Help needed with lathe stand

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Hi All, Just like everybody else here, I'm building a stand for my new 46-460 lathe. :D It's basically a very heavy cart on wheels with a 1.5" MDF top. I like the mobility but I don't like the "looseness" that the wheels gives it. How can I make the cart more solid to the ground but still keep the wheels for mobility. I'd like it to be solid to the floor when I'm using the lathe. Any ideas?

[John Keeton]

Alan, unless you use some high end casters, it is very difficult to not have movement. I posted a thread a day or so ago on how I did mine by using wheels on one end, mounted on the side of the leg flush with the floor. You can then pick up the other end to roll it, or do as I did and put on a drop down caster or some other method of engaging a caster only when needed. I needed a little over an inch of lift to engage the wheels at the other end.

[Steve Mawson]

I liked John's idea in the post he did. Also I bought a set of these casters from woodcraft. http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2003703/2023/Retracting-Casters.aspx I like the way they work but you would have to see how they would attach. They are pretty easy to operate.

[Jack Gaskins]

Alan, take a look at this page. http://www.newwoodworker.com/cartmobile.html

[Jack Gaskins]

Here is another page, http://lumberjocks.com/projects/12527

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Thanks guys. Since I have the casters installed already, I"m looking for some method of stabilizing the cart once I move it. I saw somewhere a cam device made out of wood that you can activate when needed to contact the floor for stability. Any ideas here? Or maybe leg levelers could be used? Thanks so far for the ideas.

p.s. I made a bench using wheels at one end and I pick up the other end with my mobility bar from my Mini Max bandsaw. This does work very well and is just like what you've shown here. But I don't want to lift either end of this lathe stand; it's too heavy. Thanks again!

[Jack Gaskins]

This youtube video looks like a winner to me.

[Donny Lawson]

Here is a picture of the lathe stand for my 46-460.It's 28" tall,14" deep, and 42" long.It's very sturdy.,and made from solid oak.The top is made with 3/4"oak and a 3/4" piece of MDF.No plywood in this one.Even the back is 3/4 oak tounge and groove boards.
Donny

[Alan Tolchinsky]

This youtube video looks like a winner to me.

Jack, did you forget a link?

[Mike Wenman]

This youtube video looks like a winner to me.
I can see this clear as day.

Oh wait..that's just the stars I'm seeing from the wife smaking me upside the head! :P

[Jim Koepke]

My lathe stand has the casters on a piece of wood that is attached to he bottom of the stand with a hinge. They are like this on both ends. When the lathe is being used, the caster board just flips out of the way and the base is solid on the ground. When the lathe needs to be moved, a 2X4 can lever up each end so the casters can be flipped back under he base.

jim

[Alan Tolchinsky]

This seems to be the way to go here. I guess I've got it backwards as usual. :confused:

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I think this might work.

[Jack Gaskins]

Jack, did you forget a link?

Sure did :p.OOPS. Guess I should go find it. Back in a minute.

[Jack Gaskins]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF7EgoYJAqc

Lets try this again, :D.

[Steve Vaughan]

what if when you have lifted it to move it into position, you just slide a couple of 1" or 2" wide strips of wood (probably in oak or hard maple), a bit longer than the depth of the bench, slide them underneath the bench toward each end. When you let it down, it would rest on those strips. Thickness of the strips could be just a bit more than whatever the height is that the wheels keep it off the floor...if all that makes sense.

And, that's a really nice looking bench...I like the no plywood approach!