![]() ![]() Machine tools throw chips everywhere, and all the shields and trays and guards in the world won’t prevent it. I also recommend giving a thought to cleaning. If you’re limited to only working on stock that fits entirely inside the spindle, you’ll limit your projects quite a bit, and you’ll be forced to waste a lot more stock. You need room for long stock to protrude through the spindle. Regardless of the type of machine, make sure to leave space to the left of the headstock. The author’s Precision Matthews lathe, bolted to a steel bench, with plenty of space behind and to the left. Big lathes also often need access to an overhead crane or chain fall for changing large chucks, or manipulating heavy stock. Large lathes are often placed in the middle of a shop partly for this reason. This can mean anywhere from a few inches to several feet, depending on the machine. If you bought a large floor-standing machine, be aware that these often require access to the back side of them for some types of adjustments and setup. You’ll also likely need a bit of room behind the machine to access fuses and such. Make sure the bench location you choose is close to power, because extension cords are to be avoided for machine tools. ![]() Mass also damps vibrations when turning stock off-center or spinning up oddly-shaped things. The more mass you can inject into the system, the fewer issues you’ll have with tool chatter. Anything larger will need a permanent home, and should be bolted to the heaviest bench possible. Some smaller machines, such as watchmaker’s lathes, can be stored in a cabinet and pulled out for use. If you bought a bench-top machine, you will of course need bench space for it. How badly do you really need a refrigerator? In a pinch you could sleep under the workbench and gain all that space taken up by the bed. Never let pesky details like that get in the way of buying something cool, though. Sure, you probably should have done that before you bought it, and maybe a pulling a tape measure would have been a good idea. Now what?įirst and foremost, you need to figure out where to put it. You then pulled the trigger and the machine is en route to your shop. Being a good little trooper, you then did all your research, having chosen Import or American, Imperial or Metric, and all your feed options and such. You say to yourself, “Self, I want, nay, need a lathe”. ![]()
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