What to put behind the lathe?

[goose]

For those lathes (older lathes) that come without splash guards or a full enclosure, what do you/would you use behind the machine to contain the oil & coolant sling?

I'm currently re-sheetrocking the shop and want to put a handle on the mess. I figured maybe plastic laminate or Masonite might be a good surface, although plastic laminate can be pricey. Suggestions? Non-porous to wipe clean ? or will that allow oil to drip down to the floor?

Thanx,

[vpt]

I don't use coolant but for a chip guard and oil guard I use just a flat piece of SS I had laying around. Some day I want to make shelves and stuff on it to hold tooling and stuff.

[daved20319]

Plastic laminate is durable, but can scratch and stain in this application. Masonite is just pressed sawdust and glue, although durable, it will also discolor and can swell if gotten wet. I'd use a piece of sheet metal of the appropriate size. If you're worried about oil running down and across the floor, have a tin shop make a panel with a catch basin at the bottom. Later.

Dave

[danlb]

Mine is on the bench, so I use this.

First, the clutter.



Then the clutter shield


Here's the solution. A window shade is suspended over the lathe.


The vinyl does a good job of stopping the splashes and swarf. A quick tug and it's out of the way.

Dan

[RussZHC]

I don't but that's because the shop is the garage and given its age almost no difference if something else goes on the wall...I'd use sheet metal and form it so it goes into the swarf tray under the lathe proper.
Take a look at the general shape of a lathe with one and then just modify to fit your exact purpose/shape.

[914Wilhelm]

How about some of the premade panels they use to construct shower walls? Get these at most big box stores and IIRC cheaper than Formica.

[Scottike]

Just about anything you use besides tin is going to get stained and scratched over time. (tin will too, but it takes a much longer time)

They do make a plastic (?) 1/8" paneling that is often used in public
restrooms where they can just go in and hose the place down. It's
pretty durable stuff, but the stuff I've seen has an orange peel texture
to it, so it won't clean as easily as a smooth surface.

I had the local HVAC shop make a tin panel for the back of my lathe.
It's mounted to the lathe, not the wall with a square tube frame that also supports the worklight for the lathe.

The tin is nice because I can mark it up with a sharpie for jotting stuff down or hold a print in place with a couple magnets. Cleans up with a shot of carb cleaner, Laquer thinner, acetone, etc.

[dp]

Cement board and Z-Brick works for just about everything, doesn't need paint, and you can attach fittings to hang tools and supplies on. To clean it you can power wash it.

[The Artful Bodger]

I just have clear space behind mine:-

DSCN0425 by aardvark_akubra, on Flickr

...the chips are easy enough to clean up and, for better or worse, I have given up on flood coolant because of the mess it makes. It is easy to get to the back of the lathe too!

[Chris165]

I just have clear space behind mine:-

DSCN0425 by aardvark_akubra, on Flickr

...the chips are easy enough to clean up and, for better or worse, I have given up on flood coolant because of the mess it makes. It is easy to get to the back of the lathe too!

I just had some nice clean aluminum (not for long) sheared to place on top of my mdf benches and behind the lathe.

What is the blue saw? I would love to see some more pics & info.

[Carld]

I stapled a heavy plastic sheet behind my mill to protect the wall from oil and chips. Now I can blow the mill off and it lands on the plastic and I can replace the plastic sheet anytime I want. Cheap and fast.

[DATo]

There are these panels (don't know what the material is called) that are used for classroom whiteboards. We bought two sheets to put behind one of our Bridegeports. The machine is located just in front of our material room which is faced with heavy gauge metal fencing (like cyclone fencing) and a sliding door made of the same material. When blowing off chips the mess would go right into the material room so we put two of these 4' X 8' panels vertically against the fencing and secured them to the fencing by drilling small holes and threading through wire and tying them off to the fence material.

This has worked very well as the side facing the shop is quite slick and easy to wipe off. This stuff is a bit pricey but we have an outstandingly beautiful shop and were willing to pay extra for the looks of the stuff.

[sasquatch]

I agree with RUSS, a sheet of metal is the best, and install it so it empties down into the swarf tray.

Neatest is to take it or buy it from a sheet metal shop, and get them to fold over the edges about 1/4-3/8 all around, so you have no sharp edges, and it makes a very nice neat job, plus the fold adds a little strength to the sheet.

[The Artful Bodger]

What is the blue saw? I would love to see some more pics & info.

I dont know who made the saw, it might have been made in NZ...here is a picture of another one that is for sale, different motor but otherwise the same as far as I can tell. 2HP, HSS blade which turns very slowly and munches through mild steel like a knife through butter!

[Chris165]

Thanks for the picture. That is one of the neatest little saws I have seen. I'm assuming the saws are not manufactured anymore. Is it something that could possibly be built with a salvaged chop saw base and a motor/right angle gear box and build a column, or is it more complicated?