How many good ideas ....?

[Steve Mathews]

Trusting that member John K Jordan doesn't mind re-posting a picture of his lathe, how many good ideas can you spot from his layout? It's obvious that there's a lot of experience and thought packed into what he uses around his lathe. What first caught my eye was the large rectangular container under the lathe. I'm embarrassed to say how many times I would sweep up a pile of shavings there before using a container instead.

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[Damon McLaughlin]

I like the pens/pencils stuck to the lathe, magnets I presume. I never have a pencil within reach when I need it so I'm going to copy this idea. Lots of lighting is good. And I already copied John's sandpaper holder for the rolls.

[Greg Parrish]

It looks awesome. Hard to tell from the picture but is there room to walk behind lathe or is it so close you reach over it?

[Robert Willing]

You missed the reaching tool in the right corner.

[John K Jordan]

I admit I was surprised to see this thread! I have refined the way I work and surround myself over a number of years and I am pretty happy with this arrangement. It is an improvement on my first lathe station: :)

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The big bins from Walmart do catch most of the shaving (plus dropped tools, small turnings, sandpaper.)


You missed the reaching tool in the right corner.

Robert, you have sharp eyes! I usually keep it hanging on the high shelf in the corner. The type I use is perfect for a rattle can.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000V0AGS
I keep several around the shop since I have a number of high shelves.


Hard to tell from the picture but is there room to walk behind lathe or is it so close you reach over it?

Greg, I didn't measure, but the lathe is close enough so I can reach over and get what I need. Some people like the lathe out in the middle of the room. This is great if you feel the need to work on the other side - I simply turn in reverse and cut on the opposite side if needed. Some want more room for large bowls/platters and hollow forms. I can still turn a 20" platter with the lathe as it sits. For my use I like the lathe near the wall. Almost everything I need is within arm's reach. Some people warned that reaching over a spinning lathe could be dangerous. Well duh. Perhaps not a good idea for the distracted or the klutz. I've worked this way for almost 15 years and have slowly refined what is the most efficient for me.

This picture does show some tool storage but not all - I have a metal cabinet to my right for volatiles and drawers for chucks and things. On top of that is a machinist's tool box with drawers for small things like hones, centers, measuring tools, drills, little saws, etc. Behind me is a work bench with a vise, three wide shallow draws for tools, several shelves, storage for safety glasses and dust masks, and another lathe tool rack.

One of my favorite things about this setup is I wired a number of outlets to a single switch so I can turn on all the lights at the lathe at once. There are two shelves on the wall, one small shelf about level with the lathe bed big enough for about three chucks with work in progress. A long shelf, still less than 6" wide, is higher and faced with a vertical strip of plywood. This plywood hides some of the switched outlets and the jumble of wires to the lamps. The vertical strip is a great place to fasten magnets with screws:

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I posted this picture recently in another thread. I wrap a short length of soft iron wire around pencils and sharpies so they will stick to the magnets. Other magnets hold rule, measuring tape, screwdrivers, gimlets, picks, burning wire, calipers. A steel double door on one side of the turning alcove is a great place for magnets for things I don't use as often.

One idea I got from a gentleman here (sorry, I forgot your name!) is to cut a roll of shop towels into narrow rolls. Most of the time I don't' need a full sheet so I find myself tearing off a corner. I used a fillet knife to cut some smaller rolls and keep one on my sandpaper dispenser:

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This old picture shows little plastic bins that mostly hold 1x3" strips of fine sandpaper, 600 to 1500. (In my old turning shop in 1/2 of the garage I had this and other tools on a sheet of plywood simply leaning on the back of an old Craftsman radial arm saw.)

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One thing that has made my life easier over the years is a small sliding tray that fits between the ways. It is perfect for holding tools so they don't roll off the lathe bed. I made one for each lathe.

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My second lathe station just behind me is set up much the same way, but since I don't use it as much I don't keep as many things at hand:

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Both of these and sometimes another one get used when people come to play and learn. This weekend I had two boys here, learning to conquer the skew and spindle gouge:

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Good clean fun!

JKJ

[Greg Parrish]

Very nice John. :)