room, you may need to add in some shackles to make up for the extra strap used up by the wider bed casting near the headstock, but its do-able, simple and safe

a plate secured top/bottom with a big eye bolt lifting from the bottom of the bed casting would probably be ideal, but you dont have the lathe in front of you to take the measurements and fab something up....and i assume your not driving a welding rig out there to pick it up, so fabbing on site is going to be limited

 

[phaxtris]

something like this, that was my other thought, 2 pieces of hss, bolted through with a chunk of 1/2 redi rod, one on ither end, chunk of lumber on the top to protect the ways from the hss, then throw a strap around the top hss, 2 points of lift

probably use 2x2x3/16 or 1/4 for the hss, that should negate the hole your drill through the middle of it

easy to, so long as you have some material to cut up

 

[TorontoBuilder]

something like this, that was my other thought, 2 pieces of hss, bolted through with a chunk of 1/2 redi rod, one on ither end, chunk of lumber on the top to protect the ways from the hss, then throw a strap around the top hss, 2 points of lift

probably use 2x2x3/16 or 1/4 for the hss, that should negate the hole your drill through the middle of it

easy to, so long as you have some material to cut up

View attachment 32757

This is sort of what we are doing. Bringing portable band saw, heavy drill with multiple 5/8" bits, structural tubes, 5/8" threaded rods, 2x6s etc

 

[phaxtris]

This is sort of what we are doing. Bringing portable band saw, heavy drill with multiple 5/8" bits, structural tubes, 5/8" threaded rods, 2x6s etc

yea good plan, bring a decent selection, stay flexible, so long as you have a couple ideas you should be able to make one of them work

 

[TorontoBuilder]

yea good plan, bring a decent selection, stay flexible, so long as you have a couple ideas you should be able to make one of them work

we have 3 plans.

I am almost positive the first one will work like a charm.

I asked a buddy how he moved his and he said "If memory serves we choked a sling around the chuck, moved the carriage to the head end and engaged the feed so it can't move, and choked around tailstock. "

I'm like nope, nope never gonna do that..

 

[phaxtris]

yea, thats a pretty rammy way of doing it!

 

[Susquatch]

I'm like nope, nope never gonna do that..

That's just about the last thing I would ever do.

I'd love to know what @Dabbler would recommend.

 

[Susquatch]

Here is what Grizzly Recommends for a, similar sized lathe. In this case the straps go inside of the leade screws. That would not work on my lathe and it might not work on your lathe either. However, some hardwood spreaders might be enough to keep the straps away from the shafts (outside rather than inside).

I would also be tempted to add additional slings to stop the lathe from rolling. But I would not use the chuck or spindle for that. In fact, I'd remove things like chucks and tailstock. But maybe add replacement weights at the tailstock end to counterbalance the head.

I would think a home made pair of very heavy hardwood blocks (perhaps reinforced with steel plate) above and below the bed with very long bolts that sandwich the bed at both ends - perhaps with a lifting eye at the top might serve to protect the bed and stabilize the balance.