Truly stationary machinery

[Phil Maddox]

Has anyone bolted their stationary machinery (TS, BS, Jointer, etc.)to the floor of their shop?

I've seen this done several times and some of the machines have bolt hole to do this (or maybe they are just for shipping) but I don't find anything in the manuals for it.

I was thinking mostly about the drill press and bandsaw, the two most top heavy ones. I'm not worried about them falling over, just improving their performance.

Does it help?

Thanks in advance!

Phil

[tod evans]

phil, i`ve bolted down and leveled my large bandsaw, widebelt,shaper,planer and slider. the drill press is loose so i can swing it around to get funky stuff on it, same with the small bandsaw..02 tod

[Phil Maddox]

Do you think you have better performance? Is there less vibration?

Thanks

[Alan Turner]

I have not done this, but will note that my jointer's instructions recommend using the holes for "studs", not tightened, just to stop any shifting. Bolting it to a floor, if the floor is out of level, could throw the jointer out of alignment.

[Dave Richards]

we had to bolt down our new bandsaw and the old drill press in the shop wat work. The drill press hadn't been bolted down for 20 years but someone felt it was going to tip over if we didn't. who knows?

Anyway, as far as vibration goes, I didn't notice an improvement. There's more noise actually with the bandsaw. I suspect the bolts carry the noise into the floor since the machine isn't isolated by the feet anymore. The bandsaw is a closed stand 14" Wilton VS. I think the sheet metal stand is part of the noise thing, too. with it bolted to the floor you can tell the stand is a little bit wobbly.

[Chris Barton]

It is fairly common to bolt down lathes and bandsaws. Lathes used for bowl turning can often be fitted with wood that is very out of balance (much like me) and the bolting down make it much more stable. Likewise with bandsaws which are inherently top heavy.

[lou sansone]

my BS is bolted
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=19846

as you can see from this link

I probably should bolt the lathe as well
lou

[Michael Adelong]

Looks like you'd need a wrecking ball to knock that BS over, Lou.

I think the question was aimed at folks with your saw's baby brothers.

Michael

[Steve Clardy]

Never have bolted machinery down.
Even my compressor. It sits on the wood pallet it came on.

[lou sansone]

Looks like you'd need a wrecking ball to knock that BS over, Lou.

I think the question was aimed at folks with your saw's baby brothers.

Michael

well you might be right , but even the big ones like to be bolted down.

lou

[Dev Emch]

This is a controversal subject.

First let me say this. In US industry, the machines are often bolted to the floor whereas in the old russian industries (CCCP) they were not. The reason they were not is that the machine tools were considered a national treasure and in the event of an atomic war, the machines were to be rolled into a secure area and covered before the workers themselves took cover. I know this is crazy but then the whole soviet system was crazy. But at least they had a civil defense plan!

My metal planer and jig bore both have to be bolted to the floor. But there are ways to do this! Most of these machines were grouted into floor bays and had micro adjustable stuf bolts anchored in leveled out steel rails burried in the portland cement grout. My metal planer weighs 14,500 pounds and my jig bore weighs a whoppin 20,000 pounds. And making sure they are bolted in level is a true pain in the rear. I have to use a starret machine level to do this! A carpenters level is no where accurate enough.

When you drill holes and insert studs for this purpose, you will need to place backer nuts on the studs and lay a steel rail across them and take level measurements. Then remove the rails and place the machine. Then repeat with your machinist's level. You may also have to place machine shims under the machine at the bolt locations if you cannot readjust the backer bolts. Then snug down to hold the machine.

Most bolt down applications relate to super precision metal working tools. Machines like oliver jointers for example are a poor candidate to bolt down because of the spacing and type of pedestal used to make the base. These machines are best installed using adjustable machine feet also available from MSC and McMaster Carr.

And many machines today have no provisions for bolting them to the floor. My tenoner has no base holes. Other machines must have used these holes simply for attaching the machine to a shipping skid. So for woodworking machines, we ourselves dont bother with bolting them to the floor. Some of the metal stuff is another story indeed!

[Ken McColly]

Phil -

I have a 24" resaw bandsaw that I mounted on a laminated stack of MDF (2") in order to bring it to my preferred working heighth. Banded the pad with maple to protect the edges, and bolted the pad to my concrete floor. Have had no problems, and I like the reassurance that it is there to stay.

Ken

[tod evans]

Do you think you have better performance? Is there less vibration?

Thanks

phil, i don`t think performance is affected by bolting the machines, on the lathe i think it helps with vibration on the rare occasion i turn "artsy" stuff that starts out of round. the widebelt is a pretty important tool to keep level even as stout as the frame is if it sits katty-wampus its accuracy can be affected. i`m known to really work my equipment so that`s why i bolted down the shaper,planer, big bandsaw and slider....i`ll shove anything i can muscle through these machines and don`t want them moving. now compressors are another issue, i was taught to never bolt them directly to concrete because the vibrations will stress the tank welds, i don`t know if this is fact or myth but to date all my tanks are fine.....02 tod

[Chip Olson]

I bolted my drill press, because otherwise I'd probably knock it over, being a complete klutz in a tiny shop.

Incidentally, a 14.4v cordless drill is the Wrong Tool for boring bolt holes in concrete. DAMHIKT.

[Barry O'Mahony]

Never have bolted machinery down.
Even my compressor. It sits on the wood pallet it came on.

But you don't have to worry about earthquakes in Missouri.

Anywhere on the west coast, it's a possibility. And I think that's the main point of bolting things to the floor, rather than a performance improvement. My compressor came with rubber pads to put under the feet, with instructions that it must be bolted to the floor. However, the instructions specfied that the bolts were to be left loose. So the compressor isn't coupled to the floor, but the bolts will serve to help keep it from tipping over in the event of a "siesmic episode".