Monster Lathe Materials (Gloat)

[John Hart]

I've been on the lookout for some scrap steel from which to fabricate a giant lathe. Found a bit of luck today...right under my nose.

On the farthest reaches of the property where our company sits, there is a boneyard of old, outdated, or broken machinery and I managed to find this here thing:
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This is the frame for, what is known as, a filter press. It is used to put chemicals under extreme pressure to remove moisture....you know.....a ringer.;) Anyway...this thing is made of 3" thick Stainless steel and has perfectly parallel rails...ten feet long. The nicely machined surface you see there, would be the headstock mounting frame. The whole thing weighs nearly 1500 pounds. But, when disassembled, there are no parts heavier than 400 pounds....so I'm sure my girls will come pick it up for me.

And this:
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Shows the 2" thick steel plate, mounted on rollers, that would allow me to mount some type of tailstock device. I'll need to come up with a method of locking it down.

There's also this handy little frame. It stands about 5 feet tall. I could use this in combination with the filter press....using just the rails as the Ways.
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more pics on the next page

[John Hart]

Here's a spare End piece. Two of us could barely pick up one end.
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And here's some extra steel laying around...free for the taking
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And here are two A-Frame structures for that special 16 ft Diameter bowl you always wanted. These frames stand 8feet tall and al ready have bearings and shafts mounted in the right place.
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Anyway...it was a good day at work today. :)

[David Fried]

You're going to need a work horse to drag that stuff home!

Good finds - Can't wait to see what you put together.

[Andy Hoyt]

Yahoo!

John's gonna build himself a Scrapway!

[Mark Pruitt]

Nice find there. Whatcha gonna do 'bout a tool rest?

[Paul Engle]

John, your maint dept will have everything else you need.direct drive DC motors / controls/ metal lathe to make what ever. tail stock could be big bolt / w/2 couple nuts on ts frame , use big plate and bolt to clamp to ways and drill some index holes use steel pin as hold fast. make nice with the maint boss .... I made big bowl for head of maint's wife here .... it pays. Are you sure you are not in my companys bone yard??? oh yea baby great stuff. Just a tad heavy tho...hey John ... go git the forklift ......;)

[Keith Burns]

John, I'd take that stainless steel without hesitation. New Stainless, 316 grade is going for over $6.00 per pound. Don't know what scrap is worth but I'd bet it's pretty good.:) :) You might sell it and buy a horse and trailer to drag the other stuff home !

[John Hart]

You're going to need a work horse to drag that stuff home!....

If I show this to a horse...he's gonna kick me in the teeth!:eek:


....John's gonna build himself a Scrapway!

That's it!!! The Scrapway A-1000 Monster Lathe! What color you think a Scrapway oughta be? I'm thinking ketchup.:rolleyes:


Nice find there. Whatcha gonna do 'bout a tool rest?
Good question. Been thinking about that for a few days. I'll need some sort of floor stand arrangement with a deep reach...and then have a way to strengthen the over-hung load to minimize vibration. Gonna take some creative welding methinks.


John, your maint dept will have everything else you need.direct drive DC motors / controls/ metal lathe to make what ever. tail stock could be big bolt / w/2 couple nuts on ts frame , use big plate and bolt to clamp to ways and drill some index holes use steel pin as hold fast. make nice with the maint boss .... I made big bowl for head of maint's wife here .... it pays. Are you sure you are not in my companys bone yard??? oh yea baby great stuff. Just a tad heavy tho...hey John ... go git the forklift ......

Already got in good with the Plant Engineer. He said to just come on a Saturday and his guys will load me up with the towmotor. Course then...once I get home...I'm on my own.:( Good idea on the tail stock! That'll work!!


John, I'd take that stainless steel without hesitation. New Stainless, 316 grade is going for over $6.00 per pound. Don't know what scrap is worth but I'd bet it's pretty good.:) :) You might sell it and buy a horse and trailer to drag the other stuff home !

Nice try.:rolleyes: I'm not buying a horse trailer.:cool: :)

[Tom Sherman]

Nice try.:rolleyes: I'm not buying a horse trailer

John you may not have to buy one I have this friend that might be persuaded to make a trip up your way to help with the horsey's.

[Dario Octaviano]

Great find! Can't wait to see what monster lathe these pieces will come to be.

There was a motor sold by my college cheaply (about $150.00) a few months back that would have been perfect for this. I believe it is 440V 3 Phase...and could have been used for elevators :D

[Jim Becker]

What color you think a Scrapway oughta be? I'm thinking ketchup.

Naa...black and blue...to match your body after attempting to move all those very heavy steel parts!

[Art Mulder]

John, I'd take that stainless steel without hesitation. New Stainless, 316 grade is going for over $6.00 per pound.

Yeah, what Keith said... I'm really surprised that is just sitting back there. I would have expected the bosses to want the cash that a scrapyard would pay.

...art

[Joash Boyton]

So watcha gonna do about a holding device? I don't think you could classify anything as a chuck for a lathe that size.:D

Will be looking forward to seeing wehat comes out of all that....that...that......junk/gold/metal/treasure/etc: (take ur pick;))

Joash

[Brian McInturff]

I think a Cummins Diesel with and axle for a headstock would work. Might as well think "BIG" since you're thinking. You think they would miss any Giant Sequoia's out in Cal?

[John Hart]

Hey Jim! Not a bad Idea! I don't think there's a black and blue lathe anywhere. I gots to be original.;)

I already have the motor by the way. It's a 22 HP Lister Diesel engine. Clutch driven 2" shaft that drives a pulley system. It's my intent to mount a couple of bearing blocks to this with a fairly large pulley attached....then offer a variety of pulley sizes down below to vary the speed. The engine spins at 1800 RPM at full throttle and I figure I can get the lathe down to 1 RPM if I do my math correctly. I doubt I'll ever go above 400 RPM.

Here's the engine
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As far as a holding device...I haven't worked out that detail yet....but there's an amish fellow near by that'll be happy to put any thread on the shaft. Folks around here are dying to help me with this little project.

As far as my company selling off the scrap...Sheesh....I can't figure out half the stuff they do. But I'll take this benefit!;)


Hey Tom....Just tell your friend to keep his horse trailer in Virginia....I fear I just can't pony up to the responsibility.;) :)

[Dennis Peacock]

Hey John,

I don't think my welding buddy can make a steady for one that big. Shipping would be enormous. :D

[John Hart]

Hey John,

I don't think my welding buddy can make a steady for one that big. Shipping would be enormous. :D

Tell ya the truth Dennis...I was going to hit you up for that in the Spring sometime. Wouldn't it be cool to do a giant hollow form?:eek: :)

[Don Orr]

HoooooWeeeee, that's gonna be a bigun! :eek: Can't wait to see how it "turns" out.:D This is gettin real interesting!

[Art Mulder]

Sooo, just what do you turn that needs something this big? Pedestals? hot tubs? masts? (Yea I saw Bill Grumbines boat building web page)

Or is that just the wrong sort of question? (ie: don't talk to me about practicality!)

[John Hart]

Sooo, just what do you turn that needs something this big? Pedestals? hot tubs? masts?

Well...I'd really like to turn a 3 foot diameter natural edge bowl and a 2 ft diameter hollow form....not to mention, there's a good market for 8 ft columns and pencil posts for beds. Around these parts, I can pick up a 10 foot 6X6 piece of walnut, cherry, Maple or Oak for about $10 so I figger...since I have the room now...and I have an engine...all I need is a little steel! ;)

[Ernie Nyvall]

And here's some extra steel laying around...free for the taking
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Wow, what a find. Hey, did you know that that "extra steel" is heavy duty stand-alone shelving? That would hold a bunch of blanks. You can set that stuff up screw siding to it to keep the weather off.

[Tom Sherman]

Ok John I'll tell my friend to stand down, at least for the moment. You know as far as a holding device(chuck) there are some massive metal working chucks out there, with a bit of modification one could possibly make some acessories for the jaws to hold a tenon or such.

[Jon Shively]

I would like to see him turn a pen on it when he is done!

Great find John! Love it when someone steps in a pile of horse____ and comes out smelling like a rose!! grin

Have no ideas at the moment for a tool rest, but do teach welding at the high school and if I can be of any assistance and we can figure out what is needed and I have it, would put it together for you and meet you halfway. I am on the West side Northern tier of Indiana. Just South of US 30. Keep me in mind. Feel free to PM any time.

[Dick Strauss]

John,
You da man!

I vote for Ketchup (to hide the blood stains from turning accidents). Besides, then it will really be unique (maybe ugly but nonetheless unique).

As far as the toolrest is concerned, you got one shown in one of the pics. You have pics of two triangular pieces with half-circle steel toolrests facing the sky. Cut off the half-circles and weld on a post holder for the toolrest. You could even use a pair of outboard turning stands on both sides of the lathe with a banjo that spans the lathe bed and bolts to stands. Talk about a stable toolrest...!!!! It would also isolate the toolrest from any machine vibration.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=52541&thumb=1&d=1166212740 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=52541&d=1166212740)

To load a log that big you'll need an overhead wench system if there isn't one in your shop. A buddy turns 18"(d) x 36"(l) green pieces and uses a wench system to hold the chunks while he's mounting them.

I will volunteer to come help with the big stuff. Let me know when you are ready to pull the trigger... Maybe we could make a Creeker weekend out of it once more pieces are in place

Take care,
Dick

[Dennis Peacock]

Tell ya the truth Dennis...I was going to hit you up for that in the Spring sometime. Wouldn't it be cool to do a giant hollow form?:eek: :)

Uhhhhhh....I could just see me falling INTO the HF and the kill switch on that thing being missing. But I'm willing to watch YOU do a HF on it. ;)

[Art Mulder]

Around these parts, I can pick up a 10 foot 6X6 piece of walnut, cherry, Maple or Oak for about $10

Oh that's just teasing! :mad: :cool:

[John Hart]

Wow, what a find. Hey, did you know that that "extra steel" is heavy duty stand-alone shelving? That would hold a bunch of blanks. You can set that stuff up screw siding to it to keep the weather off.

Nice idea Ernie. Sheesh...since moving to this place, we've realized how little shelving we have. There is so much square footage in all the buildings and we STILL have mountains of boxes to unpack...with no where to put the stuff. Weird problem.


You know as far as a holding device(chuck) there are some massive metal working chucks out there, with a bit of modification one could possibly make some acessories for the jaws to hold a tenon or such.
Good idea Tom. I see big old rusty chucks for sale on ebay all the time. Might have to procure one or two...or three.:) Also, in the boneyard, there are large steel collars that could be retrofitted to become faceplates.;)


As far as the toolrest is concerned, you got one shown in one of the pics. You have pics of two triangular pieces with half-circle steel toolrests facing the sky.

Hey Dick. Them there things are a tad large.:eek: I'm thinking somewhere along the lines of a moveable device that is supported by the floor and a cross-member of some sort along the length of the bed. If I can develop a design with hinges to give some pivotable adjustment...but tons of strength, we'll be in business.


Jon ShivelyHave no ideas at the moment for a tool rest, but do teach welding at the high school and if I can be of any assistance and we can figure out what is needed and I have it...

Might take you up on that Jon. Thanks. I've never welded...but willing to learn. However, with something as important and stress-proned as a toolrest, I'd rather see an expert do it. I'll start on the design this week once I have all the dimensional data from the steel.



Uhhhhhh....I could just see me falling INTO the HF and the kill switch on that thing being missing.....

The ol' "Cat-In-The-Washing-Machine" comes to mind.:eek: :D


Oh that's just teasing! :mad: :cool:

Sorry Art.:o Um...wait a minute....no I'm not.;) :D

[Tom Sherman]

John, just a thought for the tool rest, again using metal lathe technology the rest could be on a rack and pinion system or even a screw for lateral and horizontal movement with a pinch system to lock it in place on the ways to facilitate the use of your tools, which just occurred to would have to be massive.

[Mark Hulette]

Hey John-

How are you going to get the massive blanks up to mount the behemoth? Fork lift? Engine hoist?

Just curious if you're intending to do anything that large...

[John Hart]

Hey John-

How are you going to get the massive blanks up to mount the behemoth? Fork lift? Engine hoist?

Just curious if you're intending to do anything that large...

Well...yeah...I hope so. I'm entering some unknown territory..so I'm just going to let the wind take me where it wants. But one thing I do know....I'm lazy. So I'll come up with a method where I don't have to work so hard. Maybe a kind of harness with a winch attached to the ceiling would be best...then I can just mount the faceplate to the wood and roll it into the harness, then hit a button.:confused:

[Glenn Clabo]

John...
As I watch this I only wish my visit was timed a little better. Man...do I wish I was near enough to break you of your laziness and get you on this one. I wonder how I can convince DrLOML to let me accompany her for another vacation to Cleveland. We could have some REAL fun building this suckah...

[Ken Fitzgerald]

John............I've got some metal boat oars.......You might sharpen them for a new "Big Bertha".......Oh....wait.......they're aluminum.....that won't work......:D

[Matt Meiser]

Wish my company had a scrapyard like that. Heck I wish there was a scrapyard like that where I could go to BUY stuff around here.