Well, 55 weeks ago, I bought at auction, a mill-drill, and a 9x20 HF lathe, and some tooling to go with. Spent about $1300, but don't tell Mrs DB. Wanted to get them down in the basement, but getting all that bulk and weight down there and back out again didn't sound like fun. Finally, in the last couple weeks I got some 110V power to the garage and got them running. This corner of the garage hasn't seen daylight for a while, and lots of stuff needs to go back in there so the car can sleep inside this winter. I want to get some insulation in the walls, and a curtain to help keep some heat in there in the Wisconsin winter, but probably will have to wait til next year.
Getting that lathe up on the bench was a real treat. I wedged up a 2x4 to the rafters and lagged it as well. Hooked a come-along to the lathe ( 115 kg ), up to the 2x4, and down to the lawn tractor. I'm guiding the lathe as Mrs DB starts winching, tractor starts sliding. I say, "Sit on the tractor, my sweet". Still sliding. Winch back down. OK, move everything else in the garage to get the truck in there. Hook the winch onto the tow hooks of truck and winched it right up.
I thought the lathe bench was going to be too high, but it seems just right. I don't have to bend over to run it, and the bifocals are tuned right in. The lathe seems to cut real well. I've got a 7x12 mini lathe in basement, works good for small screws and such, but the bigger lathe handles flywheel size pieces much better. more mass and TONS more horsepower! I wish I had done this about 54 weeks earlier!
Getting that lathe up on the bench was a real treat. I wedged up a 2x4 to the rafters and lagged it as well. Hooked a come-along to the lathe ( 115 kg ), up to the 2x4, and down to the lawn tractor. I'm guiding the lathe as Mrs DB starts winching, tractor starts sliding. I say, "Sit on the tractor, my sweet". Still sliding. Winch back down. OK, move everything else in the garage to get the truck in there. Hook the winch onto the tow hooks of truck and winched it right up.
I thought the lathe bench was going to be too high, but it seems just right. I don't have to bend over to run it, and the bifocals are tuned right in. The lathe seems to cut real well. I've got a 7x12 mini lathe in basement, works good for small screws and such, but the bigger lathe handles flywheel size pieces much better. more mass and TONS more horsepower! I wish I had done this about 54 weeks earlier!
