Lathe Bench

[Tom Hartranft]

Just finished a bench for my midi-lathe. I researched SMC and other online forums for variety of bench ideas and settled on this one as the basis of my lathe bench ... http://www.cranialstorage.com/wood/lathe_stand.html#auto_top . It is spartan in features, but compact and substantial in robustness. Plus, I liked the mortise and tenon joinery used in it. I used 2x10 dimensional pine from a local big box store then cut, glued, and planed to shape. I modified the hyperlinked design a bit to bring in some other features that were appealing to me:

a) Used bench bolts to tie horizontal stretchers to vertical sides
b) Made top 11" wide to give 1" front / back overhang plus 2" on each end
c) Recessed the plywood bottom and top used between the bottom stretchers for clean look. Used metal L-angle brackets to support the plywood top and bottom.
c) Used adjustable height swiveling leveling feet at bottom
d) Included removable 3" wheel blocks for mobility

The finished bench top is 29 1/2" above the floor which includes 1/2" of leveler height. My midi-lathe is 14 1/2" from bottom to spindle centerline for a total floor-to-centerline height of 44", which is about elbow height for me. The bottom stretcher is 6 1/2" above the floor for ample toe room when working at the lathe. The vertical sides are 39" apart on their inside faces and measure 42" from outside to outside face. The top extends over the top stretcher by 1" front and back and extends 2" on each end.

Last thing I did with my design was to set the bench top length to 46". The lathe itself is ~31" long. It is now centered on the top with ample room to each side, but not excessive since I have limited shop space. If I ever find a good buy on a lathe extension, I'll buy another 2x10 and put a new top over the current one ... total length of lathe plus extension is ~59". So that'll be 6 1/2 inches of length cantilevered on each end of the current 46" top. I believe that'll be sufficiently stiff and substantial for the lathe with extension. Until then, I have a reasonably compact utility bench for my lathe work.

I finished the bench with a home brew of 1/3 equal parts of: BLO, MS, and Wipe on Poly.

Here then are the pic's:

Two views of the fully-assembled bench sitting on its leveling fixtures.

http://i482.photobucket.com/albums/rr183/tjh_020/Lathe%20Bench/Image005Small.jpg


http://i482.photobucket.com/albums/rr183/tjh_020/Lathe%20Bench/Image004Small.jpg

Here are pic's of the wheel blocks that go under each end.

http://i482.photobucket.com/albums/rr183/tjh_020/Lathe%20Bench/Image006Small.jpg

Here are pic's of the bench atop of the wheel blocks.

http://i482.photobucket.com/albums/rr183/tjh_020/Lathe%20Bench/Image002Small.jpg

http://i482.photobucket.com/albums/rr183/tjh_020/Lathe%20Bench/Image001Small.jpg

And lastly, here is a pic of the 70 lb bag of tube sand inside the bottom stretcher (stretcher top removed for photo).

http://i482.photobucket.com/albums/rr183/tjh_020/Lathe%20Bench/Image003Small.jpg


I am pleased with the solidness of the bench ... estimate 300 lb for the combined weight of the lathe, bench, and sand bag. The wheel blocks work well. Lift up an end and slide one set under the bench brackets, then lift up the other end and slide the other wheel set under that end. The wheels are full swivel to get in and around the tight spaces in my shop when needed.



Tom

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Very nice and sturdy bench Tom, there is one thing I would add, or better "remove", I have the little Delta and had the previous model before LA200, and with a solid top under the lathe the shavings that fall down really will block the motor cooling capacity, an opening under the lathe motor and behind the motor let the shavings fall away and you won't need to constantly clean those shavings from the bench.

[Prashun Patel]

I love yr wheel blocks. I might use this idea to make some stands. This seems perfect for tools that just need to be 'semi' mobile.

Are the blocks in anyway attached to the stand?

[Michael Short]

Very nicely done !!! Looks very sturdy.

[John Keeton]

Excellent workmanship, Tom!!! It would appear you have some flatwork experience!

[Donny Lawson]

Nice work. Looks like the first one I made a year or so ago. I have a different one now for 2 reasons. 1st the bottom shelf collected too many shavings so it was not much good for storage. 2nd I needed more space to add some weight. Some of my turnings made the lathe walk too much.
Donny

[Tim Thiebaut]

That is very nice, I need something like that badly myself, my lathe is currently on top of my regular workbench which puts the center line of the work piece about chest high for me, but it is my only option in my tiny shop right now. Great job on this that will last you for years to come!

[Tom Hartranft]

Appreciate the positive feedback and other helpful experiences you added in your comments.

Leo ... hadn't thought of motor cooling possibly being compromised -- good catch. I'll be mindful of chip accumulations around the motor and will regularly push them away. Reluctant to punch a big hole in the bench top right away. Will do some lathe work for awhile and see how much of a nuisance it is to me to continually clear the chips away from the motor area.

Prashun ... No, the blocks are not attached. As you mentioned, they are intended to provide only semi-mobility. I wouldn't want to depend on them to move a long way, but only short trips across my smooth concrete floor in my small shop. They are wedged under the bottoms of the 2x4 vertical blocks you see at the bottom of the bench vertical sides pic's. I had planned for the weight of the stand, sand, and lathe to hold them in horizontal place via friction when moving short distances. However, one of the wheel blocks 'slipped' right out from under the bottom of its 2x4 support once already. I will put a latch on the inside end of the 2x4s so the wheel blocks get some added horizontal resistance to slipping out from under the 2x4 vertical blocks. Gluing sand paper on the bottoms of the 2x4 vertical supports may also increase the friction fit.

Donny ... helpful feedback from your own experiences with similar bench. Will be interesting to see if / when my bench 'dances' as I launch into lathe work. It's all new to me.


Tom

[Josh Bowman]

Great job. Look sturdy too.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Tom, very beautiful and practical. I love what you have done here.:)

[Baxter Smith]

Very solid looking bench. Looks like a nice wide footprint front to back. You should be good to go.

[Harry Robinette]

Tom
Nice job looks like it's very sturdy,weight wise I believe cement mix( just dry stuff )weighs more then sand per volume/4"x8"x16" is 40lb's for cement mix and sand I WAS TOLD is only 28 lb's for the same size.I can't guarantee this but I'm using cement mix.
Harry

[Ron Wayne]

I know this is an old thread, but love the design of the stand and am considering building this one. One thing you left out or I have missed is the overall width of the legs. You mention the top of the stand is 11", so by photo comparison it appears the bottom of legs is around 20" - 21". Am I close?? Have you found this to be sturdy enough??

[Tom Hartranft]

Wayne ...

Overall width of bench legs?: Good eye -- the base is 21" wide.

Bench sturdy enough?: Yes, I've found the bench to be sturdy enough (with ~70 lbs of bagged sand in the horizontal stretcher cavity) for my work ranging from pens couple of years ago on my then Delta 46-460 to my now Nova DVR/XP and my turning of mostly plates and bowls from 6" to 12" dia. I modified the bench top to accomodate my Nova DVR/XP. Wrote an article for IAP's library a year ago ... http://www.penturners.org/forum/library.php ... scroll down to Library Index, then look for "tools - jigs" button then scroll down to find "lathe bench" to see a photo of the modified bench top for my DVR/XP.

Note that I also changed the castors from my original concept ... see the IAP article.

Regards,

Tom

[gary arnold]

Well done!
Very stout!

[Ron Wayne]

Thank you for the quick response. Starting on the project today.

[QUOTE=Tom Hartranft;2385957]Wayne ...

Overall width of bench legs?: Good eye -- the base is 21" wide.