Thread: Rowley-designed Lathe Bench

good stuff

That is one solid bench!! Well done!

Nice solid lookin bench

like your signature comment
even when blunt I'd have to say ditto for my mind

Nice Bench Can't wait to see the lathe on it.happy turning.
Cheers Tony.

Hi,
I also go started with Keith Rowley's book. The bench looked practical so I built it for a Record lathe. Only had to buy some sheet flooring and hardware. Scavenged the rest. I figured it would fill up with dust and shavings in any case so did not bother with the doors either. I now have a bigger lathe on mine but it is solid enough for all but the monster lathes and they come with stands anyhow.
Regards
John

Hi John

I used mostly recycled timber too. Bought the hardwood legs, but got all the "solid" panels from the "Xmas Party Beer Pile" (all the "waste" packing sheets, dinged edge stuff etc) at my local timber yard, and ripped my old sold core back door up the middle and laminated it for the top. The front and back edges are silky oak bed ends pulled out of a farming friend's bonfire pile and Steve (toolbagsPLUS) gave me timber for the ends of the bench top. Had the hardware left over from some building project in the dim past so it was a pretty cheap build.

Finished it last SAT around midday but haven't got around to posting a photo yet. The Record lathe is VERY SMOOTH now when running but I'm not doing any turning til I fit the new switches I bought....One to go on the left and one on the right so I can easily stop the lathe from either end of the bench.

What sort of turning do you do?

John, Forget to mention I'm going to pinch your idea for the tool rack. Doesn't seem safe to me the way Rowley suggests putting the tool rack at the back of the bench! But then, many of the photos in the new edition of his book show him wearing long (loose) sleeves which I understood was a real no-no?

...very sturdy looking bench and it looks like it will serve you well.
the only thing I would have done differently is to have more toe room between the bottom stretcher and the floor.

Kerry,
I do most sorts of turning apart for the complex segmented stuff. I just don't have that sort of patience. I am waiting on K Rowley's projects to arrive from amazon at the moment. Snail mail takes for ever. The tool rack was a borrowed idea for me too so feel free. Mine is on an old 2 drawer file cabinet on wheels but I have seen the base of a swivel chair used also.
Regards
John