Concrete base for lathe

[Roderick Evans]

Hi

Taking delivery of a new lathe soon (second hand ,but new to me)and I need to put a concrete base below the timber floor to secure it to.
Can anyone recommend the depth of concrete I need to lay,any additives or steel mesh etc.

Rod

[Haggy]

Roderick, I would always use steel mesh to strengthen your concrete- it will help prevent cracking if there is any movement.  Make sure the mesh is positioned in the middle of your concrete when you cast.
     Good luck
         Haggy

[Mark Hancock]

Hi

Taking delivery of a new lathe soon (second hand ,but new to me)and I need to put a concrete base below the timber floor to secure it to.
Can anyone recommend the depth of concrete I need to lay,any additives or steel mesh etc.

Rod

I did this for the lathes I had in my first timber shed workshop I just cut out the section of wooden flooring and cast a block of concrete to a depth of about 6 inches. I didn't use any mesh and it worked fine. Just remember that if you have to cut through floor supports to support the ends before casting the concrete.

Mark

[Roderick Evans]

Hi Haggy & Mark

Thanks for getting back to me, if I go about 6 inches and a bit of mesh it looks as if it should be ok then.

I need to put some 3 x 2s down to do a new flloor and thought of keeping these flush with the new concrete slab and then cover the joists and slab in 18mm ply, then bolt the lathe through the floor and into the concrete. Hope do this in the next two weeks, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Rod

[Haggy]

Just a slight concern, you need to let the air circulate under the shed to avoid rot, so the joists mustn't be flush with the concrete.
 I like the way Mark has bolted his lathe directly to the concrete by cutting a hole in his floor and supporting the wood by trimming the joists. (Similar to a chimney breast). I would place a polythene damp proof membrane below the mesh to prevent rising damp.
Food for thought for you Roderick-many ways you can go about it,  I like how you are looking at all possibilities.
Haggy

[Roderick Evans]

Thanks again Haggy, more food for thought
Regards
Rod