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Jet Lathe JWL-1642 Adjustable foot

My lathe hasn't arrived yet but I was thinking about the adjustable feet and what they are made of. If they are some type of hard material I was thinking about replacing them with feet made from Neoprene Rubber to help with vibration. I have found some at this web site. http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INPDFF?PMPAGE=501&PMITEM=325-6672 and was thinking about the 327-6495 feet. Any thoughts.

Rich

If you mount your lathe in such a way that allows it to vibrate, then it will. It may not vibrate every single time, but if the physics applied results in an out-of-balance condition that is great enough to move the lathe, then it will. Try to visualize this: There is only one way to get the cleanest cut possible (assuming sharp tools and good presentation), and that is if the object being turned is revolving in a true circle, and the lathe tool's cutting edge itself is held rigidly, without movement outside of the intended sweep of the cut. You can do your part with perfection, but if the lathe is oscillating, the best possible cut is impossible to find.

It is best that a lathe be perfectly rigid, and without movement. Using rubber mounts will certainly help with bearing life, but not good for surface results on your turning.

ooc
 
Richard when I first got my 3520 PM I decided to put it on a heavy duty horse stall mat to help dampen vibration. I ended up putting it back on concrete and adjusted the feet to get it as level as I could. It worked a lot better. Just my observation, I'm no expert. Enjoy your new lathe.🙂
 
Thanks Odie and Fred.... I'm just going to use it as it's intended. I'm sure these manufacturers do their homework during testing if the company is putting out a quality product. I'm so use to the Shopsmith vibrating and clanking that I can't imagine what it is like to turn on a dedicated lathe yet.

Rich
 
The jet and many other lathes have leveling feet. They are bolts that turn to raise and lower each leg.

The first adjustment I make is to level the bed with a carpenters level.
The put a slightly out of balance blank on the lathe.
Bring the speed up to a slight vibration.
Adjust each leveler up down to the spot where the vibration is least.
When you don't have any noticeable vibration increase the speed until you do and repeat the fine tuning.

Have fun
Al
 
You might consider the other extreme, i.e. bolting the lathe to the floor.

I have the 1642 and ended up using RedTop anchors to attach the lathe to the concrete floor in my shop. I removed the adjustable feet at used the holes for the bolts into the anchors. I also had to use shims made of BB plywood and masonite under the feet to level the machine.

The overall result is a dramatic reduction in vibration.
 
Vibraton

In my experience, vibration is only present while roughing the blank to a basic round shape, assuming, of course, that we're starting with a rough shaped blank on a leveled lathe with all of its parts properly and securely joined. Once the work piece is brought round, shaking caused by an unbalanced piece of wood should reduce and finally stop with a smooth-running machine and a workpiece ready for the important shaping and finishing cuts. If it doesn't, the turner should stop the lathe and do a serious inspection of the piece to determine the presence of defects in the wood that are producing an unbalanced situation. This is a basic safety practice and should never be ignored. If your lathe is talking to you, you'd better listen.

I actually use the out-of-balance vibration as the measure of how close to round my rough turning is progressing.

I speak here with regard to general turning, rather than multi-axis work and off-center pieces which need to be rebalanced as work progresses
 
You might consider the other extreme, i.e. bolting the lathe to the floor.

I have the 1642 and ended up using RedTop anchors to attach the lathe to the concrete floor in my shop. I removed the adjustable feet at used the holes for the bolts into the anchors. I also had to use shims made of BB plywood and masonite under the feet to level the machine.

The overall result is a dramatic reduction in vibration.

I have to be very careful drilling into the cement floor as the homes and my garage are post tensioned. There is a warning stamped into the floor about that. Maybe just drilling that small of a hole would not be a problem. I'll try it without anchoring it first to see how it does. So what size bolts did you end up using.

Rich
 
A potential problem with a lathe bolted to the floor is that the process may put the legs and bed under some tension and or twisting.
This may result in alignment issues with the head and tail stocks.
Getting the bed level with the feet flat on the floor should be goal number one.
There will always be some vibration, the cast iron construction is great at absorbing most of the stuff.
Your lathe is large and heavy enough to stay in one place, unless you are ( as noted above ) trying to turn something that probably shouldn't be.
Focus on getting to know your way around the lathe.
Heck, you may want to move it some after a month or so.
 
I will get it sitting flat on all the feet so it is solid. I will be putting it parallel to my garage wall maybe 18 inches out. It will not sit level per say as my garage floor has a slight slope to it so if the water heater were to burst the water would run out of the garage. I actually have a tankless but they build all the homes here the same. I had my Shopsmith sitting that way and when I'm turning it didn't seem like it wasn't sitting level. I don't want to raise the legs on one end as then I would be at different heights to the machine when moving from end to end. I don't think this should cause any problems.
 
If you mount your lathe in such a way that allows it to vibrate, then it will....

Very true and what you said about cutting a perfect circle if the lathe is shaking and you aren't is absolutely spot on. The rubber feet in the link are for "leveling" a machine if the floor isn't exactly flat, but do not expect anything else from those rubber levelers. As Odie and several others have said, it is best for all fours to be making hard solid contact with the floor.

NOTE: You can also find pads that are called "vibration isolators", but their purpose is not to reduce the vibration of the offending machine, but instead it is to reduce the level of vibration or noise that is impacting people or other nearby machines that are mounted on the same surface (for example, floor or bench top).

In my experience, vibration is only present while roughing the blank to a basic round shape, assuming, of course, that we're starting with a rough shaped blank on a leveled lathe with all of its parts properly and securely joined. Once the work piece is brought round, shaking caused by an unbalanced piece of wood should reduce and finally stop with a smooth-running machine and a workpiece ready for the important shaping and finishing cuts. If it doesn't, the turner should stop the lathe and do a serious inspection of the piece to determine the presence of defects in the wood that are producing an unbalanced situation. This is a basic safety practice and should never be ignored. If your lathe is talking to you, you'd better listen......

Something that I always spend some time doing before I start turning is to balance the piece of wood between centers. It's not at all difficult ... it just takes some time. The goal is to balance the piece well enough that it doesn't have a heavy side that always rotates to the bottom. The spindle needs to be able to rotate freely so I will use either a point type center in the headstock or remove the drive belt. A live center in the headstock could also be used. It is really nice to see a large rough hunk of log spinning without a hint of vibration. Once in a blue moon, I will get a piece that defies balancing even after it is perfectly round. There's always a 3σ outlier to make life more interesting.

I have to be very careful drilling into the cement floor as the homes and my garage are post tensioned. There is a warning stamped into the floor about that. Maybe just drilling that small of a hole would not be a problem. I'll try it without anchoring it first to see how it does. So what size bolts did you end up using.

I think the vibration problem is often overstated. Try the lathe without doing anything to see what you think that you need to do, if anything. I suggest trying sand bags before bolting the lathe down. I am no expert on post tension slabs, but I suspect that the warning is there because you might drill into a post-tension cable and cause it to snap. You will be the first to know it if you do break one. You can probably check the exterior of the slab to find the locations of the post-tension anchors. You might even be able to find their locations by using a stud finder or a metal detector.
 
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I will get it sitting flat on all the feet so it is solid. I will be putting it parallel to my garage wall maybe 18 inches out. It will not sit level per say as my garage floor has a slight slope to it so if the water heater were to burst the water would run out of the garage. I actually have a tankless but they build all the homes here the same. I had my Shopsmith sitting that way and when I'm turning it didn't seem like it wasn't sitting level. I don't want to raise the legs on one end as then I would be at different heights to the machine when moving from end to end. I don't think this should cause any problems.

Don't worry about level. There is no need for it to be precisely level unless you plan to balance marbles on the bed of the lathe. I would, however, try to have it reasonably close so that it doesn't look like something is about to fall over All that is necessary is for all fours to be solidly in contact with the floor and carrying about the same weight. You were concerned about the lathe being different heights at the two ends and that affecting your turning. I can assure you that won't happen. You might notice if one end was a foot higher than the opposite, but otherwise it's no big deal.
 
About Drilling Post-Tensioned Slabs

Very true and what you said about cutting a perfect circle if the lathe is shaking and you aren't is absolutely spot on. The rubber feet in the link are for "leveling" a machine if the floor isn't exactly flat, but do not expect anything else from those rubber levelers. As Odie and several others have said, it is best for all fours to be making hard solid contact with the floor.

NOTE: You can also find pads that are called "vibration isolators", but their purpose is not to reduce the vibration of the offending machine, but instead it is to reduce the level of vibration or noise that is impacting people or other nearby machines that are mounted on the same surface (for example, floor or bench top).



Something that I always spend some time doing before I start turning is to balance the piece of wood between centers. It's not at all difficult ... it just takes some time. The goal is to balance the piece well enough that it doesn't have a heavy side that always rotates to the bottom. The spindle needs to be able to rotate freely so I will use either a point type center in the headstock or remove the drive belt. A live center in the headstock could also be used. It is really nice to see a large rough hunk of log spinning without a hint of vibration. Once in a blue moon, I will get a piece that defies balancing even after it is perfectly round. There's always a 3σ outlier to make life more interesting.



I think the vibration problem is often overstated. Try the lathe without doing anything to see what you think that you need to do, if anything. I suggest trying sand bags before bolting the lathe down. I am no expert on post tension slabs, but I suspect that the warning is there because you might drill into a post-tension cable and cause it to snap. You will be the first to know it if you do break one. You can probably check the exterior of the slab to find the locations of the post-tension anchors. You might even be able to find their locations by using a stud finder or a metal detector.

I, however, am an expert on post-tensioned slabs and other forms of prestressed concrete.

If you drill into a post-tensioning cable, not only will you be the first to know, it may also be the last thing you know.

The safest way to drill into a post-tensioned slab built by anyone other than yourself, is to engage the services of a testing agency to locate the cables. A stud finder or metal detector is inadequate. The instrument of choice is called a "pachometer." It indicates the presence of any ferromagnetic materials, as well as depth for selected sizes of rebar. It probably can't distinguish between p-t cables and rebar of the same size, so don't drill into either of them.
 
Don't worry about level. There is no need for it to be precisely level unless you plan to balance marbles on the bed of the lathe. I would, however, try to have it reasonably close so that it doesn't look like something is about to fall over All that is necessary is for all fours to be solidly in contact with the floor and carrying about the same weight. You were concerned about the lathe being different heights at the two ends and that affecting your turning. I can assure you that won't happen. You might notice if one end was a foot higher than the opposite, but otherwise it's no big deal.

I just measured and for the length of the lathe when it gets here there will be a 1" drop from one end to the other. I don't know how I will measure up to the Jet 1642 I'm about 5' 7" so I was thinking I wouldn't want it any higher than necessary so I was just going to live with the slight slope.

Rich
 
Fortunately, you probably won't be turning anything as long as the lathe bed. Table legs are 29" and chair legs are about 17", IIRC. Bowls and platters are just a few inches from top to bottom. Most hollow forms are less than 10" tall.
 
I have to be very careful drilling into the cement floor as the homes and my garage are post tensioned. There is a warning stamped into the floor about that. Maybe just drilling that small of a hole would not be a problem. I'll try it without anchoring it first to see how it does. So what size bolts did you end up using.

Rich
I used anchors that required a 1/2" hole and a 3/8" bolt -
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Red-Head-3-8-in-x-1-5-8-in-Steel-Drop-In-Anchors-50-Pack-01891/100154222
instead of a bolt, I used threaded rod, nut and washer.

Mike
 
Can't Lower the Lathe

I just measured and for the length of the lathe when it gets here there will be a 1" drop from one end to the other. I don't know how I will measure up to the Jet 1642 I'm about 5' 7" so I was thinking I wouldn't want it any higher than necessary so I was just going to live with the slight slope.

Rich

so Raise the Floor! I'm 5-9 but my Stubby 1000 was a few inches high for me. Simple solution was to build a "floor" around the lathe with 2x4s on edge and 3/4" ply. You can just see it in this view
toolrack.jpg I added a top surface of fatigue mat and it made a world of difference from standing on a concrete floor! The platform is 4' wide along the front of the lathe and then a similar distance across the tail-stock end to form an "L" because I work from the end of the lathe more than in front of it.

PS: Don't run your lathe on a slope. If you have to, glue a couple of pieces of 3/4 ply to the floor with counterbores to take your machine's leveling feet. A lathe needs to be dead level lengthwise as well as front-to-back to have the ability to control vibration.
 
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Turning with a straight back is one of the most important elements in setting up your lathe.
Many lathes do not come with adjustable heights. Notable exceptions the large Oneways and Robust but even those may not suit turners on the ends of the height spectrum.

Like Mark suggested build a platform for yourself or build risers for the lathe.

If you want to turn well and comfortably your back has to be straight.

Al
 
Turning with a straight back is one of the most important elements in setting up your lathe.
Many lathes do not come with adjustable heights. Notable exceptions the large Oneways and Robust but even those may not suit turners on the ends of the height spectrum....l

Well, I don't know about the Oneway, but the Robust AB has a rather substantial range of height adjustment from 42" minimum to 49" maximum spindle height. And unlike other lathes, the leg lengths are adjusted by sliding each one in or out of the apron. But, you are right because that doesn't get everybody. Fortunately for me, I am 5' 11" and have the spindle height on my Robust set at 45". If I were over 6' 6" I would need to build up the lathe height.

I noticed that the Oneway 1236SD lathe has a considerable range of height adjustment to meet the needs of turners who must be seated while turning. Robust has the Independence model for seated turners with similar range of height adjustment.
 
Well, I don't know about the Oneway, but the Robust AB has a rather substantial range of height adjustment from 42" minimum to 49" maximum spindle height. And unlike other lathes, the leg lengths are adjusted by sliding each one in or out of the apron. But, you are right because that doesn't get everybody. Fortunately for me, I am 5' 11" and have the spindle height on my Robust set at 45". If I were over 6' 6" I would need to build up the lathe height. I noticed that the Oneway 1236SD lathe has a considerable range of height adjustment to meet the needs of turners who must be seated while turning. Robust has the Independence model for seated turners with similar range of height adjustment.


ONEWAY 24" swing spindle height adjusts 43-48".
The 20" swing the legs adjust the spindle height 41- 46"
The use the same legs.

One thing we did at the AAW Symposium in phoenix was satisfy the special requests of a tall turner and two less tall turners with the same AB machine.
Brent English Graciously set the lathe low, set it high, and put it back to low.

What ever lathe you have don't turn bending over. Get the lathe raised to a proper height.

AL
 
Hollowing

When I am hollowing, I feel this need to stoop over and try to peer into the hole -- not really sure why because I can't see anything inside the hollow form -- and I wind up with a back ache. 🙄

Having learned to "hollow" using the Ellsworth/Helen Keller Method I let the cutter be my "eyes" inside the jar. Of course the laser helps as well🙄
 
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