Bolt it down or sand bag it ??

[hank dekeyser]

Hey all,
I hear lots of guys saying they added sand bags / etc. to their lathe for mass. OK - whats the difference if it's weighted down or bolted to the floor (cement slab) ??

Reason I ask is my Vega 1200 (an OK starter lathe for between centers) is pretty light. I built a set of legs for it out of 2-1/2" x 3/16" wall pipe. Kind of an A- frame looking set-up w/ a flat pad on top to mount the lathe and 3" angle on the floor - bolted to the cement slab. After a few turnings I realized it wanted to "wiggle" a little. I had to run a lateral cross brace from the headstock down to the other corner . It's rock solid now.


What's anybody else doing ? Yes I realize a good "heavy" lathe doesn't need to be bolted down, but I'm guessing it's probably the way to go ?

[Steve Schlumpf]

Hank - I built a ballast box and filled it with 6 bags of concrete to add weight to my lathe. I am glad I did not bolt the lathe down as I have had to move it a couple of times now - even just a few inches - in order to make room to use hollowing equipment. Each time I moved it - I had to play with the height adjustment and get the bed back into level again. Found that level had more to do with vibration than anything else.

I am glad to hear that bolting your lathe to the floor has overcome any vibration issues and it sounds like you built a pretty nice stand! Whatever works for you - works! When you have the time, please should post a few photos of your lathe setup as it may help others get ideas for their setups!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Hank whatever works. I have one bolted down and one with sand bags holding it down. Both work equally well.