A question about metal lathes

[Brendan18]

Hi

My metal lathe just came in today and one aspect i forgot to take into consideration.
Should I bolt down my lathe?
So i have a 250x550 (in mm) metal lathe that weighs about 125 kg, 750watt motor, max 2000rpm.
My setup consist of:
1. Anti-vibration mats that weighs 10mm thick and weighs +- 5kg a piece (I have laminated floors in my studio)
2. A metal work bench with a MDF counter that weighs about 60kg and should have a max load of 1000kg (still need level my bench).

I would like some information if I need to bolt my metal lathe down onto the bench with the given information?
I still need to look into the calibration of my lathe.

Thank you in advance.

[wdteipen]

At 125kg you might not necessarily have to bolt it down but since we turn off center it's a good idea to in order to reduce vibration.

[DocAitch]

I have an 8x12” metal lathe that just sits on my bench, weighs ~250 lbs. Yours is about 10x21”
I do not turn stummels however- Just round stock-rod and tool steel.
DocAitch

[UnderShade]

My lathe is roughly 300lbs and will vibrate like mad if not bolted down. I do turn stummels on it though...

[Brendan18]

My lathe is roughly 300lbs and will vibrate like mad if not bolted down. I do turn stummels on it though...

Well, damn! I didn't know that turning stummels would cause so much vibrations.

[Brendan18]

Well I have a HUGE set back.
The lathe I orderd doesn't turn on.

[KurtHuhn]

That sucks!

I bolted down my South Bend 9c, but that was necessary due to the way the drive is setup. But, even if it wasn't necessary, I think I would anyway.

[cpd2186]

I have a Logan 200 metal lathe... Weighs 550 lbs. It wont move!!!

[Couve]

I’ll add this because it might be surprising to some. I had an industrial wood lathe operation with heavy automatic lathes. Any vibration was visible right at the cutter, and just because the heavy machines were on concrete slabs, did not mean the slab didn’t vibrate. When installing a lathe, we leveled the footprint of the lathe by building a small cofferdam and pouring self-leveling thin-set compound over the concrete. We set anchor bolts into the slab and then added 1/2” industrial felt pads where the lathe contacted the floor, then bolted down the machines solidly but not overtight. We also had a policy of no forklifts in the lathe room while the lathes operated. Huge difference with these precautions, and saved us a great deal at the sanding stations.

[n80]

I'm surprised that some of these heavy metal lathes vibrate when not bolted down. I've got a large wood lathe, 38" I think, 2 hp motor, but it only weighs about 100 pounds. It sits on a concrete shelf but does not vibrate appreciably even with a large stummel. It definitely does not move anywhere.

[LatakiaLover]

Most lathes have twists or sagging/arching in their bed/rails.

Often the only way to straighten it on amateur class gear is with shims and a machinist's level, and that requires bolting down.

No biggie when stummel shaping, but definitely can mess with tenon cutting and accurate hole drilling if left wonky.

[Sir_Saartan]

I'm a little confused:
I was under the impression that my small wood lathe doesn't vibrate a lot.

Now reading this thread, it appears that what I consider "no vibration" is
what you guys would judge as "I can't work with this crap".

How am I going to be able to judge wether or not my setup needs improvement?
I have no idea.

[UnderShade]

Heavier lathe = less vibration. I'd give it a whirl, and if she moves a lot, bolt her down.