"Greg G." wrote in message
...

Hello,

I am wondering if anyone has tried building a wooden midi-lathe
stand such as this? I own a Jet midi-lathe (the popular 10" swing
model) with bed extension, and considering how... err... lightweight
the Jet accessory stand is, I would like to try this instead.

Constructed of SYP, it is 52" long, 32" tall - this puts the spindle
centerline right at my elbow. The major members are 3 1/4" x 2 3/4".
The 'bed' is 3 1/4" x 8 1/4" x 52" and quite substantial. Dowels,
screws and carriage bolts fasten it together. It is/will be quite
heavy! (I've already constructed the 'bed' and leg assemblies.)
The lathe will, of course, be bolted to the 'bed'.

This is a picture of the general concept:

http://www.thevideodoc.com/Images/LatheStandP01.jpg


Use sheet goods rather than construction lumber. Glued and properly
supported, your stand will have none of the problems that flex against
fasteners can cause, nor will differential wood movement creep and crack the
cross-grain glue joints. It's rigidity you're looking for, and your stand
is designed for load bearing. You also get the benefit of good weight on
3/4 chipboard construction.

Bring the end trapezoids on your sheet goods out 1/2 larger (or more) than
the throw of the lathe - 15" for your mini - to provide a broad footprint to
resist out-of-balance conditions. No need to splay them in the long
dimension, as there is no longitudinal force to counter.

My shop is small, so rather than build a storage center for sandbags, I used
my stand to store other things. It's against the wall because I don't turn
from the rear, and the wall now supports tools and deflects shavings.
Drawers under the bed are full of lathe stuff, and the shelf underneath is
loaded with my tailed hand tools. The shelf itself is actually a 4" deep
box which can accept sandbags, while still providing an even shelf surface.