selectedgrub
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- New Zealand
Yes, and thanks for sharing too.
- Thread starter Dcal
- Start date
Dcal
Member
- Messages
- 4,087
- Location
- Antrim Northern Ireland
Thanks for the interest lads, I always try to make things I'm not embarrassed by.
It does mean I spend an lot more time on them, but it's all good fun. I also think the only way to improve, is to do as good a job as you can. It doesn't always work out but worth a go.
Used the A frame in anger for the first time on Tuesday.
I picked a great time for a 600 odd mile round trip with the whole Nation going nuts for fuel.
Couldn’t get filled up in Glasgow on Monday evening, but I didn’t try that hard as I had an early start.
Left at 04:00 and arrived shortly after 10:00 after a detour or two for roadworks and to get fuel.
Layout was not as I expected but the lathe did not disappoint.
The seller and his partner were really great and they and a neighbour helped me to shift and load it up.
To my untrained eye it looks to be in good nick and the ways seem good. There is a bit of damage close to the chuck but I don’t think it will affect the operation of the lathe and they will probably stone out. The cross slide screw seems worn but that not the end of the wprld or unexpected given the age of the thing.
The lathe was on a low plinth, luckly we had two sizes of scaffold tube to act as rollers and moving it around the corner went very well.
I thought I was reversing directly up to the shed, roll the lathe outside, lift it up, reverse the trailer under it and away we go.
Not so simple it turns out, setup was a pretty tight hardcore and grass lane between two rows of houses with the lathe in a covered area at right angles to the lane.
Because of the layout I couldn’t reverse down the lane and into the shed but had to drive nose in down the lane, reverse the trailer into the shed, load it up then drive out the same way and reverse back up the lane.
Also as I couldn’t get the lathe outside the A frame is too high by about 2 foot.
The sellers better half suggested the obvious solution of making it two foot shorter and as they had a plasma and a welder this is what we did.
I welded the uprights close to one end to make it easier to erect from the beam end (as in the photo above) and not erect each frame from laying on the flat then put on the cross beam, which was my original intention. I'm going to keep this setup when I properly mod it for working inside my garage as it will also get me closer to walls.
You might also notice that I didn’t put the props in before I welded the uprights to the base
and they ended up being too tight to go in. I will really be giving the cross beam (and my welding) a proper workout. The sums say it's ok as long as the lathe weighs what it should. (and I didn't balls up the welding)
Bolted the cross beam to the uprights on the ground then lifted the whole thing vertical. Good job there was plenty of help, (I did bring a winch for the job) however man and women power was quicker.
Once up, we packed under the base with timber and the offcuts of the uprights to get as much height between the shed rafters as possible.
The block and tackle I brought was 2t SWL and not really up to the job, so I brought a sheeve block to double the capacity.
However with the reduced head height I couldn’t rig the sheeve block so I gave it a go with just the block and tackle. We did take a few bits off - chuck, tailstock, tool holder, to reduce some weight.
Lifting point was as the manual with an 1 3/4 inch bar through the hole provided and a line to steady the tailstock end. With the chuck and tailstock off I was able to adjust the position of the saddle to get it to lift perfectly on the single main lifting point and didnt bother with the steady line.
Even at that, we needed to shorten the rigging as much as possible and it ended up clashing with the head stock spindle so I packed it with timber to protect the bearings.
All went well, the cross beam hardly budged and after letting some air out of the tyres we got the trailer under the lathe and lowered down.
The wee block and tackle was under serious pressure but I can confirm an unloved Yale 2t block will lift over 2 tons.
Then it was tie it down, cover it with a tarp and reinflate the tyres.
By this stage it had been raining for hours and was pitch black so reversing it back up the lane was interesting to say the least and I still smell of burnt clutch.
Once on the road the return trip to Glasgow was uneventful but a real slog.
Got back around three in the morning after a kip at a service station. (After that trip I can see why most young people don't want to be lorry drivers.)
No pictures of that but I will take some of it coming off the trailer at this end once I modify the A frame again, however the seller did take some photos and a video which I can share if i get them. (and he doesn't mind)
All said the A frame worked well and I don't see how I would have got the lathe loaded without it.
It does mean I spend an lot more time on them, but it's all good fun. I also think the only way to improve, is to do as good a job as you can. It doesn't always work out but worth a go.
Used the A frame in anger for the first time on Tuesday.
I picked a great time for a 600 odd mile round trip with the whole Nation going nuts for fuel.
Couldn’t get filled up in Glasgow on Monday evening, but I didn’t try that hard as I had an early start.
Left at 04:00 and arrived shortly after 10:00 after a detour or two for roadworks and to get fuel.
Layout was not as I expected but the lathe did not disappoint.
The seller and his partner were really great and they and a neighbour helped me to shift and load it up.
To my untrained eye it looks to be in good nick and the ways seem good. There is a bit of damage close to the chuck but I don’t think it will affect the operation of the lathe and they will probably stone out. The cross slide screw seems worn but that not the end of the wprld or unexpected given the age of the thing.
The lathe was on a low plinth, luckly we had two sizes of scaffold tube to act as rollers and moving it around the corner went very well.
I thought I was reversing directly up to the shed, roll the lathe outside, lift it up, reverse the trailer under it and away we go.
Not so simple it turns out, setup was a pretty tight hardcore and grass lane between two rows of houses with the lathe in a covered area at right angles to the lane.
Because of the layout I couldn’t reverse down the lane and into the shed but had to drive nose in down the lane, reverse the trailer into the shed, load it up then drive out the same way and reverse back up the lane.
Also as I couldn’t get the lathe outside the A frame is too high by about 2 foot.
The sellers better half suggested the obvious solution of making it two foot shorter and as they had a plasma and a welder this is what we did.
I welded the uprights close to one end to make it easier to erect from the beam end (as in the photo above) and not erect each frame from laying on the flat then put on the cross beam, which was my original intention. I'm going to keep this setup when I properly mod it for working inside my garage as it will also get me closer to walls.
You might also notice that I didn’t put the props in before I welded the uprights to the base
and they ended up being too tight to go in. I will really be giving the cross beam (and my welding) a proper workout. The sums say it's ok as long as the lathe weighs what it should. (and I didn't balls up the welding)Bolted the cross beam to the uprights on the ground then lifted the whole thing vertical. Good job there was plenty of help, (I did bring a winch for the job) however man and women power was quicker.
Once up, we packed under the base with timber and the offcuts of the uprights to get as much height between the shed rafters as possible.
The block and tackle I brought was 2t SWL and not really up to the job, so I brought a sheeve block to double the capacity.
However with the reduced head height I couldn’t rig the sheeve block so I gave it a go with just the block and tackle. We did take a few bits off - chuck, tailstock, tool holder, to reduce some weight.
Lifting point was as the manual with an 1 3/4 inch bar through the hole provided and a line to steady the tailstock end. With the chuck and tailstock off I was able to adjust the position of the saddle to get it to lift perfectly on the single main lifting point and didnt bother with the steady line.
Even at that, we needed to shorten the rigging as much as possible and it ended up clashing with the head stock spindle so I packed it with timber to protect the bearings.
All went well, the cross beam hardly budged and after letting some air out of the tyres we got the trailer under the lathe and lowered down.
The wee block and tackle was under serious pressure but I can confirm an unloved Yale 2t block will lift over 2 tons.
Then it was tie it down, cover it with a tarp and reinflate the tyres.
By this stage it had been raining for hours and was pitch black so reversing it back up the lane was interesting to say the least and I still smell of burnt clutch.
Once on the road the return trip to Glasgow was uneventful but a real slog.
Got back around three in the morning after a kip at a service station. (After that trip I can see why most young people don't want to be lorry drivers.)
No pictures of that but I will take some of it coming off the trailer at this end once I modify the A frame again, however the seller did take some photos and a video which I can share if i get them. (and he doesn't mind)
All said the A frame worked well and I don't see how I would have got the lathe loaded without it.
Awesome and that lathe is stunning!
Glad the gantry worked well for you.
A plant trailer is much lower and would have been easier.
That is a problem I have. I am building an awesome trailer that will easily take the weight. But it is a single axle 3500kg. The only tyres that will take that weight as a pair are 17.5" lorry ones which means the trailer will be very high. I will start a build thread on it.
Glad the gantry worked well for you.
A plant trailer is much lower and would have been easier.
That is a problem I have. I am building an awesome trailer that will easily take the weight. But it is a single axle 3500kg. The only tyres that will take that weight as a pair are 17.5" lorry ones which means the trailer will be very high. I will start a build thread on it.
