Toting a small lathe?

The fine weather lately is why I suffer Florida's long hot summers. Now I want to take a small lathe out on the deck and make small turnings in the sunshine. My spouse forbids a permanent set-up, so I have to take the lathe & tools back & forth about 100 feet.

I can't lift much (or win fistfights 'G') anymore, so I need an easy to manage portable set-up ( and I only fight with a keyboard 'G'). Not all will agree, but I don't think anyone should buy a _new lathe without VS, and that's considering initial cost, utility, pleasure, resale, whatever. The same goes for a swivelling bed or headstock on buying a new _ full size_ lathe. Probably, when all the kinks are straightened, I'll feel the same about integral motor/spindle machines, but I digress from my question.

I pretty much know the design and qualities of the two lathes I've narrowed down to; a VS Jet mini or a Mercury. I' ve never lifted or turned on either. I imagine several of you have had to answer the same question re taking a lathe in & out of the shop. I would appreciate you sharing your experience and advice. TIA, Arch

Fortiter,

Reply to
Arch
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Any chance you can put the whole setup on wheels, or are there numerous steps inbetween? A small typing table has good small (and easily retracted) wheels, is sturdily built, and can be found at office equipment rcycling places for cheap (few use typewriters anymore).

If a bigger wheel would do (they go over bumps, and even steps, if big enough), some adaptation of a wheelbarrow or garden-cart might work - you'd have to adapt some form of foot to get it off the wheels when you arrive in place and want to turn.

From what I undertand (having shopped a bit, but not bitten, as I set a self-imposed limit of 5 lathes, and need to sell one before I can buy another one) the Mercury would be the easier one to pick up and carry bodily, if your setup requires that, but I suggest taking a good look at some method that does not require picking the whole thing up.

Reply to
Ecnerwal

Ecnerwal wrote: (clip) but I suggest taking a good look at some method that does not require picking the whole thing up. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Home Depot sells a folding portable stand. It works like a hand truck, and sets up to provide a very sturdy and stable support for my Dewalt table saw. I studied the problem long and hard before buying this stand, thinking I could build something. Now that I have it I realize that a homemade folding stand would have been inferior, and would have taken a lot of time.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

Buy yourself a new Jet VS Mini...............and a wheelbarrow.................

Barry

Reply to
Barry N. Turner

Arch,

I have the same issue. I have the Delta midi and need to transport it in a car; not a truck. Therefore, I need to break it down so a roll-around cart doesn't work. Here is my demo set-up:

- Lathe stays separate.

- I use a B&D Workmate for the stand. It seems to set the lathe at an acceptable height. No special hold downs. I simply clamp the base of the lathe between the cheap plastic dogs that come with the Workmate.

- I have two Craft Supplies tool rolls and one Bucket Boss Gatemouth longboy tool bag. This is my limit for tools, chucks, sandpaper, finishes, eyewear, etc.

- One or two of those $5 fliptop totes from HD for carrying wood, extension cord, wood burner, etc. as needed.

- One or two totes for finished pieces to show, if needed for the particular situation.

- One upright handtruck from HD with inflated wheels (not the cheap ones, but the $60 variety).

- One 3' x 5' sheet of Lexan in a wood frame to act as a safety barrier, and two poles to support the window upright. I clamp this to the Workmate.

I can haul all of this from the parking lot of a demo site to the demo in two trips with the handtruck plus one trip for the window and poles. It all fits in my Nissan Maxima. The kids have to walk, however. :-)

Joe Fleming - San diego ===========================

Reply to
Joe Fleming

Hi Arch, I have a bad back also, and have a Vic Mark with a variable speed motor. I used it for demonstrations at Craft Fairs, but it was too heavy for me to move without breaking it down and removing the motor. I use a Workmate bench to sit it on and it works O.K. I decided to leave the Vic Mark home in the shop and bought the Mercury with the 1/4 H.P. motor. It is under-powered, but it is a very nice lathe and it also works well on the Workmate. I have also turned on the Jet, and I liked it too, but I didn't have to lift it. If weight is the biggest problem, I think the Mercury would be the best compromise, with the new 1/2 H.P. motor of course. Don Hart

Reply to
F Donald Hart

I would go with the Jet. I've had a Merc for a year and it recently died (motor failure). Just as well because it was WAAAAY underpowered. I know the old Jet mini had good power (still have one of those), but I haven't tried the new VS Jet mini.

Peter Teubel Milford, MA

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Reply to
Peter Teubel

What is her reason for forbidding a permanent setup? Is it because it takes up space, or because it is unsightly? If it is the latter, why not build a small cupboard (make it as nice as possible so she doesnt think it ugly) and put the lathe in there. You can then just drag it out a couple of feet to use it.

Reply to
moggy

Hi Peter, Was your Mercury the 1/4 H.P. or the 1/2 H.P.? Don Hart

(motor failure). Just as well because it was WAAAAY

those), but I haven't tried the new VS Jet mini.

Reply to
F Donald Hart

Reply to
Grandpa

Hi Arch,

For ease in transporting my Record mini late to demonstrations, I mounted it on the bottom half of a mechanics rolling tool box. The drawers hold nearly all of the needed accessories. One of the problems is a 96 pound lathe on top of a metal box filled with metal gadgetry is a load. Then, once positioned, you must stabilize the rotating casters. The fact that your lathe choices weigh about half as much as the Record would be a big plus. In order for this to work for you, the entire area to be traversed would need to be level and fairly smooth. But it works very well for what I want it to do. I rigged another similar box to hold the bench grinder and all the goodies that would not go in the first one. When I roll those rascals out of the trailer, all I need to do is find an electrical plug and I'm already playing. If you like this idea enough to pursue it, I would be happy to zap you some pictures of exactly how I rigged them.

Ron Robinson East Texas

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Ron Robinson

Peter Teubel Milford, MA

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Reply to
Peter Teubel

Arch, this thread is long enough, so I am going to provide the difinitive final answer. Does your deck have a barbecue on it? Does the barbecue have a weather cover over it? If not, get a barbecue, and cover it with a black plastic canopy that reaches all the way to the deck. Then, one day when your wife is not home, move the barbecue into your shop, and put the lathe, on its stand, under the barbecue cover.

If you have friends over for hamburgers, be sure to make the preparations while SWMBO is busy elsewhere.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

Put a chicken between the centers incase she looks under the cover.

Reply to
Joe and Daphne Bazer

I have been using the Merc with the 1/2 horse and while I will grant you that it is not the stoutest motor on the market I have had no problems as long as I maintain a light touch with the tools. I have turned lidded boxes up to 7 inch diameter from rough madrona burl and have done wane edge bowls from firewood in all sizes up to about 7 inches diameter. I also do a lot of hollowed Christmas ornaments and have started doing some pens just for variety. I do sometime rough out the outside of the bigger stuff on my big lathe but I usually end up finishing the piece on the mini just because it is so nice to use.

I have the lathe just sitting on the bench, not bolted down in any way and have had no problem other than the comments from swmbo about the mess in MY shop. I have a Nova chuck on it that works well on the Merc and on my shop built bigger lathe.

I use a lot of found wood but also enjoy working with exotics. My philosophy is that if it is wood I can learn something from turning it and if it is Tauga I can make something nice, nice long curls of shaving if nothing else. (for those of you who have not tried Tauga is really fun to turn once you get the round in it)

I don't mean to suggest that there is anything wrong with either the Jet or Delta. They are both good machines. They are heavier than the Merc (good and bad) and they are certainly very usable.

Brian

Reply to
Brian Combs

Joe and Daphne Bazer wrote: Put a chicken between the centers incase she looks under the cover. ^^^^^^^^^^^ Now, THAT'S funny.

Carrying the idea a step further, how about a tray full of red Xmas tree ornaments sitting on the ways, under the chicken, so simulate lighted charcoal.

I recall the marijuana growers used to hang such ornaments on their plants to fool the narcs who were flying overhead. It's supposed to make it look like a tomato patch. The narcs caught on, but it is possible you could still fool the missus.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

A floating bale of pot that had to be scuttled in the Bahamas--Florida 'trade' is called a square grouper, locally. Maybe they should tie on ornaments and call them rainbow trout. Nothng I ever do fools herself, But I may try the grilled bird suggestion. A.

Fortiter,

Reply to
Arch

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