Base for wood turning lathe
 

I've recently obtained an ML7 in basic good condition but in need of
some TLC.

It is not mounted on a bench - can someone give some idea of the
dimensions of a suitable bench please. I've got a piece of old 11 X 3 "
pine I was thinking of using as the top - would that be suitable ?

Cheers
Rob

Base for wood turning lathe
 

On 2006-09-29 22:48:02 +0100, "robgraham" said:

I've recently obtained an ML7 in basic good condition but in need of
some TLC.

It is not mounted on a bench - can someone give some idea of the
dimensions of a suitable bench please. I've got a piece of old 11 X 3 "
pine I was thinking of using as the top - would that be suitable ?

Cheers
Rob

As sturdy as possible.

Here's one project:

http://www.teknatool.com/projects/index.htm

Another approach is to fill the base with sand, so here's another
project that does that

http://plansnow.com/lathestnd.html

Base for wood turning lathe
 

On 29 Sep 2006 14:48:02 -0700, "robgraham"
wrote:

I've recently obtained an ML7 in basic good condition but in need of
some TLC.

Are you sure it's an ML7? The ML7 is a metalworking lathe - the ML8 is
for wood...

--
Frank Erskine
Sunderland

Base for wood turning lathe
 

robgraham wrote:
I've recently obtained an ML7 in basic good condition but in need of
some TLC.

It is not mounted on a bench - can someone give some idea of the
dimensions of a suitable bench please. I've got a piece of old 11 X 3 "
pine I was thinking of using as the top - would that be suitable ?

Cheers
Rob

You need heavy with good spread for stability, mines on a 6 foot 10"x8"
H rsj, on 6" x 4" risers welded to 6" x 4" fore and aft spreading bases
with a further length of 6" x 4" welded between them, added to that is a
further frame of 1" box section to carry the shelf (work top) and the
upper back enclosure to keep the stuff stored below clean.

Base for wood turning lathe
 

"robgraham" wrote in message
ups.com...
I've recently obtained an ML7 in basic good condition but in need of
some TLC.

It is not mounted on a bench - can someone give some idea of the
dimensions of a suitable bench please. I've got a piece of old 11 X 3 "
pine I was thinking of using as the top - would that be suitable ?


If it's an ML7 then it's a metal lathe and will have the cross-slide etc of
such a lathe - you can turn wood on it but not with any ease - it won't go
fast enough, wood dust will get into all sorts of undesirable places, the
bed will get in the way and the maximum size you can do is too small.
Better to take up steam engine building!

If it's an ML8 then its a good lathe and Myford can still supply pretty much
any spares you may want.

Depends what you want to turn. If you have any ambitions for bowl turning
then you need a very rigid base to keep vibration down - if your ambition is
pens and lace bobbins then you can get away with a lot less.

Mine is on a 12" deep bench with 3 x 3 legs and 3 x 2 rails. Length is to
suit the lathe. Height - generally so that when you stand upright in front
of it the centres are at about elbow height - err on the side of too high as
bending over a lathe for long times is bad for you. Top is two layers of
3/4 chipboard. On the bench alone it shakes a lot. Secret is the cemented
stack of 18 x 9 x 4 dense concrete blocks standing behind the cabinet at the
headstock end, with the cabinet bolted through to it.

As suplied, the maximum capacity of the ML8 for bowl turning is 12" x 3" -
I've modified the outboard end of mine and can turn up to 18" x 6" in
theory. I regularly do 12" x 5" bowls with no vibration problems.

Base for wood turning lathe
 

robgraham wrote:
I've recently obtained an ML7 in basic good condition but in need of
some TLC.

It is not mounted on a bench - can someone give some idea of the
dimensions of a suitable bench please. I've got a piece of old 11 X 3 "
pine I was thinking of using as the top - would that be suitable ?

Cheers
Rob

Thanks guys for your advice. It is as you point out an ML8 - that was
as slip of the keyboard unfortunately as I'm moving the metal working
ML7 at the same time as building up the ML8. I'm also trying to work
out the best space usage for them both.

It was all nice and straightforward until her-indoors got out and
bought herself a sports car - the insurance company require it to be
garaged hence everything having to be moved out and a 6 month project
to create new space for everything that took all but a just adequate
passageway down the centre of the garage.

Rob

Base for wood turning lathe
 

On 2006-09-30 09:57:32 +0100, "robgraham" said:


robgraham wrote:
I've recently obtained an ML7 in basic good condition but in need of
some TLC.

It is not mounted on a bench - can someone give some idea of the
dimensions of a suitable bench please. I've got a piece of old 11 X 3 "
pine I was thinking of using as the top - would that be suitable ?

Cheers
Rob

Thanks guys for your advice. It is as you point out an ML8 - that was
as slip of the keyboard unfortunately as I'm moving the metal working
ML7 at the same time as building up the ML8. I'm also trying to work
out the best space usage for them both.

It was all nice and straightforward until her-indoors got out and
bought herself a sports car - the insurance company require it to be
garaged hence everything having to be moved out and a 6 month project
to create new space for everything that took all but a just adequate
passageway down the centre of the garage.

Rob

That's inconsiderate. Garages are not the place for cars - the space
is far too useful for worthwhile applications :-)

Base for wood turning lathe
 

It was all nice and straightforward until her-indoors got out and
bought herself a sports car - the insurance company require it to be
garaged hence everything having to be moved out and a 6 month project
to create new space for everything that took all but a just adequate
passageway down the centre of the garage.

Rob

That's inconsiderate. Garages are not the place for cars - the space
is far too useful for worthwhile applications :-)

Thanks fort he support, Andy !!

One significant bonus is that the task has improved my fitness no end -
I've had to go and get belts to hold all my trousers up now, and I've
just walked two old climbing friends off their feet. I found with very
minor adjustment that my climbing breeches purchased nearly 40 years
ago are still usable.

Rob

Base for wood turning lathe
 

robgraham wrote:

It is not mounted on a bench - can someone give some idea of the
dimensions of a suitable bench please.

Get hold of Conover's "Woodturning Lathe Book" (I forget the exacxt
title) There's some excellent advice in there about lathe manufacture,
particularly the vital need for stability and the easy and cheap ways
to obtain it.

A board is no use - too bouncy. What you need is a crude plywood box
section, filled with sand.

The ML8 isn't a fashionable lathe as it's very old fashioned and the
lack of easy-adjust speed control is certainly inconvenient. However
the basic frame has excellent stability and this is something you learn
to appreciate.