Info on Delta 46-460 Midi-Lathe

[Kris Langohr]

I am new to SMC and have been lurking the forums for a bit. I have picked up a bunch of valuable info and I must say you all do amazing work. I only hope I can do something that nice in about 10 years :)

I was hoping someone here sould help me with some information. I am planning to purchase a Delta 46-460 Midi Lathe in the next few weeks. Until then I am working on getting a stand for the new lathe built. In order to get the height for the stand right I need to figure out the distance from the base of the lathe to the center of spindle on the headstock. Unfortunately I can't find that piece of information anywhere on the net. Would anyone who has a 46-460 be willing to let me know what that measurement is? Thanks in advance.

Kris

[Wayne Hendrix]

14 1/2" from the base to the center of the spindle. I am 5'8" tall and my stand is 27 1/2" high. That puts the center-line right at my elbow. I think that was the recommended height that I found when building my stand and I think it is also pretty close to the height of the factory available stand. Hope that helps and have fun with the lathe, I love mine.

[Kris Langohr]

Thanks for the info Wayne. I appreciate it. I was a little concerned about the height of the factory stand. I am 6'3" plus another inch when I have my shoes on so the factory stand would probably put it about 7 inches too low for my ideal angle. Plus building my own stand will save me a hundred bucks. From what I have read that is $100 that won't stay in my pocket for very long was I get sucked into the vortex :)

Thanks,
Kris

[John Keeton]

Kris, there are a bunch of threads on building a stand for the Delta - including these:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?132266-New-Home-for-the-Delta-revisited!/page2
(http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?132266-New-Home-for-the-Delta-revisited%21/page2)
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?130087-A-New-Home-for-the-Delta!

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?130310-Help-needed-with-lathe-stand

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?132449-Ordered-lathe-designing-stand

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?155400-Delta-46-460-owners


(http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?130087-A-New-Home-for-the-Delta%21)

[Prashun Patel]

Good luck with this lathe. I've had it for almost 2 years and I love everything about it. Put a lot of thought into your stand. Even those 12" blanks can shake, rattle, and roll quite wildly without the right support. (DAMHIKT :( )

[Kris Langohr]

Thanks for the pointers John. Those look great and point me exactly the direction I was hoping for the stand.

Thanks,
Kris

[Bill Schoppert]

Kris I have the 46=460 and love it. I built a bench to mount it on when I bought it. I made mine 29" tall and it fits me. the top is 2 pieces thick of cabinet grade 3/4" plywood. the legs are 4x4s that are notched together, glued and just nailed. Just an idea for you. 207120207121207122

[Kris Langohr]

That one looks really nice as well. It look similar to a bench I built using a solid core door for a top. The legs were laminated 2x4 so look pretty similar to the 4x4 legs you used.

Thanks,
Kris

[John Keeton]

Kris, you don't mention whether you are getting the bed extension for the Delta. I would encourage you to plan for that extension in whatever stand you build, as I think at some point, you will decide the extension will be something you will want to get. It adds a lot of flexibility to the Delta.

[Kris Langohr]

I was thinking about getting an extension eventually(I noticed you had one in your photo in one of the other threads). I am trying to balance out how much room I have in my garage for a stand with what I ultimately think I want to do with the lathe. Given how cheap it is relatively speaking to build a stand I might start with a shorter one that doesn't account for the extension and then if I do get one at some point build another stand for it. That will give me a chance to fix any problems with the first stand that I will no doubt discover after 3 weeks of using it.

[Paul Williams]

In one of the stand building threads someone mentioned putting an opening in the top to assist motor cooling. I did. It keeps shavings from building up around the motor. A lower shelf made a good place to put a box to catch those shavings. I'm not at home where I could send a photo, but could next week if you need yet another stand example.

[Kevin L Little]

The factory stand is adjustable. I've got mine set at the lowest point, I'm 5'-10" and it's comfortable for me at elbow height. Going off memory, the factory stand will go up about another 6".
I changed the foot pads out for roller wheels.

[Kris Langohr]

Thanks for the info Kevin. Now that I have some good plans for a homemade stand I think I am going to go that route. I never pass up an excuse to go buy some wood and build something by hand :)

I also have this tendency to over build things when I construct them myself. If I end up not liking the stand I build I can always use it to replace a load bearing wall in my garage or something.

Kris

[Kris Langohr]

Well I have almost finished up the stand for the new lathe (now I just need to get the lathe :)). Just need to do a light sanding ont he top and apply a couple of layers of poly to smooth it out and aid in cleanup. I also plan to add a 4" DC drop to the back of the table as well as a veritcal post to hold a spotlight for additional light while working.

The final dimensions are 69" L x 20" W (with legs) x 33.5" H. The top is 2x4 construction with one layer of 3/4" ply inlaid in the frame and a second piece laminated to the top theat extends to the edges of the frame. The total thickness of the top is 1.5". The legs are laminated 2x4 with the top and bottom shelf both sitting on the inner 2x4 of the leg. The bottom is 2x4 with 3/4" ply on top and bottom. It is hollow with a center channel divided into 4 sections. Each section will hold sand (100lbs total) to lower the center of gravity. The center channel is sealed with latex caulking to prevent any sand from escaping into the outer areas. The stand weighs about 100+ lbs without the sand so should be 200+ lbs with the sand. The edges of the top are rounded over to prevent snags and were trimmed to match the top frame with a flush trim bit in the router.

Pocket screws were used to hold the top and bottom shelf frames together along with some glue. The legs are bolted to the frame with 3.5" bolts and some large washers. Each leg also has a couple of wood screws to help hold things in alignment.

The first photo shows the assembled bench with the cover taken off the bottom shelf to show the channel for ballast. The second photo is the final assembly and the third shows the leg construction from the side of the bench.

207398207399207400

[John Keeton]

Kris, looks like you are ready for a lathe!! Nice job!

[Jerry Simpson]

Kris,

I need a stand that has wheels on it because my "shop" doubles as my garage. I bought 4 heavy duty industrial locking casters from Grainger. I attached those to a 2 by 6 on top of the legs of the lathe stand, so I did not raise the lathe too tall, since I am only 5'8" tall. I raise the 4 rubber feet when I move the stand and lower the feet when I use the lathe, so my lathe rests on "8 feet." I used the Delta stand to construct a box made of 2 x 6 lumber on the backside of the lathe, on top of the 2 by 6 lumber that spans on top of the legs, into which I have put three 70 pound bags of pebbles. This whole process stabilizes the lathe so I can turn larger pieces. I thought I was in good shape until this weekend when I was turning some 16 inch Harry Potter wands for gifts. They barely fit on the lathe. Jerry