Jet 1642 needs to move around small shop

[Dennis Taylor]

not posted here before, but have been lurking and learning for a long time. but I have a question to all the lathe owners that are large and need them to be mobile. I have a Jet 1642, and need to be able to move it around the shop/garage. Any idea's how to set this up?....tks and looking for all input I can get.....Dennis

[JerHall]

Ideas for the PM3520 will work:
http://docs.google.com/View?docID=d4b7vjd_19f4xnj9&revision=_latest

[Paul Coffin]

I purchased the Harbor Freight hydraulic scissor lift cart which I just roll under my 1642, and raise the lathe with the cart then roll the lathe wherever I want. Another big bonus is that the cart will raise as high as my pickup bed which makes it much easier to load and unload hevy object like new tools:) from the truck. HF has 20% off coupons almost weekly if you sign up for their email adds. Here is a link ton the cart.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93116

=PAUL

[larry cronkite]

Bought the floor model of this lathe at Woodcraft last November and it had WC casters on it. They work great.

[Radek Kowalski]

I have the WoodCraft casters on my Jet 1442. I have been using them for over a year with no issues.

[Mike Lipke]

I had a 1642. Nice lathe btw. I started with the WoodCraft casters, but they were a little tall, and even when locked made the lathe feel wobbly, or soft. Some blanks made the lathe do a little hula.
Switched to the Great Lakes Casters, which are shorter, and put the WoodCraft casters on a bandsaw. GreatLakes Casters make the lathe much more solid, even if you don't lower the feet. Love 'em.

[Dick Mahany]

I made the following retractable caster set up for my Jet 1642. It works very well and I move my lathe each time I set it up for use. I have upgraded the casters to the 3" polyurethane non-locking casters from Rockler. They have bearings and make the lathe a breeze to move. I never use the lathe with the casters down as I like it to be securely down on the legs for stability. This simple arrangement lifts the lathe only by 1/2 inch, yet allows for easy mobility.

[Peter Luch]

That looks great!

Gonna steal that idea if you don't mind for my 1642.

Aloha, Pete

[Dennis Taylor]

Larry, on the your 1642 are the wheels 3 or 4 inch, you indicated that you had some issue with the wheels and alignment between the head and tail stock is that right?...I seen a WC they have the 3 in wheels with a 3/8 stem, do those thread into the bottom of the lathe feet?..tks..Dennis

[Jon Lanier]

Oh great day people. Just make sure you lift with your legs and not your back. :p

[larry cronkite]

Larry, on the your 1642 are the wheels 3 or 4 inch, you indicated that you had some issue with the wheels and alignment between the head and tail stock is that right?...I seen a WC they have the 3 in wheels with a 3/8 stem, do those thread into the bottom of the lathe feet?..tks..Dennis
Dennis

I'm only turning pens at the present time so I can't speak for turning bigger objects but for me those 3 inch casters work great.
I had a problem with the centers lining up on the 1642 at first and contacted Jet and they told me that the problem could be solved by adjusting the height of the casters to tweak the lathe alignment. This didn't sound right but I tried it and it worked! However two of the casters were so far out that they bent over while I was moving the lathe. After spending another $34 to replace the casters and snugging all 4 up to the legs I added 300 lbs of ballast in a sandbox.
(See http://www.sawmillcreek.org/articles/7/).
No more alignment problems and I'm able to easily move the 700 lbs of lathe and ballast to get it out of my way when I have other projects to work on and the lockable casters really keep it in place when I'm turning.
Hope this answers your questions.