Thread: Lathe Bench At Last

John, looking good.

Might I suggest a shallow 3mm or 6mm MDF sliding draw mounted on battens inside each leg. That way you would be able to slide the draw out to tip the shavings while possibly having enough room for another storage shelf under.

Is it me, but are the legs slanted in towards the base? If so, am I missing something in the construction technique?

Originally Posted by baxter

John, looking good.

Might I suggest a shallow 3mm or 6mm MDF sliding draw mounted on battens inside each leg. That way you would be able to slide the draw out to tip the shavings while possibly having enough room for another storage shelf under.

Is it me, but are the legs slanted in towards the base? If so, am I missing something in the construction technique?

The drawer is the next step, probably pivoting from the back to allow the front to drop down to empty.
Also, a removable section in the rear shelf to sweep the shavings into the draw.

The distortion is caused by the wide angle lens - not even I am that bad
From the front the legs are vertical, from the side they taper in 5 degrees towards the top.
The front-to-back dimension at floor level is 500mm, and 390mm at the top of the A frame.
The bed support frame is 210mm deep (front to back), but is aligned to the front of the top rail.
This puts the weight of the lathe towards the front, but still inside the bottom of the legs so there is no tendency to tip forward - it just makes it look distorted.
The reasoning behind the off centre placement was to keep the lathe as far from the back wall as possible without extending the footprint of the legs - I am very short of space!
I have managed to squeeze in a router table, triton saw table, lathe, workbench, drawer unit wth drill press & grinder and bandsaw into 3 x 1.7metres, and I am able to operate them all

A picture's worth a thousand words ...

Of course the old wide angle lens trick.

John, my inquiry was a little tongue in cheek . I have more room than that but still manage to trip over the dogs. So where do you have room to swing the cat?

Great layout, John. Did you ever work as a grocery store bagger?

Joe

Originally Posted by joe greiner

Great layout, John. Did you ever work as a grocery store bagger?

Joe

Funny you should say that Joe;
I used to be a photographer, photographing electrical equipment that was deliverd to the studio in the original boxes.
I became very adept at opening boxes, removing foam packing, and retaining plastic bags without damage ... Never got the hang of getting them back in the box though

Originally Posted by jchappo

... Never got the hang of getting them back in the box though

Oh yeah. Almost as bad with power tools and their cases. Next time I buy one, I should photograph the innards before first use. Sometimes a nightmare getting the power cord stowed.

Joe