Mobile base for lathe

[Gramps' shop]

Looking for a recommendation for a mobile base for my Nova 1644 lathe. Nova wasn't much help.

Thanks,

Larry

[Bob La Londe]

Typically lathes are setup and leveled in place to avoid twisting.

[G. Ross]

My problem was the opposite--when turning out of balance blanks the lathe wanted to get mobile on it's own. I bolted it to two 2-by's and then glued them in place with silicone. I teased my BIL about how heavy the lathe was. He tried to lift the tailstock end and agreed.

[woodchucker]

see this.. removeable

[Gramps' shop]

That's pretty cool, Jeff, and a shop-built base is a likely alternative if I can't find a commercial product. One question -- does the lathe always rest on the wheels or can you lower it to the floor? If so, what's the mechanism?

[Jack]

I recommend a shop built base. If you are a woodworker, build a nice cabinet with plenty of drawers to hold tools and what not. To make it mobile, their are myriad of mobile work bases on the net. Most all shops need more storage and wasting space under a lathe is usually folly. I've seen guys use sandbags for weight on empty lathe bases. A cabinet full of tools is both space efficient and heavy, and beats the hell out of useless sandbags.

I would put two fixed castors on one end, parallel with the lathe bed, and one swivel castor on a lift on the other. Here is an example of the lift I use on my table saw, which is mobile. You only need one, not 4:

Here is the cabinet I made for my lathe about 40 years ago. Not mobile, but it could easily be made mobile, and far better than any commercial lathe stand I've seen anywhere.

[Electric Comet]

liability issues most likely prevent them from helping

how often do you intend to move it

not often do i see mobile lathes

do any of the top lathe makers offer mobile bases i would find inspiration there if i wanted a mobile base

[bnwelch]

I recently picked up an older lathe where the PO mounted an axle and 2 6" wheels at the business end of the base. To move the lathe, pick up the tailstock side and move like a wheelbarrow...In a small shop, it made perfect sense to me

[woodchucker]

They are made to be removed. The dowel provides the hinge point. When you want to move it, push them on with your foot, and lock them in place.

[woodchucker]

Accidently deleted the album on imgur trying to put a small video up there. It wasn't uploading and I tried to stop it, only to delete the album. Still can't get the upload up. Will try again at work. But here's the new link to the album.

[Ralph E Lindberg]

Since I built my own stand for my Nova DVR I built it to use a mobile base I found that fit Jet

Now the issue with mobile bases is keeping them stable, when not mobile. I made one for our Jet 1220, but the DW complains it moves too much, so we might scrap it and start over.

[Jack]

If you have two legs with stationary wheels, and on the opposite end a lift wheel, the lathe should be stationary when the lift is down, and sitting on two legs and two stationary wheels that move perpendicular to the rotation. I have exactly this setup on my table saw/jointer stand and it does not move. The stand for the lathe should be sturdy and heavy. I recommend building a nice cabinet with drawers to hold a bunch of tools. I recommend this for all your stationary tools, mobile or not.

[woodchucker]

The problem is that the lathes are top heavy. And become unstable. With the setup i have the cg is moved lower since it grabs near the ways. If the wheels are bottom loaded then the cg is higher.

[Electric Comet]

for inspiration

[DerbyDad03]

My table saw sits on this, which is basically what you described:

As small as my shop is, I couldn't get by without it.

[graham]

This is an expensive solution but it might give you ideas:

Graham

[Sonny]

I'm not a turner, but have an old Craftsman lathe, with extension bases for nearly 8' long turnings. I've only tinkered with turning, now and then, doing simple spindles and a few knob-like turnings. I built a long cabine t, so yeah, I'd recommend building a cabinet, also, if practical for you.

Derby's suggestion of using this mobile base harware looks promising....

.... build/incorporate a cabinet onto the base.

Sonny

[Sonny]

I'll likely get this for my jointer. Thanks for that link.

Sonny

[Leon]

Just a note about that Rockler build it your self mobile base kit. I have two of them. They are really good for relatively light weight. I I have one under my router table, that is good. I also have one under my floor model drill press, not so good.

The problem is that the wood bends and flexes when under a lot of weight and the longer the wood beams the more flex you get. This is not a problem in its stationary state but when the wheel is engaged to make it mobile the wood flex keeps the rubber feet from lifting as much as you might think. And I used red oak for the beams.

Just keep in mind that you will likely have to fiddle with it quite a bit to get the feet positioned so that they work in a stationary position and lift enough to clear high spots on a less than flat floor when you want to move the machine.

[Sonny]

Hmmm? I wonder if a 1/2 ply would help prevent that flexing.

I have this problem with my table saws on their Delta mobile bases, inside the shop (wooden floor). My jointer is on the concrete garage floor.... mo re smooth & level, than the shop's floor. Right now, the jointer is on 3/

4" ply and I put closet rods underneath, to roll it.

Thanks. Sonny