Hi Wayne here from north of Cochrane

[Tom Kitta]

Congrats on a new lathe. I hope it serves you well!

No surprises with no answer from KMS - they sort of roll in the similar direction to BB. I would however ask King for advice.

As for lifting it mine has little feet made of cast iron that it sits on - under the bed feet. So I simply lowered the lathe onto the stand and onto the cast iron shims.

Once lowered simply removed the straps - I also think I placed the straps through the holes in the bed - next to the head - that is the gravity center.

Didn't have any issues removing anything. Check online for videos - I am sure someone filmed it.

 

[Wayne]

I am still waiting for the salesman to contact me regarding anything helpful he can do, if he does, great If not I will NOT support them in their sales. I spent a lot of money there [ To me] and would like some help with the normal issues that come with buying machinery. For one the pre drilled holes for the stand are in the wrong spot by about 1/4 of an inch not a big deal, I can re drill them. But they haven't answered if it will void the entire warranty or not. So far I am not happy with their service. The salesman [Scott, is a VERY knowledgeable guy in lots of areas, just not lathes]. Being a great resource for other items is not helping me now though. I will post more on the Calgary KMS store once my dealing with them are done. I am hoping for some assistance from them but we shall see.

Wayne

 

[Tom Kitta]

I guess though I am not a big fan of BB I should disclose that when I bought the mini mill and could not get the draw bar undone & contacted BB they called me back the next day. I guess all stores have bright and dark sides. You should see the tap and die set KMS was trying to sell - 100% return rate

1/4 inch? God, even I am not that inaccurate Today I did roof antenna assembly to get our 6 free HD channels. Lots of work. Welded for like 2h. Hopefully I didn't overbuild enough to get the roof to collapse.

 

[John Conroy]

Congrats on the new lathe Wayne. You will need a lifting strap and you can use your engine crane with 2 people. Lifting the lathe onto the stand is easy but can be a little scary if you're not used to lifting heavy stuff with a crane. Wrap the strap around the bed of the lathe at least 1 full turn so it chokes down and will not slip. Keep the strap as short as possible so you will have enough lifting height and can clear you ceiling if it is low. It will need to be near the headstock end and you will have to experiment a bit to find the balance point. Be very careful that your strap does not touch the lead screws or switch control rod so they don't get bent. I built a base to go under the stand to stiffen the stand and raise is a few inches. It is welded using 2" square tubing with 1/4" wall. Each corner has a 1" nut welded vertically so feet and wheel can be mounted to level or move the machine. With the square tube frame under it the machine can also be moved with a pallet jack. Don't worry about the holes not lining up in the chip tray, just re-drill them, it will not affect the warranty. I had the same issue with mine when it got it. Use silicone sealer between the lathe bed and the chip tray to prevent cutting oil from dripping out into the base cabinet.

Look closely here you can see I used a length of 2" X 12" lumber under the bed to widen the strap for clearance and also a piece of 1" X 4" lumber the keep the strap away from the lead screws.

I used 1' threaded rod to make extension legs so the base could be lifted high enough to get the wheels of the engine crane under it. This was only necessary because my home made base was too wide for the engine crane. After I got the lathe bolted to the stand I just turned the legs back a couple of turns at a time to lower the machine down to floor level. I made wheels to fit in the same holes as the legs fro moving it around.

Above all else be safe!

John

 

[Wayne]

Hi Tom,
Thanks, it will be fun if I ever get it on the stand and working. The sales guy from KMS said that he knew nothing about lathes which made me a little concerned and they have no one there who does. When I asked him about bolting the lathe to the stand he didn't know the answer so he checked and tol me that the lathe isn't bolted to the stand it just sits on it. I also know nothing about lathes but really doubt that it would not be well secured to the stand. How did the antenna turn out? Is it on a tower or just attached to the house?
\Wayne

 

[Wayne]

Hi John,
Wow, thanks! The pictures really help with your directions I should be able to move it, are you interested in making another base similar to yours for this thing? If so what would it cost? I like your set up and it looks like you do very nice work.
Wayne

 

[John Conroy]

Wayne if you buy the metal and the beer we could make up a base like mine in a couple of hours. I live in Edmonton so it would be a lot of travel for you however.

 

[Wayne]

Oh Drats! Sorry about that, your right Edmonton would be quite a journey.

 

[Jimbojones]

Hi Wayne

Probably you've found out that post-sales support for small machine tools in Calgary is dismal; I know staff at both BB and KMS and although they try, they receive little training/support from their head offices & suppliers. I own both BB and King equipment and experienced significant hassle to get parts e.g. availability (up to 3 months wait) and price...let alone any local service. For instance, a replacement X-axis lead screw for a King PDM30 mill/drill is $300....WHAT?!?! It's a friggin 3' long acme rod with the ends ground down/drilled to accommodate the handles.

Got your bench sorted out yet?

 

[Tom Kitta]

Hi Wayne
For instance, a replacement X-axis lead screw for a King PDM30 mill/drill is $300....WHAT?!?! It's a friggin 3' long acme rod with the ends ground down/drilled to accommodate the handles.

If you need parts just go to Grizzly.com and get them from there - they have a lot of parts in stock and often at a very reasonable prices. As for your screw my lathe is too short, but someone else may have a 40'' long one and be able to cut the thread for you. I somehow don't think it would cost you a whole $300.

Personally I am moving away from small Chinese machines so BB and KMS are quickly losing their relevance for me.

 

[Jimbojones]

Already checked Grizzly: $210USD for screw/nut combo and then shipping....another $300+ CAD option

Will either source the raw rod out of the US

 

[Tom Kitta]

How thick is the rod - I got 20mm by 40cm rod - linear rod - super accurate - hardened steel from China for around 25CAD. I know it *sounds* crazy to get stuff like that from China BUT it seems it works... at least we don't need to import air from them - unless we have vermin infestation