Moving a small lathe tomorrow - how best to do that? (1 Viewer)

[e9999]

I need to move a small (9x20 or so) benchtop lathe tomorrow. 250lbs or so. It's in awkward spot in the corner of a small room. I will have to do this alone. I will probably try to use a small engine hoist type of gizmo. But space is limited.
Question: how best to strap it to lift it off the bench? I'm very hesitant to strap around the chuck. It's not a quality lathe but I would still rather not bend the spindle. Strapping around the bottom may stress the main screw and I don't know how easy it is to take off. There may be a way to slip a strap through gaps in the base, but gotta be careful the thing does not flip on me.
Thoughts?
TIA

 

[Malleus]

Run the strap around the bottom of the ways, one near the headstock, the other near the tailstock, for balance.

If you're worried about bending the leadscrew, put a block of wood between it and the bed.

Is this an old American lathe, or a Chinese hobby lathe? The reason I'm asking is that American lathes were designed to be moved this way. The new(ish) Chinese stuff isn't designed to be moved at all; it's designed to be used.

I have a South Bend 9A and a Myford Super 7 that are moved this way all the time. Never hurt them.

 

[e9999]

80s entry level taiwan lathe. Looks a lot like the current (?) Grizzly G4000.
I'm thinking putting a strap through the holes in the base/ways around a 2x4 or unistrut held crosswise. So I can try to guide with the 2x4 to make sure the lathe does not flip upside down. Then no issue with the power screw (if it does not flop over)
Hopefully, the leadscrew may just be a pin at the gearbox and a bracket at the other end.
I'd need to move the carriage to the tailstock end for balance too, probably.
Here's a look at the ways/base and the holes in it that I'm thinking of for the straps, and the overall shape of the thing:

 

[Waorani]

Lift straps around the two farthest cross pieces in the bed casting. Or liftstrap around spindle (between chuck and housing), lock down tailstock and liftstrap around handle base. If it's only 250lbs you're not going to bend anything.

 

[Malleus]

You can definitely run a strap around the chuck and headstock, but you'll need two to balance the load, one around the front and one around the rear. Bigger lathes are moved his way.

You just need to cinch the straps really tight. I'd maybe run the strap centered on my side, cross the free ends and bring them back on my side again, then hang them from the hoist hook. Do this from the front and back, so you have four ends to hang and you'd be good.

This has the benefit of spreading the load so you aren't hanging on the front spindle bearing and balancing the load so it doesn't swing vertically. You could use ratchet straps if you didn't have load slings. You'd only need the long end of two.

 

[Malleus]

Honestly, bending anything isn't going to be your problem, it's turtling, when the top wants to be the bottom.

 

[e9999]

dang, it'd be so much easier to hang it by the spindle and tailstock...
I'm trying to convince myself that the spindle won't bend with only 150 lbs or so on it....

Maybe a strap through the base near the headstock but the strap wrapped around the spindle, so the weight is carried by the base but the spindle prevents turtling (I like that word) ?

 

[Smithtec]

I've seen bigger lathes lifted with a strap under the chuck.

 

[e9999]

Well, I ended up doing it with the strap through the base (around a 2x4) but alongside the spindle (with a faceplate on to keep it there). And that worked out great. No turtling. But the head was so much heavier than the tail end that it did kind of rear up. All ended well, though.
Overall, fairly uneventful and glad I did not (hopefully) overstress the spindle. Not that it is very accurate probably anyway, though.

 

[Grayscale]

I used to move lathes (free-standing) in the machine shop. We had a gantry to get them in from the loading dock, then they would be moved on a series of steel gas pipes for rollers. Kinda like my engine crane rolling around on leveled lumber, no wheels.