Word to the wise

[danny]

How's the damage? I had to solo my 2 lathes and mill into my shop. I spanned a bunch of joists and used a chainfall to get onto dollies.....even on dollies they don't inspire confidence.

One lathe comma spent.

Danny

 

[RickKr]

I had just stood up from pulling a something out from under it, when - BAMMM! A second or two later and my head and chest would have been crushed. Wasn't doing it alone and both of us are experienced movers. Lathe is especially front heavy and it was lifted too far back. Drawers slid out and door swung open and took the brunt. The carriage hand wheel had been removed and only one handle touched to floor with minimal damage.

Before


After



It was hauled up the stairs by a dual-winch tow truck and has since been returned to full service.

 

[Hal]

Rick you very lucky.
What a great lathe super duty. One of the U S of A's very best !!!
That stair way was a tight fit.
Hal

 

[DaveTooley]

This sucks! I’m glad you were not injured more seriously. I rigged equipment for about 15 years Moved lots of machines I hate top heavy machines. I am not a fan of those skates either esp if your working by yourself It’s to difficult to keep them pointing in the right direction working together Too often they will slip a little and that can get ugly I like to lift them put a heavy pallet under the lathe strap it with a heavy duty ratchet strap and move with a pallet jack Hope you heal quickly and your lathe is not too badly damaged.

I used a pallet jack to move my 14X40 Clausing Metosa and my Haas TL-1. Made things very easy.

 

[hpshooter]

Yah, my fiance was very upset. It was really stupid.

The most stupid part was trying to catch it.

Count your blessings! Hopefully you will heal and damage to the lathe is minimal. Many a good machine has toppled while being moved with more damaging results.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Just to let everybody know that the correct equipment is required in any job.

When we had our 38 foot American delivered and set in place, watching those guys work was watching a well oiled piece of machinery.

They ifted it off of the big Hyway Truck, sat it on a smaller trailer, wheeled it into our building, sat it on four “machinery movers”, and gently pushed it into it’s final location.
the entire process took about 2 hours.

 

[Walt Krafft]

My 3 man crew does everything, me, myself, and I. When moving my Sheldon, it is bolted on a pair of 4x4s that then roll on pipes. The Bridgeport and Hardinge will roll on pipes without the wood. Slow and steady, always leave a way out.

 

[AlNyhus]

Glad you didn't receive any serious injuries, Brad. Moving top heavy stuff like that is damn dangerous business. The two lathes and a mill that I helped Stan relocate were done using 2" pipe and a ratcheting hand winch...worked great.

As Jackie said, watching professionals do this stuff is amazing. When the riggers put the two Okuma CNC centers in, it was like watching a ballet. All of them had head sets and you literally couldn't hear a thing other than the fork lifts as they guided them into place. True professionals.

 

[urbanrifleman]

Glad you didn't receive any serious injuries, Brad. Moving top heavy stuff like that is damn dangerous business. The two lathes and a mill that I helped Stan relocate were done using 2" pipe and a ratcheting hand winch...worked great.

As Jackie said, watching professionals do this stuff is amazing. When the riggers put the two Okuma CNC centers in, it was like watching a ballet. All of them had head sets and you literally couldn't hear a thing other than the fork lifts as they guided them into place. True professionals.

I paid to have my machines moved twice by pros. Unfortunately, they are $1500 no matter what they do.

 

[RickKr]

Rick you very lucky.
What a great lathe super duty. One of the U S of A's very best !!!
That stair way was a tight fit.
Hal

Yes, I was extremely lucky.

It is an amazing bit of history and a special and unique lathe. As the history goes, there were only about 20 ever made and we know of only 4 that still exist, 3 in the Portland/Vancouver area and one in Seattle area.
There is a touch of history at this site, Rivett Lathes, in the sublinks "Screwcutting Lathes" and "Photos of real examples". Lathes UK has a very short mention of them in the first sentence of the 1020 & 1030 pages.

It went in without any problem. But because it was put on 4x4 skids for getting it out, the top of the lathe actually scraped the lower corner of the stairs ceiling as it started its climb.

It was honored by being selected for the 2014 Old Woodworking Machines annual calender in 2014. Note that it is a metal working lathe being recognized for outstanding restoration by a bunch of woodworkers.

 

[Sniperhandle]

Urban,

I don't know if you have got the lathe back up? But you can build a wooden Gantry Crane in place to upright it if you are not a welder fabricator. You can make a beam from 3 pieces of 2x6 with 2 pieces of plywood sandwiched between them and screwed together with lots of screws and glue.

If you remember when you were asking for advice about building your shop, I mentioned building it with 10 ft ceilings so you could roll a gantry crane around with out much trouble. The longer you do this the more machines you are going to end up moving in or out or around the shop in different space configurations. And a Gantry is a good investment so you won't need to pay riggers, Although their price is looking pretty reasonable now.

I don't know how high you went with your ceilings but You can buy a relatively inexpensive Gantry crane that will lift 4000lbs. That lathe you have probably weighs around 1500lbs though an emergency wooden gantry will work.

You can also rent Aluminum Gantries that are made to be disassembled and assembled relatively easy.

If you build a wooden one, Overbuild it, Don't take chances.

 

[Jonnyofalltrades]

My 3 man crew does everything, me, myself, and I. When moving my Sheldon, it is bolted on a pair of 4x4s that then roll on pipes. The Bridgeport and Hardinge will roll on pipes without the wood. Slow and steady, always leave a way out.

Rolling on pipes, or smallish diameter shaft is the absolute best way I've ever used for moving mid-sized equipment.
A good concrete floor is a prerequisite, as well as quite a few pieces of identical diameter for rollers. Get more than you think you'll need.

 

[Doug Beach]

I’ve never had to move my lathe. I like the bolt to 4x4’s idea. When rolling on pipes, if you need to move in a curve, do you just start defining the curve with each new pipe laid?

 

[DaveTooley]

I’ve never had to move my lathe. I like the bolt to 4x4’s idea. When rolling on pipes, if you need to move in a curve, do you just start defining the curve with each new pipe laid?

yes just angle the pipe in the direction you want to turn

 

[jackieschmidt]

yes just angle the pipe in the direction you want to turn

Dave, long ago in a Galaxy far away, back when my Dad first started our business, me moved all of our heavier machines on pipe rollers.

 

[DaveTooley]

For a mill all it takes is 3 pieces of pipe. Lathes with legs are more challenging. That's why I use a pallet jack. My Haas was easy with a bed almost to the floor. My Clausing I took the shield/chip drawer off the front and built a column up to the bed with 4X4's

 

[butchlambert]

I had just stood up from pulling a something out from under it, when - BAMMM! A second or two later and my head and chest would have been crushed. Wasn't doing it alone and both of us are experienced movers. Lathe is especially front heavy and it was lifted too far back. Drawers slid out and door swung open and took the brunt. The carriage hand wheel had been removed and only one handle touched to floor with minimal damage.

Before
View attachment 1559144

After
View attachment 1559145
View attachment 1559146

It was hauled up the stairs by a dual-winch tow truck and has since been returned to full service.
View attachment 1559148
View attachment 1559149

A very good lathe!

 

[Doug Beach]

For a mill all it takes is 3 pieces of pipe. Lathes with legs are more challenging. That's why I use a pallet jack. My Haas was easy with a bed almost to the floor. My Clausing I took the shield/chip drawer off the front and built a column up to the bed with 4X4's

I brought my knee mill home on a pallet. I’m not short, and decided I liked the extra height the pallet gave, so I made a stand of similar height, with room to run a pallet jack underneath it, as it sits. I built a wood gantry, picked it up off the pallet, and slid the stand in its place. I haven’t had to move it, but if I do, it should be pretty easy.

 

[topclass2017]

When I lived in the Olympia, WA area, I had a friend who had a lathe, milling machine, and a couple drill presses in his basement. He said they were disassembled and went in through a relatively large basement window. People on the outside, people on the inside. His stairwell was narrow with 2 tight turns. I would have liked to see that!

 

[Medic505]

I rolled my PM 14x40 to the back of my shop on a pair of car dollies from Harbor Freight. Bridgeport on pipes