Suds Tank

[Bsmith]

Going to be installing water/ cutting oil circulation on my lathe but need a tank/ reservoir for the pump to sit on. I could make a ms one but thought it easier to just buy a plastic tank, so far thought of a fish aquarium but imagine it being brittle and me breaking it with something, also thought of a waste water tank for a motor home/ caravan. Anyone got any better ideas plz? Do plumbing shops sell small plastic header tanks?

 

[Jlg]

Going to be installing water/ cutting oil circulation on my lathe but need a tank/ reservoir for the pump to sit on. I could make a ms one but thought it easier to just buy a plastic tank, so far thought of a fish aquarium but imagine it being brittle and me breaking it with something, also thought of a waste water tank for a motor home/ caravan. Anyone got any better ideas plz? Do plumbing shops sell small plastic header tanks?

A small parts washer sgs has them for 35£

 

[zzr1200]

A black builders bucket, with a frame to hold the pump unit.

Or an old style metal mop and mount the pump unit in the mop squeegee bit.

 

[Luke]

I was thinking about using a 'really useful box'. They're available in lots of different sizes. Should be straightforward to mount the pump in the lid.

http://www.reallyusefulstorageboxes.co.uk/Mobile/35litre-really-useful-storage-box-c2x12529639

 

[addjunkie]

Go see your local farmer and ask him for an empty lick bucket. Basically a plastic tub, with a nice tight sealing lid. Various sizes. But the ones we get are about 2 gallons, rectangular.

 

[Stueeee]

I have an old plastic central heating Feed and Expansion tank for the coolant on one of my lathes. I pop rivetted and siliconed an Aluminium sheet weir into it immediately under the inlet from the lathe's chip tray. The idea being to stop small bits of swarf finding their way into the pump. Can't get a photo as there's too much cr*p in front of the tank at the mo'.

 

[julianf]

I have a commercial one -

Metal tank, with gate (makes swarf settle better)
Pump
NVR
Pipe
Plug
Lead
Flexi spout thing
Valve

Basically whole thing.

I'm sure it was about 80 new

What I mean is, if you have all the bits, then, sure, DIY it, but if you're starting to buy stuff, it would be easy to get to most of that fighre.

 

[slimjim]

I just used a heavy duty plastic storage box, with lid, bolted a bit of 3mm steel to the lid and fixed the pump, and an upright inch square 6ft steel pole, to fix the tubing to, with a tea strainer to fit the return pipe into, the lid and everything comes off for cleaning out the tank

 

[indy4x]

Have a look at @doubleboost YouTube channel, he used some sorta plastic box for his lathe and mill

 

[doubleboost]

 

[slimjim]

Similar to mine, but mine is all self contained, with a pole to attach the tubing too, so it supports the tube, then there is that flexible plastic connector type thing that you can direct the flow, and a magnetic clamp for it, means it’s easy to move to other machines, as it’s all self contained, plus there’s no drag from the hose, I will get a picture at sometime, it uses the unconnected boxford suds pump, that was still in my boxford, but with a capacitor to make it run on single phase.

 

[graffian]

I have one of the thick plastic cans that hotels buy washing up liquid in.
I cut a hole in the top of the thing and stuck the suds pump in it.

 

[Bsmith]

Some good ideas, thanks fellas. I'll probably try and get a strongish plastic storage box from one of the supermarkets. Thanks again.

 

[bigegg]

if you go for a "really useful" box, they're £3 at Morrisons, but £4 everywhere else for a 6litre

 

[Bsmith]

Thanks, funny enough I was intending to check Morrison's first as I have seen storage boxes there.