Lathe Stands

[JonathanF1968]

Hello all,

I moved recently, and have been thinking about my new shop and how it's going to be so much better than my old shop.... Many considerations, but the item for your consideration at the moment is lathe stands.

I use a Delta Mini Lathe with an extension bed.

My new philosophical ideal is that I want as much on wheels as possible. Does anyone have their lathe on wheels? I'd like to see a picture, and receive any insights.

I'm thinking, the qualities of a good lathe stand are:

1. Stability, obviously. And in this case, moveability, which is potentially at odds with stability.
2. Holds turning tools and chucks. I have perhaps thirty chisels, etc., and use about five of them all the time. Some of them are long-handled types.
3. Holds safety gear and other related tools, such as a hatchet that I seem to use surprisingly often when turning.
4. Holds a few finishes, adhesives, etc., but this could be a dark road to go down, as there are potentially an infinite number of them. Most might be better off in a cupboard.
5. Holds pen kits. Again, maybe better off in a cupboard. Similar to wood. It could be a dark path.
6. Dust/shavings collection support, which I haven't figured out yet.

Looking forward to your thoughts and particularly your photos. I previously had my lathe on a workbench, which was stable but not very convenient, in the grand circus of the shop's workings. The overall concept is to have a central "dance floor" where machines on wheels come and go, based on the project at hand. Could be a lathe, or forge, or welding table, or table saw, or drill press, etc.

--Jonathan

 

[monophoto]

Wheels = mobility. But conflicts eventually arise between rigidity, weight, stability and mobility. My lathe stand is constructed using the steel 'undercarriage' of an old gas grill, and with a top made from lengths of 2x6 construction pine glued together to form a solid plank. The gas grill base has two wheeled legs, and two legs that don't have wheels, so I have to lift one end to move it - that produces reasonable stability although it will shake when I get a catch. My lathe itself weighs in at around 108 pounds, and is firmly attached to the top of the stand, so the total thing is about 125 pounds. So I can move it although it's not especially easy.

Incidentally, my Turncrafter lathe came with rubber feet that were intended to serve as vibration dampers when it was placed on a table/stand. I opted to not use them, instead using blocks of 2x4 construction lumber under the feet to elevate the lathe a bit above the surface of the stand. The tathe is bolted to the 2x4s, and they in turn are screwed down to the top of the stand. That put the lathe in a better position (spindle height closer to elbow height), and also allows more room to clean the shavings and other trash that accumulates under the lathe.

I have 'outriggers' attached to the back and both ends of the stand to accommodate tools. That is convenient, but it does add to the weight and further reduces mobility. Unfortunately, the outriggers don't provide enough storage for all my tools, so there are others on racks on the wall behing the lathe. (You never have enough tools, which means that you never have enough tool storage space. Just deal with it!) There is also a shelf at the bottom of the gas grill carriage - today I keep a box there to store odd scraps and cutoffs that can be reused as glue blocks or even small turning stock. Originally, I intended to use the shelf to store finishes but found that the area under the stand gathered entirely too much dust to make that very appealing.

I have a small wheeled stand that I keep to one side of my lathe to store sanding supplies, my collet chuck, and buffing supplies. I found the stand at a dollar store/discount warehouse - I think it was originally intended as a plant stand. In retrospect, I think adding the outrigger tool storage appendages to my lathe stand was too much, and if I were to do it over, I would make a larger separate stand to hold both the stuff on the plant stand and my turning tools. Something you don't think about when you contemplate storing tools behind the lathe is that over time, you will get splatters of finish thrown against those tools that result in the handles feeling bumpy. Also, there is a temptation to leave the lathe running when you reach across it to retrieve a tool - that's potentially dangerous.

Several years ago, I encountered a turner at an outdoor craft sale who had a Delta 46-460 set up to do demonstrations as part of this display. He used a Black & Decker Workmate stand as the base for his lathe stand - it's been a while, but I think he had constructed a box that attached to the top of the Workmate that elevated the lathe to the proper height, and also provided some additional stability. It was obviously a temporary solution that was designed to be easily set up at the beginning of the show, and later torn down, but it struck me as quite effective. The setup include a plexiglass safety barrier between the lathe and the viewing public. Because he was limiting the turning he did in his demonstration, he didn't have a lot of tools, and they were stored on an auxiliary table to one side.

 

[Swagopenturner]

I use several old bath cabinets bolted together with wheels. Make sure you use poly wheels, not rubber ones. Plenty of drawers and some large spaces behind doors to keep the dust out. tOn top of the countertop, I have a sheet of FastCap's Workbench Saver. It is 1/4" of silicon to help reduce vibration and make cleanup alot easier! Over 6" long accommodates my Rikon and the extension ben, and lots of stuff

 

[NJturner]

JonathanF1968 - I recently downsized my residence and moved from a pretty large shop to a space roughly the size of a one bay garage. Space is at a premium for sure. My lathe is only one part of my shop setup because I do a lot of flat work projects plus lathe work. All my gear, including my lathe, are on rollers. Everything - 14" bandsaw, Nova lathe, tool boxes, drill press, planer, workbench, etc rolls. Its really worked out well so far, so I say go forth! My suggestion is choose your wheels carefully. On the lathe and dust extraction system I used fold up heavy wheels. When out of service, they swing up and away, putting the lathe stand fully on the ground. Same with all the other tools. The swing away wheels are beefy, easy to drop into place with a foot pedal, and allow movement when needed. I think I got them at Rockler.

For dust collection, I dropped the solid piping to everything and added a 14" retractible flex hose from Rockler. Dust fittings on every machine. Connect when in use. I also use an overhead Rikon dust extractor.

Still adjusting, but I think your idea of wheels on everything is the right way to go - just make sure when they are not in use, they are not still allowing the tool to move. They should either lock real tight, or swing or elevate away from the floor. Good luck!

 

[JonathanF1968]

JonathanF1968 - I recently downsized my residence and moved from a pretty large shop to a space roughly the size of a one bay garage. Space is at a premium for sure. My lathe is only one part of my shop setup because I do a lot of flat work projects plus lathe work. All my gear, including my lathe, are on rollers. Everything - 14" bandsaw, Nova lathe, tool boxes, drill press, planer, workbench, etc rolls. Its really worked out well so far, so I say go forth! My suggestion is choose your wheels carefully. On the lathe and dust extraction system I used fold up heavy wheels. When out of service, they swing up and away, putting the lathe stand fully on the ground. Same with all the other tools. The swing away wheels are beefy, easy to drop into place with a foot pedal, and allow movement when needed. I think I got them at Rockler.

For dust collection, I dropped the solid piping to everything and added a 14" retractible flex hose from Rockler. Dust fittings on every machine. Connect when in use. I also use an overhead Rikon dust extractor.

Still adjusting, but I think your idea of wheels on everything is the right way to go - just make sure when they are not in use, they are not still allowing the tool to move. They should either lock real tight, or swing or elevate away from the floor. Good luck!

This sounds like my exact situation. Did you buy special wheels that fold away or did you make a contraptions yourself that does this? Not seeing likely candidates for fold-away wheels on the Rockler site.

 

[monophoto]

This sounds like my exact situation. Did you buy special wheels that fold away or did you make a contraptions yourself that does this? Not seeing likely candidates for fold-away wheels on the Rockler site.

FWIW - - - many years ago, our hero Norm Abrams built a shop table on the New Yankee Workshop on which he incorporated a fold-away wheel design made from ordinary materials - bog-standard wheels, wood, door hinges, and heavy cord.

Here's a link to a Pinterest page that features a number of possible designs.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/161566705359243631/

 

[JonathanF1968]

FWIW - - - many years ago, our hero Norm Abrams built a shop table on the New Yankee Workshop on which he incorporated a fold-away wheel design made from ordinary materials - bog-standard wheels, wood, door hinges, and heavy cord.

Here's a link to a Pinterest page that features a number of possible designs.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/161566705359243631/

Terrific tip. Here's the video, with many good ideas.

 

[Kenny Durrant]

It's not a stand but a work table. I bought a Husky work bench/table from Home Depot. It has wheels and an adjustable table height. With the turn of a crank I can raise or lower the lathe to fit others that I might be teaching to turn. It has 2 long shallow drawers as well. It's on wheels that lock to help hold it for n place. It's not so flimsy that I worry about it falling when I make ve it but when it's against the wall I've never had an issue with movement. I have a midi Jet and a bench grinder on it with extra room for tools while working.

 

[rfas]

Here is my lathe stand. It's a bit large for my midi lathe but I love having all of the drawer and cabinet storage right there. If I even move up from carbide to HSS tools I have plenty of space to add a sharpening station. It's also on wheels so I can move it around as needed. I have a tool rack mounted on the right hand side. This is Steve Ramsey's "BMW+" workbench design. It's solid as a rock. I built drawer dividers out of 1/4" plywood for the top drawer to keep things like mandrels, chucks, and centers organized.

Only down side, other than it being a bit large, is that it's the perfect height for me and my daughter but too high for my wife. She has to stand on a step stool to use the lathe.

 

[dogcatcher]

Way back in the 1950s a local university bought Ranch Oak furniture for the dorms. This included desks, they were used and abused for almost 50 years before they were discarded. I bought 2 of them in 1998, one for my office, one for my shop. They were both as solid as the day they were new. 2 years later I was in a wheelchair, the desk in the shop turned into my lathe stand. 20 years later, the desk is still there. Still solid as the day as it was sold.

 

[bmachin]

I use this this style on my 12x36 metal lathe. In fact they may be the exact same ones Anyway this type works quite well.

CasterHQ - Retractable Leveling Machine Casters - 4 Pack - 2,400 lbs Per Set - Premium Quality - Heavy Duty Machine Retractable Casters - 600 lbs Capacity Each Caster - New Improved Design!: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

CasterHQ - Retractable Leveling Machine Casters - 4 Pack - 2,400 lbs Per Set - Premium Quality - Heavy Duty Machine Retractable Casters - 600 lbs Capacity Each Caster - New Improved Design!: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com

 

[egnald]

Greetings from Nebraska. I have a small shop also so I needed to put almost everything on wheels. I have the shop arranged so that I don't have to move things very often though, only for certain sized projects.

My lathe sits on a 2x4 constructed stand with scrap wood used for shelves and a face frame. The top was made from a couple of layers of the surfaced particle board shelving type material from our local Menards store. The whole thing sits on some pretty small, grey softer rubber, wheels. On my do-over I will use the same rubber wheels but will go with a larger wheel than I have right now. (It is movable, but it is heavy and is kind of sluggish with the small wheels).

The storage consists of plastic totes and divided tote boxes fitted with cabinet handles for easy grab and the tool holders are made from 2-inch PVC and the foam pipe wrap material on the inside to protect the tools and to hold them at the desirable height. On the left side you can also see an auxiliary switch I added up on a stick so I can turn it on and off from a position that is more intuitive for me.

It was relatively inexpensive to make and the paint job covers up a lot of rough spots. So far it works for me - no vibration issues with the type of projects I turn anyway.

A couple of pictures are attached.
Dave

 

[Tim R]

Here is what I use. It is the base unit of a tool chest. The plans are from Wood Magazine. I made the tool chest for a friend and when I got into penturning a couple of years ago, I made another for me and added wheels. The top is two inches of oak and the legs are an inch and a half thick. The drawers are poplar with heavy duty full extension slides. With the wheels my lathe sits a bit high for me (I'm 6' 1"), but that gives me something to blame when I chunk a blank. It is a bit top heavy with the wheels, so I'm careful when I move it.

In the top drawers I keep epoxy, bushings, CA, etc. In the next I keep pen kits. In the top most long drawer are gloves and finishing type stuff. Next is the tool drawer. The bottom is for blanks and larger pieces that want to be blanks. Since the photos were taken I've added a sandpaper holder/dispenser from Penn State. The lathe came with a tool holder that attaches behind the tailstock.

I keep the lathe to the rear of the top, which allows me to do assembly on the top.
I've been happy with how it has worked out.

 

[NJturner]

This sounds like my exact situation. Did you buy special wheels that fold away or did you make a contraptions yourself that does this? Not seeing likely candidates for fold-away wheels on the Rockler site.

Here is the link to the wheels - Rockler calls them casters for $59. https://www.rockler.com/rockler-workbench-caster-kit-4-pack . I set the shop up so everything can be "parked" around the outer perimeter of the shop and rolled into the center of the floor when being used. Raising the casters locks it in place. For the lathe, I have a tripod mounted air scoop connected to the dust extractor that I put behind the lathe bed to get as much debris as possible. Tools are in a rolling 10 draw cabinet i bought at Harbor Freight that can be kept near the lathe. I use wall mounted pegboard for chucks, chuck jaws, etc.

If you want the stand to move, but only occassionally, you can also use heavy duty leveling casters. They are a bit more difficult to use, but work really well. Here is one brand to look at - https://www.amazon.com/Caster-Barn-...vy+duty+leveling+caster&qid=1624499498&sr=8-3

Just keep in mind that wherever you place the tools, you don't want to ever reach across the bed to get them.

 

[JonathanF1968]

Some gorgeous pieces here. Keep them coming! Very inspiring.

 

[penicillin]

I work outside. The large power tools are on wheels. I bought a used Delta lathe a few years ago. The seller included the stand. (I have the extension bed and extension stand, but have not attached or used them.)

I bought Rockler 3/8 inch locking casters, which matched the post holes in the bottom of the stand. When I tried rolling the stand across the paving stones, the metal flexed in the "feet", those horizontal square tubes on the bottom of the stand. The casters went a-kilter, and the lathe could not be rolled. I bought some flat steel Simpson straps at Home Depot, cut them in half, and used stacks of three straps in each foot to reinforce them. It works perfectly.

The lathe is mobile and it works, but casters are not the best, most rigid base. What I like about this arrangement are: mobility, the onboard turning tool holders and the user-added shelf between the stand and the lathe. Under the lathe bed is sufficient room on the shelf to store a Nova chuck set and a small tray with drive spurs, live centers, the key for carbide tips, a Jacobs chuck, two knockout bars, etc. The shelf also has enough external surface for whatever finish you are using at the time, etc.

 

[Cavediver]

Peachtree Woodworking just put out their July 4th sale flyer; they are offering a set of retractable Fulton casters that bolt to the side of your bench legs. I have a set for my metal lathe stand and they seem like they'll work fine, but I can't offer any actual experience as I have not installed them yet.

Peachtree Woodworking July 4th Sale

 

[Don Rabchenuk]

Those look like the same ones I just purchased from Rockler for more money.

 

[NJturner]

The Fultons look just like mine as well....I prefer the retractible casters versus a locking wheel or caster, because once they are retracted, the lathe is firmly on the ground with its own feet. The only downside is if you use adjustable casters to level the lathe you are out of luck, as the retractible ones are not in play when retracted. You could use a plain steel leveler on the lathe leg plus the retractible casters to solve this as well.