FILENAMES:

sling1.jpg
sling2.jpg
sling3.jpg

DESCRIPTION:

These are pictures of a sling, as enhanced for lifting a lathe. Posted by 
Grant Erwin <grant@cdac.com>. Grant provided the following description:

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I have posted 3 jpegs of a hoisting frame I made that fits my 9" x 4 1/2' Model 
A South Bend lathe. I am in the process of building a Ralph Walker lathe stand
for this lathe, and have to put the lathe on its stand and take it off again
several times over the next few weeks, working alone. I have an engine hoist
but it is a non-trivial problem to lift a lathe with an engine hoist.

I wanted a 4-point hoisting model as I believe these to be safe and stable.
I decided to use 1" black pipe with hoist swivels through-bolted on the ends
at each end of the lathe. To keep the pipe from moving with respect to the
lathe, I constructed a simple frame from some 2" square steel tubing I had,
in the shape of an I, with the shorter transverse pieces welded to a central
piece that runs much of the length of the lathe. To keep the lathe stable,
and to keep the frame from sliding, I used some old U-bolts which I bolted
over the transverse stiffeners in the lathe bed. (The U-bolts were too long
so I bolt mine in with some big sockets in the rounded end of the U. I am
careful not to tighten the U-bolts too tight as I do NOT want to crack my
lathe ways!)

The pipes just slip through the short pieces, which are hard against the
lathe's 2 legs. The pipes are connected by braided nylon rope (450# safe
working load) to a central ring. Note that the ropes going to the headstock
end are shorter than the ropes going to the tailstock end. This shifts
the lifting point towards the headstock, above the center of gravity, so
the lathe lifts stably in a level fashion.

The picture "sling1.jpg" shows the lathe slung from the engine hoist.

The picture "sling2.jpg" shows a view from the tailstock end. Note the
2" steel tube and the 1" black pipe extending, with the hoist swivel
attached.

The picture "sling3.jpg" shows a close-up of one end of the hoisting
frame. It again shows the business end of the pipe, plus the top of
the U-bolt that secures the frame beneath the lathe is visible. It's
about a 1 7/8" socket beneath the top of the U-bolt.

I got the hoist ring and the swivels at Boeing Surplus for a buck apiece.
I bought longer socket-head bolts and nuts, and some rope. The square tubing
was salvaged after a long life holding up a chain in a parking lot in 
Central Seattle, and the pipe was donated by a buddy. My total cost was
just about $15. It took about an afternoon to put it all together. I like
the rope because although it is stretchy it is easy to re-tie shorter
or longer to level the lathe while hoisting.

I find I can use my engine hoist with the arm fully extended and the 
long legs fully retracted, and loaded with a 9" SB lathe (I figure
it's about 330#) it is still stable and manageable. This allows me
to put the lathe on its stand, which is good because my stand will
not allow my hoist to roll beneath it!

Grant Erwin
Seattle, Washington
grant@cdac.com