Lathe too tall or I'm too short

[GailInNM]

About a year ago I had the opportunity to acquire a very nice asian copy of a Hardinge 11x19 tool room lathe. Besides my son needed a lathe so my very nice 10 x 30 engine lathe went to his house. Love the new lathe, BUT it was built with John Wayne in mind. Since I am 5'6" (almost) and the new lathe was about 4 inches taller than my old lathe I could not see over the tool post. For larger parts there was no problem, but for small parts close to a collet I could not see the part or tool tip. Standing on tip toes almost made it but even then I could not see very well and it was a bit tiring.

There is a nice foot/knee space on the lathe, so a section of old solid core door was cut to fit. A couple of lag bolt with a matching pair of bushings hinged the platform into the space. Two legs were made of 5/8 stock and rubber cane tips put on them. In the well a pair of rubber stick on feet we placed so the platform had a cushion to rest on when in the stored position.

Raises me almost 5 inches.

Easy to fold down when needed and up out of the way when not.

In the first and second photos there is an obvious safety rule violation. Can you spot what it is? Answer follows the photos.

A jewelers loupe is sitting with the eyepiece part facing up. When ever a loupe is not in use the lens should be facing up so chips and other dirt can settle inside. Nothing like dumping a bunch of junk into your eye when you go to use it next. Also makes it easier to clean the lens as the outside part is what gets dirty and the inside stays clean.

Gail in NM

 

[Jasonb]

And there was me thinking it was the trip hazards from the cable and hose on the floor and falling over the platform

Jason

 

[tel]

Nice workaround Gail - sure beats standing on a milk crate.

 

[compspecial]

You have the same problem with height(or lack of it) as I do, wouldn't you think an asian made machine would be suited to shorter guys as most of them are.But its two problems solved at once, five inches higher and a much more comfortable surface to stand on. the old door is a great idea Gail

 

[BillTodd]

Ha. I'm glad I'm not the only one to find the HLV-H tall. Fortunately, I've a couple of inches on you Gail, so a think rubber mat is enough to allow me to work at a comfortable height.

One warning, even though my mat is 3 foot deep, the edge of the mat is almost too close to the lathe; once or twice, I've tripped on the edge and stumbled in toward the lathe. It would be a good idea to feather the edge of your step to minimise the risk of tripping.

[edit]

Hardinge used to make a rather nifty machinist stool which would be another comfortable way to work .

Bill

 

[GailInNM]

Thanks for the comments.

Compspecial: I can't fault the manufacturer on the height. They copied the Hardinge mechanics in detail. Accessories are interchangeable between the two. If Hardinge put in a 3/8-24 bolt, so did they. So, it is like Bill said; the Hardinge is too high for me also. Besides price, it differs from the Hardinge in that I got it with the Mitshubishi PLC electronic gearbox for threading which allows me to punch up my thread pitch and left or right hand on the control and the leadscrew is operated by servo for threading. This also handles the DRO display for turning. It's a simple minded, but very accurate DRO. And the spindle is also controlled by the same PLC.

Bill: I can not approach the lathe from the front. The platform only has about 5 inches of clearance to my roll-in bandsaw. I can barely fit my shoe in sideways. With the platform down, the bandsaw table makes a comfortable, if hard, seat should I need to rest. Just the right height. I thought about some fold out wings for the sides, but they would obstruct the doors on the front of the lathe. As all my chucks,collets and tool holders are in the right side that was not a viable solution. And my measuring tools are in the left side on the inside of the door.

It's not a perfect solution, but it works well for me. No more toe cramps after a long session. Don't know how the ladies handle all day in tall high heel shoes.

Gail in NM