Robust American Beauty User manual

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OwnerManual
AmericanBeauty
Beforestartingyour

AmericanBeauty:
First:Besureitispluggedintoaworkingoutletofthe
propervoltage.ThisisastandardNEMA6‐20outlet,
ratedforamaximumof250voltsand20Amps.Itis
availableatanyhardwarestore.
Note:GFIcircuitsareNOTcompatiblewithyourlathe. 
BesuretheEmergencyStop/mainpowerswitchispopped
out.Justgiveitalittletwistifitispressedinanditshould
popout.
Besurethespindlelockisallthewaydown–engaging
thespindlelockdisconnectsthecontrols.Pleasenote,
thespindlelockmightbeonlypartwayup–notenough
tolockthespindle,butenoughtodisconnectthecontrols.
Forsafetysake,putthespeeddialatlowestsetting.

Thisisagreathabittogetinto
everytimeyoustartyourlathe.


RobustTools,LLC101BusinessIDBarneveld,Wisconsin53507
Pleasereadthetroubleshootingsection.Phone:608‐924‐1133Email:[email protected]

ROBUSTLATHESHAVEBEENTESTEDTOULSTD.987andCSASTD.C22.2No.105ANDARECECOMPLIANT

©Copyright2020byRobustTools,LLC;AllRightsReserved.Theinformationcontainedhereinissubjecttochange.RobustTools,LLC
isnotresponsibleforerrorsoromissionshereinorforincidentaldamagesinconnectionwiththefurnishingoruseofthisinformation.
20200707
Push it all the way down

1
WOODTURNINGSAFETY
Failuretofollowsafetyrulesmayresultinseriouspersonalinjury.
1. READANDUNDERSTANDtheentireowner’smanualbeforeattemptingassemblyoroperation.
2. READANDUNDERSTANDthewarningspostedonthemachineandinthismanual.Failureto
complywithallofthesewarningsmaycauseseriousinjury.Replacethewarninglabelsifthey
becomeobscuredorremoved.
3. GETTRAINING:ThisLatheisdesignedandintendedforusebyproperlytrainedandexperienced
personnelonly.IfyouarenotfamiliarwiththeproperandsafeoperationofaLathe,donotuse
untilpropertrainingandknowledgehavebeenobtained.
4. DONOTUSETHISLATHEFOROTHERTHANITSINTENDEDUSE.Ifusedforotherpurposes,
RobustToolsLLCdisclaimsanyrealorimpliedwarrantyandholdsitselfharmlessfromanyinjury
thatmayresultfromthatuse.
5. KEEPGUARDSINPLACEandinworkingorder.
6. REMOVEADJUSTINGKEYSANDWRENCHES.Formthehabitofcheckingtoseethatkeysand
adjustingwrenchesareremovedfromtoolbeforeturningiton.
7. KEEPWORKAREACLEAN.Clutteredareasandbenchesinviteaccidents.Keepshopfloorfreeof
trippinghazards.Woodturninggenerateschipsandsawdust.Cleanupdebrisandkeepyour
workareaclean.Sawdustisafirehazard.
8. DON’TUSEINDANGEROUSENVIRONMENT.Don’tusepowertoolsindamporwetlocations,or
exposethemtorain.Keepworkareawelllighted.
9. KEEPCHILDRENAWAY.Allvisitorsshouldbekeptasafedistancefromworkarea.
10. MAKEWORKSHOPKIDPROOFwithpadlocks,masterswitches,orbyremovingstarterkeys.
11. DON’TFORCETOOL.Itwilldothejobbetterandsaferattherateforwhichitwasdesigned.
12. USERIGHTTOOL.Don’tforcetoolorattachmenttodoajobforwhichitwasnotdesigned.
13. USEPROPEREXTENSIONCORD.Makesureyourextensioncordisingoodcondition.Whenusing
anextensioncord,besuretouseoneheavyenoughtocarrythecurrentyourproductwilldraw.
Anundersizedcordwillcauseadropinlinevoltageresultinginlossofpower,overheatingor
malfunction.Ifindoubt,usethenextheaviergage.Thesmallerthegagenumber,theheavierthe
cord.Seetablebelow:

Recommendedwiresizeforextension
cordsbasedonlength
25feet 50feet 100feet
14AWG 14AWG 12AWG
NOTE:Cordslongerthan100feetarenotrecommended

14. WEARPROPERAPPAREL.Donotwearlooseclothing,gloves,neckties,rings,bracelets,orother
jewelrywhichmaygetcaughtinmovingparts.Nonslipfootwearisrecommended.Wear
protectivehaircoveringtocontainlonghair,includingbeards.
15. ALWAYSUSESAFETYGLASSESANDFACESHIELD.Everydayeyeglassesonlyhaveimpactresistant
lenses,theyareNOTsafetyglasses.
16. SECUREWORK.Useappropriatechucks,faceplatesorotherworkholdingdevicestoholdwork
whenpractical.
17. DON’TOVERREACH.Keepproperfootingandbalanceatalltimes.
18. MAINTAINTOOLSWITHCARE.Keeptoolssharpandcleanforbestandsafestperformance.
Followinstructionsforlubricatingandchangingaccessories.

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19. DISCONNECTTOOLSbeforeservicing;whenchangingaccessories,suchasblades,bits,cutters,
andthelike.
20. REDUCETHERISKOFUNINTENTIONALSTARTING.Makesureswitchisinoffpositionbefore
pluggingin.
21. USERECOMMENDEDACCESSORIES.Improperaccessoriesmaybehazardous.Consultthe
accessoryowner’smanualbeforeuse.Theuseofimproperaccessoriesmaycauseriskofinjuryto
persons.
22. NEVERSTANDONTOOL.Seriousinjurycouldoccurifthetoolistippedorifthecuttingtoolis
unintentionallycontacted.
23. CHECKDAMAGEDPARTS.Beforefurtheruseofthetool,aguardorotherpartthatisdamaged
shouldbecarefullycheckedtodeterminethatitwilloperateproperlyandperformitsintended
function–checkforalignmentofmovingparts,bindingofmovingparts,breakageofparts,
mounting,andanyotherconditionsthatmayaffectitsoperation.Aguardorotherpartthatis
damagedshouldbeproperlyrepairedorreplaced.
24. DONOTMODIFYLATHE.Donotmodifylatheoruseinamannerforwhichitwasnotdesigned.
25. DUSTWARNING.Thedustgeneratedbysomewoodsandwoodproductscancausehealth
problems.Operateequipmentinwellventilatedareasandprovideproperdustremoval.Usea
dustcollectionsystemwheneverpossible.Alsouseadustmaskorotherpersonalprotection.
26. DISCONNECTFROMPOWER.Disconnecttheequipmentfrompowerwhenassemblingor
maintaining.
27. CHECKLATHESET‐UPWITHPOWEROFF.Examinethelatheset‐upcarefullyandrotatethework
piecebyhandtocheckclearancebeforeturningonpower.
28. NEVERLEAVELATHERUNNINGUNATTENDED.Donotleavelatheunlessitisturnedoffandhas
cometoacompletestop.
29. MAKEALLADJUSTMENTSWITHPOWEROFF.Donotmakeadjustmentswhenthelatheorwork
pieceisturning.Makealladjustmentswithpoweroff.
30. TIGHTENALLCLAMPSBEFOREOPERATINGLATHE.Allclamphandlesonthebanjo,toolrest,
tailstockandauxiliaryequipmentshouldbetightenedbeforeoperatinglathe.
31. CHECKTHEWORKPIECECAREFULLYforsplits,knotsorotherobstructionswhichmaycausea
safetyriskwhileturning.Donotturnunsoundwood.
32. USESLOWSPEEDWHENSTARTING.Alwaysstartoutwithslowspeedswhenturninganewor
unbalancedworkpiece.
33. ADJUSTTOOLRESTCLOSETOTHEWORKPIECE.Beforeturning,rotatetheworkpiecebyhandto
makesureitclearsthetoolrest.Whenturning,occasionallystopthelatheandreadjustthe
toolresttokeepitclose.
34. KEEPTOOLONTOOLREST.Lathetoolsshouldremainonthetoolrestwheneverthetoolisin
contactwiththeworkpiece.
35. REMOVETOOLRESTWHENSANDINGORFINISHING.Whensandingorfinishingyourworkpiece,
removethetoolresttopreventyourfingersfromgettingpinched.
36. FASTENWORKPIECESECURELYBETWEENCENTERS.Whenturningbetweencenters,makesure
theworkpieceissecureandthattailstockislockedbeforeturning.
37. USECAUTIONWHENUSINGTHELATHEINREVERSE.Whenusingreverse,besuretosecurethe
workholdingdevice(chuck,faceplate,etc.)tothespindlewithsafetysetscrews.Reverseis
generallyonlyusedwhensanding.
38. NEVERSTOPAROTATINGWORKPIECEWITHYOURHAND
39. IFGLUINGUPAWORKPIECE:alwaysuseahigh‐qualityglueofthetypenecessaryforthat
particularworkpiece.

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40. FOLLOWLOCALELECTRICALCODES.Makesurewiringcodesandrecommendedelectrical
connectionsarefollowedandthatthemachineisproperlygrounded
41. GROUNDINGINSTRUCTIONS:Intheeventofamalfunctionorbreakdown,groundingprovidesa
pathofleastresistanceforelectriccurrenttoreducetheriskofelectricshock.Youlatheis
equippedwithanelectriccordhavinganequipmentgroundingconductorandagroundingplug.
Theplugmustbepluggedintoamatchingoutletthatisproperlyinstalledandgroundedin
accordancewithalllocalcodesandordinances.

Donotmodifytheplugprovided–ifitwillnotfittheoutlet,havetheproperoutletinstalledbya
qualifiedelectrician.Improperconnectionoftheequipment‐groundingconductorcanresultina
riskofelectricshock.Theconductorwithinsulationhavinganoutersurfacethatisgreenwithor
withoutyellowstripesistheequipment‐groundingconductor.Ifrepairorreplacementofthe
electriccordorplugisnecessary,donotconnecttheequipment‐groundingconductortoalive
terminal.Checkwithaqualifiedelectricianorservicepersonnelifthegroundinginstructionsare
notcompletelyunderstood,orifindoubtastowhetherthetoolisproperlygrounded.Useonly3‐
wireextensioncordsthathave3‐pronggroundingplugsand3‐polereceptaclesthatacceptthe
tool’splug.Repairorreplacedamagedorworncordimmediately.

Latheswiredtorunon110‐120voltcircuitsareintendedforuseonacircuitthathasanoutlet
(NEMA5‐15)thatlooksliketheoneillustratedinSketchAinthefigurebelow.Thetoolhasa
groundingplugthatlooksliketheplugalsoillustratedinthefigure.Atemporaryadapter,which
looksliketheadapterillustratedinSketchesBandC,maybeusedtoconnectthisplugtoa2‐pole
receptacleasshowninSketchBifaproperlygroundedoutletisnotavailable.Thetemporary
adaptershouldbeusedonlyuntilaproperlygroundedoutletcanbeinstalledbyaqualified
electrician.Thegreen‐coloredrigidear,lug,andthelike,extendingfromtheadaptermustbe
connectedtoapermanentgroundsuchasaproperlygroundedoutletbox.

Latheswiredforoperationona220‐240voltcircuitareintendedforuseonacircuitthathasan
groundedoutletandplugthatlookslikethoseillustratedbelow(NEMA6‐20).
*** SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS ***

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Installation

Consideration Recommendation
Unpacking Yourlatheisshippedfullyassembled.Robustlathesareheavy.Gethelp.Usecarewhen
removingthelathefromthepallet.Usea2x4underthewaystoliftoneendofthelatheata
timeoffthepallet.See“DeliveryandUnpacking”inthe“Info”sectionofourwebsite.
Lathe
Location
Thebestlocationisonalevelconcretefloorclosetoapowersourceinanareawithgood
lighting.Provideclearanceonallsidesofthelathe.Othermachinesinyourshopshouldnot
interferewiththeoperationofthelathe.
Lighting Yourshopandtheworkareaaroundthelatheshouldhaveadequatelighting.Amovable
spotlightmaybehelpful.Alightstand‐offmountisincludedontopoftheheadstockforeasy
lightmounting.
Boltingto
Floor
Ifyoudonotplantomoveyourlathe,youmightconsiderboltingittothefloor.Firstmake
sureitislevelandsettledperotherinstructionsinthismanualandthenuseanygoodquality
anchor.Ifyouareboltingtoconcrete,makesuretherearenoexpansionjointsorcracks
betweenthelegs.Ifboltingtoawoodenfloor,itisbesttogetoverthejoists.Settlethelathe
bothbeforeandafterbolting.
Ventilation Yourshopshouldbeadequatelyventilated.Theamountofventilationneededvariesbased
onthesizeoftheshopandtheamountofworkdone.Theuseofdustcollectorsandfilters
willminimizeriskstoyourhealth.Somewoodsaretoxicorwillcauseallergicreactions.
Electrical TheAmericanBeautyiswiredfor220V.Anisolated
220VAC,20ampcircuitisrequired.Wiringandoutlets
shouldadheretolocalelectricalcodes.Avoidusing
extensioncords.
 Ifyouareindoubtaboutthepowerconnection,seek
advicefromaqualifiedelectrician.
Required220Volt
NEMA6‐20Receptacle
  
LatheHeight Mostturnersliketoadjusttheheightofthelathelegssothecenterlineofthelathespindleis
attheelbowheightoftheturner.Adjustupordownfromtheretowhereitiscomfortable
foryou.Seeinstructionsforthiselsewhereinthemanual.
RoutineMaintenance
Interval Maintenance
Aftereachuse Cleantheworkareaandlathe.Cleardustfromtheinsidetheheadstock,betweenthe
lathebedrails,andunderthebanjoandtailstock.Cleanupanyfinishorgluefromways.
Somesolventsandglueswillaffectthepaintedsurfaces.Coverupthepaintifyou
don’twantitaffectedbysolventandglues.
Monthly Removethebanjoandcleanandlightlylubricatethecamshaftandcamshaftfollower.
Lubricatethebedwayswithpastewax.Cleanandlubricatewithoneortwodropsof
light‐weightoiltheoutsideofthequillandthetailstockcamshaft.Loosenthebeltand
cleanitscontactsideandthegroovesinthepulleyswithanoldtoothbrush.Recheckbelt
tension.Removetoolrestclampfrombanjoandcleanandlubricatebushingsandholes.
6Months Cleanandgreasetailstockquillthreads‐‐screwthequillallthewayout,greasethenutin
thequillandcrankthequillbackin;wipeoffexcess.Anygeneralpurposegreaseisfine.
Yearly Vacuumouttheboxunderthebedthattheinverterlivesin.
Never Thespindleandmotorbearingsarepermanentlylubricatedandneednomaintenance.

5
ElectricMotor
Yourlatheisequippedwitha3phaseACindustrialgrademotor.Themotorisfancooled.Ifthelathehasrun
foralongtimeonslowspeedthemotormaystopasthefanisnotturningfastenoughtocoolthemotor
sufficiently.Allowthemotortocoolbeforecontinuing.
Inverter
Yourlatheisequippedwithanindustrialgradevariablefrequency
drive,alsoknownasan“inverter”.Theinvertertakesnormal
householdcurrentandconvertsittoindustrial3phasepower.When
youchangethespindlespeeddialonthependantcontroller,the
inverterchangesthefrequencysenttothemotorwhichchangesthe
motorspeed.
Theinverterisfactorysetwithparametersthatmostturnerswilllike.
Theinvertermanualshowshowtochangethesettings.Changing
certainsettingswillpreventyourlathefromrunningproperly,ifatall.
Othersettings,suchasrampupandrampdownspeedscanbesetto
yourliking.Yourinvertermaybeequippedwithafanthatrunsfora
momentortwoafterthemotorstops.
InverterinlegassemblyofAmerican
Beauty.Appearancemayvary.

Itisstronglyrecommendednottochangeanyinverterparametersuntilyouareveryfamiliarwithyour
latheandarefamiliarwithinverters.
PendantController
Thecordedpendantcontrollerisusedtocontrolmajorfunctionsofyourlathe.Ithasstrongrareearth
magnetsonthebacksoitcanbemovedandattachedtosectionsofyourlatheasneeded.
Control Function CONTROLLER
Spindle
Speed

Twisttheknobtothelefttogoslowandtotherighttogofast.
Aproximatespeedsareindicated.Besuretoknowthebelt
positiontomakethemostofthisinformation.
 Itisagoodideatosetthespeedatitsslowestsettingand
graduallyincreasetothedesiredspeedeverytimeyoustart
thelathe.

Forward/
Reverse
Twisttheswithtotherighttogoforward
Twisttheswitchtothelefttogoinreverse
 Youcanchangedirectionwiththelatheisrunning.Thelathe
willslowdown,stop,andthenreversedirection.Thiswillnot
harmtheinverterormotor.
 Usecautionwhenturninginreverse.Yourworkholding
device(chuck,faceplate,etc.)shouldbesecuredtothe
spindleifreverseisused.
Spindle
Stop
Presstostopspindlerotation.


Spindle
Speed
Reverse/
Forward
Spindle
Stop

6
SpindleLockKnob
TheSpindleLockKnobislocatedunderthe
handwheel.Slideituptoengagethespindle
lock.Slideitdowntodisengage.

 Thelathecannotbeoperatedwhenthe
SpindleLockKnobisintheupposition.This
servesasasafetyinterlock.Pleasenotethat
theSpindleLockKnobmustbealltheway
downforthelathetostartandruninanormal
fashion.Sometimestheknobwilljiggleupjust
enoughtoopentheinternalswitchandthe
lathewillnotrununtiltheknobispushedall
thewaydown.
SpindleLock

MountingaFaceplateorChuck
1. Turnoffthelathe.
2. Engagethespindlelocktosecurethespindle.
3. Screwthefaceplateorchuckontothespindlethreads.Itis
OKtouseaspindlewasher.
  Forsafeandvibrationfreeoperation,thefaceplate
orchuckbodymustcontacttheshoulderonthe
spindle.
4. ReleasetheSpindleLockbeforestartingthelathe.
LatheSpindle
 Somefaceplatesandchucksareequippedwithasetscrew.Beforetighteningthissetscrew,ensure
itlinesupwiththespindlegroove.Besuretofullyloosenthesetscrewbeforefaceplateorchuckremoval.

SpindleIndex
Thespindleindexholesarelocatedinthehandwheelandnumbered1‐48.Theindexscrewcanbeusedto
divideheworkinto2,3,4,6,8,12,16,24,or48divisions.

1. Turnoffthelathe.TheMaster
Switch/E‐StopshouldbeintheOff
position.
2. Openthetopheadstockcovertogain
accesstotheSpindleIndexScrew.
3. Turnthespindlehandwheeltoalignthe
screwtothedesiredholeandfinger‐
tightentheSpindleIndexScrew.


 Makesurethespindleindexscrewisdisengagedbeforeoperatingthelathe. 
Index Screw
Indexing holes

7
BanjoandToolrestOperation
BANJO:TomovethebanjolifttheBanjoLevertoaverticalposition,
slidethebanjotothedesiredposition,thenpushtheleverleftor
righttolockthebanjoinplace.Whenlocked,theBanjoReleaseLever
shouldgojustpasthorizontalasshowninthepicture.Keepthe
bottomofbanjoandbanjoshaftcleanandonlylightlyoiledorwaxed.
Thisminimizesdustbuildupanddragging.
TOOLREST:Toadjustthetoolrest,loosentheToolrestClampHandle,
positionthetoolrest,andtightentheclamphandle.Thetoolrest
clamppositioniseasilyadjusted.Firstclampatoolrestintothebanjo,
thensimplypulloutonthehandle,turnittothedesiredspotand
pushitbackin.

Tomovethetoolrestclamptotheothersideofthebanjo,first
loosenitandremovethetoolrest.Thenpullthetoolrestassembly
straightoutandinsertfromtheotherside.Makesurethebevelson
thetoolrestclampbushingsarelocatedtoacceptthetoolrestpost.
Keepthetoolrestclosetothework.Stopthelathetoadjust
thetoolrest.Spintheworkbyhandbeforestartingtomake
sureallpartsoftheworkpiececlearthetoolrest.
Gougesandchiselsshouldremainonthetoolrestwhenever
thetoolisincontactwiththeworkpiece.
Removethetoolrestwhensandingorpolishingsofingersdo
notgetpinched.
UsingtheBanjoandToolrest




TailstockOperation
Tomovethetailstock,liftthelockingleverandslideittothe
desiredspot.Thenpushtheleverdowntothelockthetailstockin
place.
Tomovethetailstockquillinorout,loosentheQuillLockandturn
theQuillHandwheel.Lockthequillbytighteningthequilllock.

HINT:adjustthelockhandlesothatitislevelwhenlocked,itonly
takesa¼turntounlockit(seenoteaboveaboutadjustinghandles).
Thetailstockquillacceptsaccessorieswith#2Morsetaper(#3MTis
optionalontheAmericanBeauty).
ToinstallanaccessorywithaMorsetaper,firstcleanthemaleand
femaleparts.Useaquick,firmactionbyhand.Donotpound.
Toremovetheaccessory,turntheQuillHandwheeltoscrewthe
quillbackintothetailstock,andtheaccessoryshouldself‐eject.
Pleasenote,ifyouraccessoryisshort,self‐ejectionmanynotwork.
Inthatcaseusetheknockourrod.
UsingtheTailstock


 Neverloosenthetailstockwhiletheworkpieceisturning.
Tool Rest Clamp
Quill Handle
Quill lock
To lock, push
lever down

8
SpindleRemovaland/orBeltReplacement

YourlatheisequippedwithahighqualitytengroovePoly‐Vbeltthatisdesignedtoprovideyearsofservice.If
youshouldeverfindaneedtoreplaceit,followtheseinstructions.
1. Stopthelathe,disconnectfrompowerandopen
topandfrontheadstockcovers.
2. LoosentheMotorClampandraisethemotortoloosen
thebelt.Tightentheclamponcethebeltisloose.
3. Lockthespindleusingthespindlelockandremovethe
nutsecuringthehandwheeltothespindleusinga
1‐7/16”socketwrench.Thenremovethehandwheel.

4.Removethespindleindexscrew.
5.Usinga3/16inchAllenwrench,removethecapscrews
onthefrontspindlebearingboss.
6. Screwtwoofthecapscrewsintothethreadedjack
screwholesinthebosstopushthespindleassembly
outasaunit.Youmayneedtocleandebrisfromthe
holesfirst.
7. Removetheoldbeltandreplacewithnewbelt.
8. Removethejackscrewsfromthebearingboss.
9.Cleanallmatingpartsbeforereassemblyandcleanthe
groovesinthepulleys.
10.Insertthespindleassemblybackintotheheadstock
andreplaceandtightenthecapscrews.
11. Reinstallthespindlelockmechanismifyouremovedit
12.Reinstalltheindexscrewandbracket
13. Reinstallthespindlehandwheelandnut.Thenut
shouldbetighteneduntilitjustseats,andnomore.
14. Movethebelttothedesiredsteponthepulleysand
tightenthebelt.
15. Closethetopandfrontheadstockcovers.
Beltreplacement




Liftingoutthespindle
Handwheel and nut
Motor Clamp
Cap Screws

9
OptionalVacuumAdapter

Thevacuumadaptersimplyslipsintothespindleonthe
handwheelend.
SomelubricantontheO‐ringsmakesthisprocesseasierand
extendsthelifeoftheO‐rings.IfyoudowearouttheO‐rings,
theyareacommonsizeandfoundatmanyplaces.
OptionalCastersSet
Castersprovidemobilityforyourlathe,makingiteasierto
moveitaroundtheshop.Keepinmindthefollowingpoints
aboutcasters:
Castersareformovingthemachineonlevel
surfacesandshouldberemovedwhenturning.
Castersfitlooseuntilthereisweightonthem.
Usegreatcautiononinclines.Yourlatheis
heavyanditmayrollawayunexpectedly.
Remove casters before turning.
AmericanBeautyscrewjack





DroppingthePinThroughtheLegBaseHole




1. Usingtheprovidedjack,liftoneendofthelatheto
taketheweightoffthelegs.Thereisabracketonthe
jackthatfitsintonotchesonthelegaprons.
2. Pulluponthespringloadedpinonthecasterbracket.
3. Placethetabonthecasterbracketintotheholeinthe
leg,withthepinovertheholeinthefoot.
4. Releasethespringloadedpinsothatitdropsthrough
theholeinthefoot.
 Makesurethepinisallthewaythroughthe
foot,otherwiseitmaybebentbythe
weightofthelathe.
5. Installonecasteroneachlegbase.
6. Lowerthelatheandrepeattheprocessontheother
end.
7.Removalisthereverse.
