Arch said:

Hi Greg, Congratulations on your very nice project. You are a good
craftsman. Proper design and weight for any lathe stand is never a bad
idea. I offer some alternate considerations that don't apply to your
present turning.

Thanks, Arch. Muse away...

I have a larger lathe for heavy work and I use my mini for mini turning
so mobility and portability are important to me. Actually, I leave my
mini standing forlorn free & unbound on its little rubber feet.

Mine has been operated on it's tiny little rubber feet from the day I
brought it home... It's amazingly stable even without any external
fastening. Portability was one reason - slackness was the other...

I wish I had room for a bigger lathe, but space and budget
considerations don't allow it at this time. If I get a better lathe,
it'll be because I made enough money from turning (Hah!) to buy one.

I prefer a stand with a rectangular foot print so the lathe bed can be
on the edge of the top and I'm not 'boxed' in by the legs. A rectangular
top allows for _temporarily keeping tools, abrasives etc. for the job at
hand. If the bed is raised on blocks there is _temporary storage space
under the bed and shavings can be easily swept off or dropped thru a
slot beneath the lathe.

I wanted the bed as narrow as possible, so that I could do facework
unimpaired. And I'm left-handed as well. So "normal sized" tables
are out.

You bring up an interesting point about shavings, however. I built an
inverted V shaped plastic shield to keep shavings from building up
around the curiously placed motor, and to keep them out of the air
intakes on the motor. Otherwise, it doesn't take too long to
completely cover the motor and vents.

Sloppy, lazy and stingy craftsmen like me, can find end tables, lamp
stands plus other furniture and cabinets that are sturdy, well built and
have storage space at 'Ken Vaughn's thrift stores'. Hospital and school
auxillary thrifts are special because they often have discarded older
high quality steel desks, tables, cabinets etc. Older heavy typewriter
and TV stands, used mechanic's tool stands, and the like are often found
at Ken's store.

Ahh, but I have to build everything myself... It's not truly mine if
I don't have a hand in it somewhere... Even if it's a glorified
sawhorse... ;-)

Sturdy lathe stands are easily made from stacked concrete blocks with
holding bolts fixed with redimix.

That's an idea I hadn't considered. I would have worried about the
concrete disintegrating from vibration over time - but boy, it would
be heavy! (Which means picking it up and hauling it out the way would
be problematic...)

Sorry Greg, I got carried away. Just use your own stand safely and have
fun.

Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter

Thanks for the ideas...

Greg


Greg G.