# How not to move a lathe



## Dabbler (Dec 20, 2020)

I'm not posting this to make any overly worried, but more to explain why I take so much time when moving a machine...

Haste adds to the risk too much...






... besides we don't often get to see on video a mistake made and nobody hurt.


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## David_R8 (Dec 20, 2020)

Dabbler said:


> I'm not posting this to make any overly worried, but more to explain why I take so much time when moving a machine...
> 
> Haste adds to the risk too much...
> 
> ...



Yikes!


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## 6.5 Fan (Dec 20, 2020)

That will buff right out.


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## CalgaryPT (Dec 20, 2020)

Twenty bucks says if you could see the side of the van it would say, "Professional Movers" somewhere.

Amazing how relative some words are.


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## Crankit (Dec 20, 2020)

Bravo boys!!!


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## John Conroy (Dec 20, 2020)

A few years ago a friend of mine bought 2 new Kent 1440 lathes for scrap price that had been tipped over on the front just like that while being delivered to the Skills Canada competition.


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## cuslog (Dec 20, 2020)

Not hard to do ! High CofG , then put dunnage under, making it even higher.


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## Chicken lights (Dec 20, 2020)

cuslog said:


> Not hard to do ! High CofG , then put dunnage under, making it even higher.


I like working with professional riggers. The pallet jack instead of a forklift was the first clue, probably said they’d move it for a square of beer


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## YYCHM (Dec 20, 2020)

Chicken lights said:


> I like working with professional riggers. The pallet jack instead of a forklift was the first clue, probably said they’d move it for a square of beer








The devil made me do it David


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## Chicken lights (Dec 20, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> View attachment 12252
> 
> The devil made me do it David


I never claimed to be a professional rigger 
That’s how rednecks move stuff


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## Brent H (Dec 20, 2020)

And you didn't drop it


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## PeterT (Dec 20, 2020)

I think that sidewalk ledge (or gutter or whatever it is) was enough to trip the wheels on the pallet jack. Then high center of gravity + pushing on the top = rollover. I'm glad nobody was in front or that would have made for a real bad day. Then try lifting same heavy lathe off of injured/flattened Joe. I read kind of a similar post where a guy was going to roll his new machine on a combination of interlock brick & gravel driveway up to his garage. Especially if you have any kind of roll momentum where  things are going peachy until the wheels stop suddenly. Someone piped up that he should reconsider probably for similar reasons. Or maybe consider leapfrogging sheets of plywood I cant recall now.


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## cuslog (Dec 20, 2020)

Yes, and I hired "movers" for our move from BC to Calgary, we did all the packing, they did the loading / unloading and trucking. Besides household there was my Lathe, Mill and other shop stuff. I jacked up my lathe and bolted 4x4's in both X and Y directions under it (7" higher) so they could use a pallet jack to get it to where my loader W/forks could get under it.  We talked about it being quite top heavy. Got it all in fine, they strapped the lathe to the wall of the trailer. They took the trailer back to their yard, backing it into their loading dock there was a pot hole, wheels of the trailer dropped into it, trailer rocked over, popped open the strap that was holding the lathe to the wall.
Driver said he heard the crash from the cab of the truck. Lathe went over on her face, smashed the carriage gear box, oil all over the floor.
They paid me out for it (not enough, I'm now discovering) and they kept it.


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## John Conroy (Dec 20, 2020)

I hope you weren't too attached to the old machine. My experience with "professional" movers is not good. My dad was in the Canadian Forces and we were posted 7 times during my youth. During every move at least one thing that was important to us was broken, stolen or lost.


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## Dusty (Dec 20, 2020)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> View attachment 12252
> 
> The devil made me do it David



I know you're NOT related to Lucifer because your horns, little black goatee, and long dart like tail doesn't show.  However if you're anything like me my face has been color RED several times. Shall pray for you at bedtime!


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## Dusty (Dec 20, 2020)

An excellent place to add my 2 cents worth. Since becoming a member in February 2018 I've often mentioned the need for safety in my posts. One really can't stress safety enough although it's very easy to forget. We've all watched videos and likely did it ourselves of no minds wiping swarf away with their hands and fingers where you can easily use shop cloths or cheap paint brushes from the dollar store. Having 4 legged pets around also makes for good housekeeping which equates to safety.

What can I say, been there, done that, and got the T shirt.


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## cuslog (Dec 20, 2020)

John Conroy said:


> I hope you weren't too attached to the old machine. My experience with "professional" movers is not good. My dad was in the Canadian Forces and we were posted 7 times during my youth. During every move at least one thing that was important to us was broken, stolen or lost.


No, not too attached, in a way not too sad to see it go - typical Chinese 13 x 40, was OK, I did lots of things on it but it had no quick change gear box - it could cut threads but to do so, you had to take off the end cover and change 3 spur gears (which took 3 different wrenches) . Then to get back to power feeds, do it all again in reverse.(always found that annoying). Not the most accurate and not the best at surface finishes, just OK. Still looking for that "better machine" though.


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## Dusty (Dec 20, 2020)

@John Conroy, I can relate to your comments on so called "professional movers". My family experienced 26 years moving around with the air force. My wife lost some very special silverware that couldn't be replaced because it was by then out of stock. The mover's unload crew were a couple of local pick ups by the out of province truck driver. They all denied having anything to do with the missing items. Insurance company wasn't much better by cheeping out on our claim.  From that point on every time we moved I took photos of each item before it being wrapped and placed into a box. Go figure!


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## Tom Kitta (Dec 21, 2020)

Lathes are top heavy - the only machine I came close to dropping was a lathe - It stopped on a farm jack which bent the chip pan (and the jack as well). 

Certainly dropping a machine is not a good thing but depending on how it drops the damage may be minimal. I got a milling machine over a year ago that I was told fell forward and to the side. Damage was mostly with the power feed that was killed and few broken handles. Everything else worked great on that machine.


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