Giant Lathe...The Beginning

[John Hart]

Well, I've been sayin' it for nearly 3 years..."I'm going to build a giant Lathe". But life kept getting in the way.

So today, I finally got started.

A little background: There's a machine used in the chemical manufacturing industry, known as a Filter Press. It is about 12 Feet long...solid steel...weighs a little over a ton. I had the opportunity to get one and when I looked at it, I thought....Gee...that looks just like a lathe bed.
Soooo...I got some help with a guy and a towmotor and we loaded up a truck...made two trips and I put all this steel in the shop. It's been waiting for about 3 years.

Also...I just happen to have a 21 HP diesel engine in the shop that was used to drive woodworking equipment when this place was owned by an amish family. I use it now to run my compressor and a standby generator. All the drive shafts and drive pulleys are in place. So all I have to do is build the lathe.

Keep in mind that each piece is too heavy for me to lift, so every movement of this stuff is done with jacks, come-alongs, straps, crowbars, and rollers.
This first pic is after I got the headstock moved into position. Got a side rail there too...But I put it on the wrong side.
1HeadstockInPlace.JPG

This next picture is with the side rails into position
3SeconRailInPlace.JPG

Now I'm pulling the tailstock across the floor to get it near to position
6PullingTheTailStockOver.JPG


Using a safety strap to a cross beam, I jacked up the tailstock until it was about two feet high, then I was able to gain enough leverage to pull it all the way vertical.
8TailStockIsVertical.JPG

Here I'm strapping and bolting one of the side rails
5BoltingFirstRail.JPG

[John Hart]

Using some turning tool stock as roman rollers, I was able to push the tailstock sideways
9RomanRollers.JPG

Here it is moved into position
10MovingTailstockIntoPosition.JPG

The headstock rail receivers are lower than the tailstock, so the headstock needs to be on risers. I'm using large oak beams (4X6) to bring it up 8 inches
11PreparingToLiftTheHeadstock.JPG

Jacking up the headstock
12JackingUpTheHeadstock.JPG

Risers in place
13RiserBlocksInPlace.JPG

Now I'm jacking up the rail to the tailstock
14JackingUpfirstRail.JPG

Ready to bolt in
15FirstRailInPlace.JPG

Bolted In
16FirstRailBoltedIn.JPG

[John Hart]

Second Rail being put into position to Headstock
17JackingUpsecondRail.JPG

Ready to bolt in
18SecondRailInPlaceOnHeadstock.JPG

Anyway...that's all there was to it. So now I have a finished frame. I just need to start getting all the hardware together...Shafts, bearings, pulleys....and start figuring out how to get a live center configured from the tailstock. I still have one large piece of steel that may serve as a floating tail that rides on the rails. Still thinking about that.

So here's the finished frame. I even cleaned up after myself

19FinishedFrame.JPG


20FinishedFrame.JPG


21FinishedFrame.JPG


22FinishedFrame.JPG

[Brian Libby]

Looks great! Amazing what can be done with bars, rollers and block and tackle!
Looking forward to seeing the completed project.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Well John it looks like you are on your way. That is going to be one big monster. Can't wait to see it finished.

[David Reed]

too cool. I love heavy iron myself. If you give up turning, you can always take up winemaking - you have the filter already.
You may need a come-along just to move the tool rest and tailstock!

[Tony De Masi]

Great start, finally, John. Really looking forward to any updates and the finished product. And Wow, you're gonna be able to turn some real nice pens with that sucker.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Man!!! My first thought was a flashback to the original Jaws movie.... 'we're gonna need a bigger boat!' Dang... that is going to be a monster! Do you have a market in your area for porch pillars? turned dock pilings? telephone poles? Gonna be interesting to see what comes off that lathe! Have you considered a riding tailstock?

Looking forward to seeing where this takes you! Hope it's not the hospital!

[Gary Max]

Cool John--- you might as well go ahead and build yourself a Cherry picker------your going to need it to move blanks with.

[David DeCristoforo]

Geez, the length some guys will go to avoid actually doing any work! Gotta clean my shop... Oh no wait... now I gotta build a giant lathe. Never know when you might run across one of those "turn a ship's mast from a tree trunk" jobs....

[John Keeton]

John, one might be tempted to ask "why?" But, I think I will just sit back and enjoy the ride!!! Amazing!

[Dick Wilson]

If I were you I would stop what your doing and spend more time thinking it through. Are you sure you have it in exactly the right place? I can tell from the photos that I would hear you screaming here if you discovered that it needed to be moved.

Do you expect to turn anything that will make it walk across the floor. ROFL.

[John Hart]

Thanks all.

John asks why (but not really) Ya know...I just always wanted one. This thing will turn a 6 foot diameter piece. But I'll never do that. It'll also handle up to 10 feet in length....I'lll never do that either. BUT...what I will do is stick a 3 or 4 foot diameter gnarly root ball on it...rough it out with a chainsaw, and see what happens. Dunno...it's just an itch I have to scratch. I'll try to get everything for free.....I have plenty of room...I have the horsepower....So really..Why not?

No Dick...I won't move it. I'll die first. It took three years to get it there. It stays.

[Lee Koepke]

Make friends with Jonathon Spool ..... he just picked up a root burl that will fit your monster machine !!!!! I'd like to see ya'll turn that thing in one sitting !!!

[Tim Thiebaut]

Holy smokes! That things is a monster! I hope your wearing one of those back support belts so you dont hurt yourself. That is incredible, I am looking forward to seeing this progress. Since this will run off diesel will you just use this for larger items, and use your other lathe for normal things?