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I_wanna_Shed
23rd July 2007, 10:39 PM
Hi Everyone,

In this (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=47425) thread I asked about some thoughts and advice on making a good lathe stand for my newly acquired Woodfast 280L.

Well after trying to find spare time, the majority of my stand is done. It is made out of a combo of radiata pine and heavy one inch laminated chipboard (from office desks).

The sides are two layers of the chipboards glued and screwed together (2 inch total). They then have pine trimming on 3 of the side faces, with pine capping along each side edge to hide the chipboard.

The top is a single layer of the one inch board, with pine trimming to hide the chipboard. The smaller board that the lathe is sitting on is 30mm MDF, which the previous owner mounted the lathe to.


Pic 1: The front of the lathe stand. I have only completed one drawer so far. A wider drawer will be placed alongside the current one. I will then build a full width, deep drawer underneath these. I may also add some smaller drawers somewhere for pen components.

Pic 2: The rear of the lathe. Here you can see the "box" structure that can also hold sand if I find that the lathe isn't heavy/solid enough to resist an off balance blank. (I hope its solid enough, the stand weighs around 85kg plus the lathe).

Pic 3: The side of the stand. I originally had the lathe closer to the front, but this caused the stand to be slightly off balanced.

Pic 4: Just a photo of the sliding dovetail joinery I used in the drawer.

I still need to decide on where/how I will store my chisels. I'm thinking about making a cabinet (about file cabinet size) that will hold my chisels at a good height, and will also double as a sharpening station - and will be able to be wheeled away when not in use.

The power lead will go up to a hanging outlet.

If the shavings you can see don't look like they came from an experienced turner - that's because they certainly don't! Yesterday was the first time I had picked up a chisel, so I need some lessons! :C

Thanks for looking.

Cheers,
Nathan.

Skew ChiDAMN!!
24th July 2007, 02:32 AM
Nice looking stand, I'd be happy with it. :thyel: Of course, once you get more experience with turning you'll probably start thinking "I wish I'd..." but that's par for course with anything we build for the workshop. :D

Oh... and those shavings? They give away nothing. Sure, if you see a heap of nice, long curlies you know they've been made by someone who knows which end to hold a chisel by... but some woods won't make curlies no matter how good you are. (Or how you hold your tingue, dammit! Trust me, I've tried. :wink:)

TTIT
24th July 2007, 08:46 AM
..........
Pic 3: The side of the stand. I originally had the lathe closer to the front, but this caused the stand to be slightly off balanced............
Good start Nathan:U - beats sitting on the floor at least :; Seriously though, you'll probably want to move the lathe back closer to the front - it looks like it will interfere with how low you can start your chisel the way it is. As Skew said, you can always modify as you gain experience.

And the shavings - bah! Curlies are great fun but the best looking woods rarely produce them - don't worry about it!:2tsup:

rsser
24th July 2007, 09:27 AM
Good to see you're boning up on Darlow too.

.... for Mk 2 think about a trestle style leg on the back side of the bench (like a buttress); helps with those big burls you'll be turning :U

Hickory
24th July 2007, 02:13 PM
Nice stand but I have a problem with the base. The foot print is smaller than the top. this makes for a top heavy device and a need to weight down the stand. I prefer a wider stance in my bases and then you don't have to use weights to stabilize it. Looks good but if you could bolt on a couple of skids on the bottom to widen the footprint (front to rear not left to right)

Here is my stand and similar in many respects to yours. I have additional drawers and cabinets but still the same design. Notice that I have a wider bottom and am able to be stable while on Casters for ease in moving about the shop. (I have a tiny dust Bowl in my basement so all my machines are on rollers. ) The rollers center wider than the width of the top, this sets the center of gravity much lower and more stable.

I_wanna_Shed
24th July 2007, 02:24 PM
Nice stand but I have a problem with the base. The foot print is smaller than the top. this makes for a top heavy device and a need to weight down the stand. I prefer a wider stance in my bases and then you don't have to use weights to stabilize it. Looks good but if you could bolt on a couple of skids on the bottom to widen the footprint (front to rear not left to right)

Here is my stand and similar in many respects to yours. I have additional drawers and cabinets but still the same design. Notice that I have a wider bottom and am able to be stable while on Casters for ease in moving about the shop. (I have a tiny dust Bowl in my basement so all my machines are on rollers. ) The rollers center wider than the width of the top, this sets the center of gravity much lower and more stable.



Thanks Hickory,

I thought about having a wide foot on each end, but thought that it could be something I could trip over. It takes a fair bit of effort for me to tip it to either side.

But having said that, I haven't turned anything of any decent size on it yet. If it does turn out I need more stability, then the first thing I will do is either give it a larger footprint as you say, or bolt it to the floor. Also, if I need the centreline of the chuck at a higher level to make it more comfortable (its currently about 4cm below elbow level), I will do this by giving it wider feet, so sooner or later it will probably be done.

Thanks for the advice. :)

Cheers,
Nathan.

Hickory
24th July 2007, 02:35 PM
Thanks Hickory,

I thought about having a wide foot on each end, but thought that it could be something I could trip over. It takes a fair bit of effort for me to tip it to either side.

But having said that, I haven't turned anything of any decent size on it yet. If it does turn out I need more stability, then the first thing I will do is either give it a larger footprint as you say, or bolt it to the floor. Also, if I need the centreline of the chuck at a higher level to make it more comfortable (its currently about 4cm below elbow level), I will do this by giving it wider feet, so sooner or later it will probably be done.

Thanks for the advice. :)

Cheers,
Nathan.

Play around with it and find what suits your needs. A low working height gives you room to add on features. Low working height is hard on the back and neck so work on getting the height that is comfortable for you.
each of us has our pleasure point and you need to find yours.

OGYT
25th July 2007, 12:34 PM
:clap: You're doin' well, don't quit now. Like they say... don't worry about the shavins... you'll get more soon enough... Good lookin' stand...
I kept raisin' mine up 'til I didn't have neck and shoulder problems anymore... now it's 49" floor to spindle. Get it the way you like it. :D