Mini Lathe Stand

[Warren White]

Inspired by Tom Hartranft's description of the Midi Lathe Stand he posted in the Library of this site, and being tired of lifting my Jet 1015 lathe off my too-tall workbench and putting it on a fold-out table, I built my own stand.

The lumber came from a 20+ year old stash of some sort of pine that used to be a water bed frame. It belonged to the sister of my good friend, and was FREE! It took a lot of milling to remove the dark stain and prepare the wood. I modified Tom's design to fit my lathe. Like Tom, I used the Rockler casters, so basically that was the extent of the cost of the project.

My thanks to Tom for his inspiration. Your comments are most welcome. Time to start turning again!

Warren

 

[shastastan]

That's really nice. Do you have the lathe attached to the stand? Hope so.

You are more industrious than me. I probably would have sanded the wood, applied a primer coat, and panted the stand to match my Jet 1221. Here's a pic of my cabinet.

 

[plantman]

You both have very impressive looking lathe stands !! The use of recycled wood has a great charm to it also. Warren: Only thing I would do with your stand, do to it's narrow width, would be to add a shelf across the strechers and put a sandbag or some weights on for stability. Wheels are always handy if you need to move it out of the way or store elsewhere. Very creative on both stands !!! Jim S

 

[BSea]

I agree with Plantman. It seems just a little narrow with that much weight at the top.

I do like how it's mounted. I may redo mine with something similar.

 

[Warren White]

Shastastan, Plantman, BSea

Thank you all for looking at my stand. I should have commented that it is a work in process; some of which will answer your (and my) concerns.

I do have the lathe attached to the top, but only from one end. For those who haven't seen the 1015, there aren't any holes in the bottom to screw it down. I used the threaded holes on the end by which you can add a bed extension. To that, I bolted a 1 1/2" thick piece of wood, through which I added a long carriage bolt down through the top. The lathe itself only weighs 73 pounds, so it shouldn't "walk" too bad. I have just had it on a table top before and it never moved. If it becomes a problem, I can add some wood to surround the other end profile.

I do plan on adding a drawer near the top, and a covered shelf at the bottom to add weight; something like some sand. I am also going to add a 2 outlet box and an extension cord so I can have the lathe anywhere in the garage (I mean shop) I want to have it. The cord on the 1015 is way too short for my liking.

Yes, it is narrow, but I am limited in space. That was about the biggest I could make it and have it fit where I needed to store it. I was also concerned about making the top wider and making it even more top heavy.

Shastasta, your cabinet is really well done. It shows your cabinet making skills. I am not that skilled, and I wanted to work with the wood that I had.

Thank you for your comments and your concerns. I hope to address them as soon as possible.

Warren

 

[shastastan]

You really did a nice job on your cabinet, Warren. My "cabinet is just thrown together. The legs are 2x4's offset like yours. I added a top and bottom 2/4 frame and made the panels from mdf. A friend gave me the 1 1/4" mdf top. it was a bear getting the mounting bolts into the holes tapped into the lathe legs.
I had a 1015, but it had holes to mount to the Jet lathe stand. Maybe they changed the design.
I don't have wheels on my cabinet and it's hard to push even a few inches. I used to have a 1642. I built a 2x4 frame with a 2/4" plywood bottom. the lathe sat inside. I filled the frame with sand and put a piece of plywood over the top. Also had a shelf on the frame. To move it, I had wheels on one end. I put a U bolt on the other end and made a little fulcrum with wheels and an open eye bolt. I used the fulcrum to lift up one end until the wheels touched the floor so that I could move it. Just mentioning this since you said you have to move yours around. Hope you enjoy your setup.

 

[Warren White]

Mod 2

Here is a photo of Mod 2 of my stand. I added an enclosed box that houses about 50 pounds of sand to the bottom. I have to say that it adds quite a bit of stability to the stand.

I am not too happy about the Rockler casters. When you raise the casters so the cabinet can touch the floor, until you have all four casters down the whole stand is close to falling over. You have to hold on to the stand while you raise the casters. I am going to add this review on Rockler's site.

Again, thank you for your help.

Warren

 

[shastastan]

Here is a photo of Mod 2 of my stand. I added an enclosed box that houses about 50 pounds of sand to the bottom. I have to say that it adds quite a bit of stability to the stand.

I am not too happy about the Rockler casters. When you raise the casters so the cabinet can touch the floor, until you have all four casters down the whole stand is close to falling over. You have to hold on to the stand while you raise the casters. I am going to add this review on Rockler's site.

Again, thank you for your help.

Warren

I know what you mean about that mobile base. I have a Jet 10-20 drum sander sitting on top of a base that I made using the mobile base. I also have to be careful to hold the sander balance when depressing the foot pedal. I don't have any weight in the bottom area though.

 

[Warren White]

Rockler casters

I spoke to a fellow from Rockler today and expressed my concerns about having the base of the lathe stand 3/4" off the floor and trying to steady it while you let one caster after the other down.

He agreed that that might be an issue, but he isn't the technical rep for that particular product. He promised to get back to me. I am sure he will, as Rockler has been very good at customer service for me.

I decided to take action on my own. I raised the casters 1/2" higher than their instructions, thus raising the base only 1/4" off the floor when the casters are lowered. Much better! My shop (i.e., garage) floor isn't bad, so 1/4" clearance is just fine. The lathe stand moves around like I want, and when I need to 'plant' it it is much safer and is a lot easier.

Hope this helps someone.

I really appreciate this site!

 

[plantman]

I spoke to a fellow from Rockler today and expressed my concerns about having the base of the lathe stand 3/4" off the floor and trying to steady it while you let one caster after the other down.

He agreed that that might be an issue, but he isn't the technical rep for that particular product. He promised to get back to me. I am sure he will, as Rockler has been very good at customer service for me.

I decided to take action on my own. I raised the casters 1/2" higher than their instructions, thus raising the base only 1/4" off the floor when the casters are lowered. Much better! My shop (i.e., garage) floor isn't bad, so 1/4" clearance is just fine. The lathe stand moves around like I want, and when I need to 'plant' it it is much safer and is a lot easier.

Hope this helps someone.

I really appreciate this site!

Another way to avoid this problem would to have been to put the casters on one end only and when you wanted to move it, you just lift the other end and move it where you want. I have done this with my heavy contractors table saw and compound miter saw. Jim S

 

[TellicoTurning]

Warren,
That's a nice stand for the little lathe. I built one for my 1014 when I first set up my shop, but was concerned that the base might be too narrow, so I went to a modified "A" frame... the top is about 3 or 4 inches wider than the base of the lathe, but I spread the back legs of the stand to about 12-15 inches.... I also put a box at the bottom and filled it with rocks (gravel from the driveway) to give it some stability... between the lathe, the stand and the box of rocks, it all weighs close to 200 lbs or maybe more.

My carpentry isn't as neat and finished as yours though...

I've since added a little drawer right under the top to hold small parts for the lathe.. I've also put some eye bolts in the sides to hold the tommy bars for the chucks and my various tool rest bars.

 

[Warren White]

Thank you, Chuck!

I appreciate the comments. I looked at your web site and you have some really nice items there. You have branched out and are doing beautiful work. I haven't branched out beyond pens yet. My mentor/friend who got me started in this is, like you, more adventurous than I am.

My lathe, stand, and sand are about the same weight as yours and seems very stable with the mods I have made of late to the casters.

Yesterday, I added a single duplex outlet and extension cord so I can have the lathe anywhere I want in my garage. The cord on the lathe was just too short.

Again, beautiful work!

 

[sbell111]

That's really nice. Do you have the lathe attached to the stand? Hope so.

You are more industrious than me. I probably would have sanded the wood, applied a primer coat, and panted the stand to match my Jet 1221. Here's a pic of my cabinet.

I'm lazier than both of you as I would have likely left the wood as is.

 

[shastastan]

That's really nice work, Chuck. I'm sure you are really enjoying doing it too. It shows in your work, IMO.

 

[nava1uni]

Your stand is nice. If you increase your duplex to a quad outlet. You can also have a light, which is very handy when turning and a space for a sander or another tool.