Thread: Lathe Stand

I've been building a stand to put a small lathe on and thought I'd put it up here, maybe get some ideas for improvement as I go along. It will probably take a few weeks till I get around to finishing it completely. With the sun out this arvo I had no excuse but to make some progress. Like a lot of home projects I mostly used what I already had in the shed, if I was to buy stuff I probably would have gone a different way. Here's a pic of the sketchup model I started with and this is how the finished stand should look roughly.

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attach...1&d=1329216659

Today I added perforated sheets to the sides and back and gave it another coat of paint. I cut the sheet to size and cleaned it up yesterday and just screwed it in place with lock nuts.

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attach...1&d=1329216659

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attach...1&d=1329216659

It's a pretty solid frame, the legs are 75x75x6mm angle, the bottom brace is 50x50x6mm angle with a 6mm plate shelf, the braces for the draws are 30x30x4mm angle and the top is 10mm plate braced with 90x6mm flats. The perforated sheet is around 1mm thick, I reckon it will be getting up towards 150kg finished.

It still needs a good coat of paint all over. I ran a c channel down the back of the frame to hold wiring and I plan to add two power outlets to either end under the protected bits. I started on the draws this arvo so hopefully I'll get them painted and installed over the next couple of days. Eventually I'll weld some brackets to the legs and run timber shelving down the sides. I also have a set of feet slightly wider than the top that replace the wheels and gives the stand a stable base.

I'll update as I finish it off.

Hi,
I don't think it will break in a hurry being built out of those sizes. Those drawers will be handy, nothing worse than cupboards and having to bend down to get anything out. What sort of lathe is going on top?
It might be the picture, but it looks tall and thin compared to your drawing. With the casters facing the way they are in the photo, it doesn't look like it gives it much width for it's height. Most lathes are back heavy because of the motor, maybe a piece of angle across the bottom of the legs extending out the back a bit would help with a bit more stability.

Dave

Hi V8,

The stand is looking really good. I love drawers and it's great to have enough storage for most of your relevant tools that you would use with the lathe. Saves having to walk to several locations.

My approach is similar to yours, I usually design stuff around what materials I have at hand. If I have to buy materials then I visit the local steel merchant and look at their off cut section and try to design it using off cuts. Their prices on off cuts are a fraction of the retail price. They know me so well that I just go straight to their factory behind the shop and look in their bins!

Yesterday I purchased a piece of 1200x800x2mm sheet for my chip tray, it was an off cut (I will need to cut it as it's too big) and only cost me $38.

The outrigger feet for my stand was an off cut and it only cost me $10!

What sort of lathe will you be putting on it? How will you level the lathe? Using shims?

Simon

Originally Posted by Dave J

Hi,
I don't think it will break in a hurry being built out of those sizes. Those drawers will be handy, nothing worse than cupboards and having to bend down to get anything out. What sort of lathe is going on top?
It might be the picture, but it looks tall and thin compared to your drawing. With the casters facing the way they are in the photo, it doesn't look like it gives it much width for it's height. Most lathes are back heavy because of the motor, maybe a piece of angle across the bottom of the legs extending out the back a bit would help with a bit more stability.

Dave

Hi Dave, yes the wheels are just for moving it around, it won't tip over but it's definitely top heavy like that and I don't trust it. I would have liked to go wider but unfortunately I didn't have a bigger bit of plate for the top. I made feet that attach in place of the wheels and they make a huge difference as they increase the base of the stand beyond that of the top. I'll get a pick with feet attached this afternoon.

Having the wheels makes everything so much easier. Even to paint it I have to cart it down to an empty shed. Those casters are pushing their limits though they'd crap themselves with a full load.

The lathe is only a small one (C4 8x16) it only weighs around 100kg setup, with the carriage etc removed I can just move it around on my own. The last couple of winters I put it inside and used it at night.

That would be cool being able to use it inside, not sure my wife would let me as she has enough swarf to deal with now from my son an I, LOL
Then again I go to the shed to get away from it all and be on my own, LOL

Do the feet bring it down in height? I was just thinking you could put a piece of angle across the feet each end so it was wider. When ever I use wheels/castor's I try to put them outside of the feet so when it's getting moved it's more stable with a wider foot print.

Having some heavy gear in the bottom should help it out and make it more stable. I am only concerned about this for your safety because a guy was moving a lathe last year and it fell on him and shattered his leg.

I know it's a bit bigger than yours, but by the time you add the weight of the stand and any gear in it, you would be up to around it's weight.
Broke ankle and lathe while leveing - The Home Shop Machinist & Machinist's Workshop Magazine's BBS
Update to broken lathe and broken leg - The Home Shop Machinist & Machinist's Workshop Magazine's BBS

Dave

Originally Posted by simonl

Hi V8,

The stand is looking really good. I love drawers and it's great to have enough storage for most of your relevant tools that you would use with the lathe. Saves having to walk to several locations.

My approach is similar to yours, I usually design stuff around what materials I have at hand. If I have to buy materials then I visit the local steel merchant and look at their off cut section and try to design it using off cuts. Their prices on off cuts are a fraction of the retail price. They know me so well that I just go straight to their factory behind the shop and look in their bins!

Yesterday I purchased a piece of 1200x800x2mm sheet for my chip tray, it was an off cut (I will need to cut it as it's too big) and only cost me $38.

The outrigger feet for my stand was an off cut and it only cost me $10!

What sort of lathe will you be putting on it? How will you level the lathe? Using shims?

Simon

Thanks Simon, I thought long and hard about just putting sliding shelves in there as it's heaps easier. Im still not sure how I'll go about attaching the runners.

For sure, if you have to pay for everything you might as well just go and buy something already made. The only thing I bought was the angle for the legs, paint and a few nuts and screws. Keep everything works for me, lol. You done well on the drip tray material, I'll keep my eye on your thread and see if I can grab some ideas with that.

I have no idea how I'm going to level the lathe atm. I was thinking about using 10mm jacking screws between the lathe and the top of the bench so I can level it with a spanner and lock it it place. Im not sure how the anti vibration feet are going to handle leveling, I've read that you shouldn't use them on a lathe as you will never get it level.

Im hoping that since it's only a small lathe that once the ways are true to the spindle and locked in place there will be no movement between the lathe and the stand. The only movement will occur at the base of the legs and feet. It won't stay level but it should stay true????

I think that stand will be rigid enough to not twist with that lathe on it. So you might get away with just shimming between the lathe and stand and thats it.

Dave

I reckon it seems pretty rigid. You will soon find out. If you bolt/shim the lathe to the table and wheel the table onto uneven concrete, if a leg comes off the ground slightly then it would suggest to me that it is rigid enough to resist deforming to the uneven ground conditions, which means it should not be warping the lathe bed.

Just thinking aloud.....

Keep us posted on your progress. I've got a keen interest on your project.

Cheers,

Simon

You guys may not need runners - if you polish up some steel angle and then use a plastic or wooden surface to slide on (with some wax (candle or bees) as lube) it tends to be alright - stiffer than runners yes, but adequate for shed use.

Michael

I put the feet on for a stability test this arvo, the wheels aren't the most stable and although it won't tip they're only good for moving the lathe around. My highly scientific test was to have two mates and myself sit on one side and attempt to tip it... Apart from movement in the vibration pads it's as solid as a rock.

Here are the feet with level screws installed and anti vibration pads in place.

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attach...1&d=1329307683

This is how the level screws will be installed in the feet, a lock nut at either end and two load bearing nuts in the middle. I think this will distribute weight through both the bottom and top surfaces evenly.

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attach...1&d=1329307683

Here they are installed on the stand, the screw and bottom nuts are locked in place and the stand is raised or lowered on the nut directly under the angle. It's only an increase of 10cm each side however the increase in rigidity is 10 fold.

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attach...1&d=1329307683

At the moment I'm using 16mm srcews, should they fail I'll upgrade to these beasties

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attach...1&d=1329307683

I pretty much got the draws done today, I'll give them another coat of paint first thing in the morning and they should be right for a trial fit tomorrow night. I'll post an update and throw around some ideas for mounting the runners.

Originally Posted by Dave J

That would be cool being able to use it inside, not sure my wife would let me as she has enough swarf to deal with now from my son an I, LOL
Then again I go to the shed to get away from it all and be on my own, LOL

Do the feet bring it down in height? I was just thinking you could put a piece of angle across the feet each end so it was wider. When ever I use wheels/castor's I try to put them outside of the feet so when it's getting moved it's more stable with a wider foot print.

Having some heavy gear in the bottom should help it out and make it more stable. I am only concerned about this for your safety because a guy was moving a lathe last year and it fell on him and shattered his leg.

I know it's a bit bigger than yours, but by the time you add the weight of the stand and any gear in it, you would be up to around it's weight.
Broke ankle and lathe while leveing - The Home Shop Machinist & Machinist's Workshop Magazine's BBS
Update to broken lathe and broken leg - The Home Shop Machinist & Machinist's Workshop Magazine's BBS

Dave

Ahhhh, I got divorced a few years ago so no problems on that score atm, lol. Thats why I need a lathe that's mobile. I still use the garage and stuff but live across the state.

Yes I have no doubt that if you were unlucky something like that falling on you could cause a bit of grief. I'll have a look at them links tomorrow, doesn't hurt to be conscious.

Brett

Originally Posted by simonl

I reckon it seems pretty rigid. You will soon find out. If you bolt/shim the lathe to the table and wheel the table onto uneven concrete, if a leg comes off the ground slightly then it would suggest to me that it is rigid enough to resist deforming to the uneven ground conditions, which means it should not be warping the lathe bed.

Just thinking aloud.....

Keep us posted on your progress. I've got a keen interest on your project.

Cheers,

Simon

We must have went to the same school Simon that was my reasoning exactly. The level screws are to stop the stand from rocking more than anything.

No worries, thanks for posting. I'll keep updating.

Originally Posted by Michael G

You guys may not need runners - if you polish up some steel angle and then use a plastic or wooden surface to slide on (with some wax (candle or bees) as lube) it tends to be alright - stiffer than runners yes, but adequate for shed use.

Michael

Hi Michael, I thought about something like that but it seemed easier just to go with runners. After pricing a set up though I might revisit it again, just shy of $100 for 12 runners posted. That's not a bad price per runner though.

Cheers Brett

Originally Posted by slhouetteV8

We must have went to the same school Simon that was my reasoning exactly. The level screws are to stop the stand from rocking more than anything.

No worries, thanks for posting. I'll keep updating.




Hi Michael, I thought about something like that but it seemed easier just to go with runners. After pricing a set up though I might revisit it again, just shy of $100 for 12 runners posted. That's not a bad price per runner though.

Cheers Brett

Have a look on ebay for drawer runners. I bought a few of the standard 25Kg runners, 40cm long for about $3 pair. I bought about 20 pair as I new I will eventually need them when I finally finish the rest of my bench/cupboards & drawers.

Failing that, try what Michael suggested. I have some timber drawers that run inside angle on a wood bench and they are fine. In fact they seem to get better with age! Although I tend to be of the opinion that wood working drawers lend themselves a little more to traditional/rustic methods of drawer closure systems than metal working. Just my opinion!

Simon

I had a look before Christmas for draw runners and was amazed at the cheap price they are now. I also have some old drawers on angle and they are still working fine, but they are not as nice as ball bearing ones to use.

Dave

Got the draws in for a rough fit last night, as usual they took longer to knock together and put a decent finish on than it took to do the stand. What did I learn? If you're going to use full gloss enamel on hardwood and you want a nice finish then you should make sure it's well prepped or it will pick up every blemish and throw it back at you, lol.

Don't laugh at my color scheme my mate found it hilarious that I would match colors, it's actually a lot darker it's the flash that makes it look so bright. There's not much to the draws, soft wood frame with hardwood bottoms and a hardwood front all butt joined and screwed together. The handles are just aluminium flat cut to size with button head bolts and nuts as spacers.

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attach...1&d=1329442995

Here's a rough look at the draws in the stand, everything fits and looks okay. You'll notice the angle brackets at the side, i'll just attach these to the perforated sheet for the side shelves. The overhang at the top should go some way to keeping swarf out and protecting the shelves from knocks and bumps.

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attach...1&d=1329442995

I had a rethink over how I would mount the draws. I was going to use 45kg runners attached to the bottom (no room for side mounting) but I did a test with a pair I took from another set of drawers and they are way too flimsy to be used as a bottom rail. I figure if it's going to cost $100 bucks for 12 runners then I have $100 bucks to make something better. The draws aren't that big that I need full extensions anyway.

I came up with a few ideas but the drawing in the pic is the simplest to get happening. I'll line the side edge of the draws with something slippery to protect the wood and get it sliding properly. By milling the slot on a slight angle and over drilling the rear hole I can add a positive stop so the draws can't open on their own.

http://www.woodworkforums.com/attach...1&d=1329442995

I'm going to sit on the draw slides over the weekend and see if I can come up with something better so I'm all ears if anyone has a better way to get the slides happening.