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

I know vibration is a problem, and have tried to design this 'thing'
to be self-supporting and fully braced - as well as using bolts,
dowels, and screws (and glue) in it's construction.

I turn things as big as a SuperNova2 chuck will grip, and have, to
this point, been turning with the lathe simply sitting on a very
sturdy shop cabinet that is too tall, and interferes with both the
tools and optimal body positioning.

I've turned bowls, vases, goblets, plates, etc. I plan to try a
few segmented vessels this winter - most with diameters that
will approach the total swing of the lathe.

Some might argue that all of this big stuff is overstressing a
small lathe, but I'm not really interested in turning pens. If it
pukes, and I still enjoy turning, I'll save up for a bigger lathe...
I really have no complaints with the performance of this lathe
on larger items, although heavy cuts are prohibited...

http://www.thevideodoc.com/Images/TurningsGen01.JPG


Thanks for any useful input.
Greg


Greg G.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter



http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

In article ,
Greg wrote:

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

That's a nice looking stand. As far as sizing the length, I'd recommend
placing the left side of the lathe about 1' from the left end of the
stand. That way you won't be kicking or straddling the left leg. It also
gives a small area to act as a temporary shelf for a chuck, sand paper
or part to a turning.

I built the Tiedman stand for my Delta midi. It's certainly not very
pretty but it's worked very well for all my turning.

http://www.kestrelcreek.com/toc.htm?id=19&cat=tech

Here's another idea that you might review for further ideas and
considerations:

http://www.kestrelcreek.com/toc.htm?id=2&cat=photo%20tech

--
Owen Lowe

Northwest Woodturners,
Cascade Woodturners,
Pacific Northwest Woodturning Guild
___
Tips fer Turnin': Pour your end-grain sealer into a clean, wide-mouth
clothes detergent bottle. The lid makes a handy dipping container for
your brush and the leftovers will drain back into the bottle when you
recap the jug.

Have you looked at the lathe bench in Kieth Rowley's book woodturning a
foundation course???

Bruce
"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

I know vibration is a problem, and have tried to design this 'thing'
to be self-supporting and fully braced - as well as using bolts,
dowels, and screws (and glue) in it's construction.

I turn things as big as a SuperNova2 chuck will grip, and have, to
this point, been turning with the lathe simply sitting on a very
sturdy shop cabinet that is too tall, and interferes with both the
tools and optimal body positioning.

I've turned bowls, vases, goblets, plates, etc. I plan to try a
few segmented vessels this winter - most with diameters that
will approach the total swing of the lathe.

Some might argue that all of this big stuff is overstressing a
small lathe, but I'm not really interested in turning pens. If it
pukes, and I still enjoy turning, I'll save up for a bigger lathe...
I really have no complaints with the performance of this lathe
on larger items, although heavy cuts are prohibited...

http://www.thevideodoc.com/Images/TurningsGen01.JPG


Thanks for any useful input.
Greg


Greg G.

George said:

"Greg G." wrote in message
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.

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.

Well, I figured that with all the triangulation, it would be fairly
rigid. The crossgrain joints are why the dowels and bolts were
included. But they are definitely the weak points of the design.

But for the life of me, I can't imagine how you would construct
anything of merit out of the sorry stuff they call chipboard around
here. And a glued joint with chipboard? It would peel apart easily -
even with a dado. Plywood would be more reasonable...

Besides, having recently re-roofed our house, I *really* hate the
sight of chipboard. ;-)

I had considered using large "bonding plates" made of plywood or metal
to re-enforce the joints - rather than dowels and screws.

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 design has no longitudinal splay, and a leg spacing of 26"
(18 degrees) - which might be insufficient if you meant 30" total, but
I have another "table" built for a spindle sander which has the same
height and leg angle, so I ran the lathe on it temporarily and it
seemed sturdy enough. Shop space and toe clearance are serious
considerations around here...

I wanted the top not much wider than the lathe bed, so that it
wouldn't interfere with my body in those deep hollowing operations and
such. And I'm a lefty as well...

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.

Yes, I ALWAYS put storage on anything that takes up floor space,
'cause my "shop" is fairly small as well, and shares space with winter
plant storage, materials staging, etc. Although my picture omitted
this fact for clarity, my plan also included a long sloping shelf
under the "bed" (with back) to store turning tools while in use, so
that they don't roll off onto the floor. A shelf on the head-end but
lower than the "bed" level was to store chuck accessories and misc.
tools.

Thanks for the input, and do you have a photo of such a stand built of
chipboard? And is chipboard the same as OSB (they are both considered
the same thing around here). Or do you mean particle board, that
flaky stuff they build Wal-Mart furniture out of? I don't really have
much respect or confidence in that stuff either... ;-)


Thanks,
Greg


Greg G.

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.

Owen Lowe said:

In article ,
Greg wrote:

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".
...
This is a picture of the general concept:

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

That's a nice looking stand. As far as sizing the length, I'd recommend
placing the left side of the lathe about 1' from the left end of the
stand. That way you won't be kicking or straddling the left leg. It also
gives a small area to act as a temporary shelf for a chuck, sand paper
or part to a turning.

Thanks, Owen! Actually, my complete plan includes a lipped shelf for
chucks and such on the head-end, slightly lower than the bed, and a
sloping shelf (with back) below the bed for tools currently in use, so
that they don't roll onto the floor.

I built the Tiedman stand for my Delta midi. It's certainly not very
pretty but it's worked very well for all my turning.

http://www.kestrelcreek.com/toc.htm?id=19&cat=tech

Neat Stand, and it looks heavy, but unfortunately, I need to be able
to move mine around without a fork lift... ;-)

Here's another idea that you might review for further ideas and
considerations:

http://www.kestrelcreek.com/toc.htm?id=2&cat=photo%20tech

That's a nice looking stand/cabinet, but a bit complicated for my
needs. I'm certain the wood in it cost more than my lathe... ;-)


Thanks,
Greg


Greg G.

Bruce Ferguson said:

Have you looked at the lathe bench in Kieth Rowley's book woodturning a
foundation course???

Bruce

No, I haven't. I've read everything in the local library, and viewed
every DVD and tape on Netflix, but I've managed to miss that one.

I just watched a DVD called "Turning Boxes" with Richard Raffan.
A fast paced, 55 minute romp highlighting lidded boxes. He never does
get about explaining that obscene hollowing cut he makes look SO easy
but really isn't... ;-)

Thanks,
Greg


Greg G.

"Greg G." wrote in message
...
Thanks for the input, and do you have a photo of such a stand built of
chipboard? And is chipboard the same as OSB (they are both considered
the same thing around here). Or do you mean particle board, that
flaky stuff they build Wal-Mart furniture out of? I don't really have
much respect or confidence in that stuff either... ;-)

My former setup - still there.
http://personalpages.tds.net/~upgeor...In-the-Bag.jpg

My current setup.
http://groups.msn.com/NovaOwners/geo...to&PhotoID=228

Melamine-coated chipboard (particle board), which is what was on sale. Top
is a laminated double layer, with a piece of 3/4 birch ply on top of the
chipboard. Poplar end frames are fully reinforced by glued sheet goods in
rabbets. Dados, biscuits and glue for the rest. Fully-glued back.

The lathe is elevated for ease of cleaning. You'll want to do the same with
your mini for motor and chip clearing, though if you work from the back,
being a lefty, you probably will want symmetry, which limits the depth of
your shelf. The first picture shows why I built the new stand with lifts.
Tough to get the stuff out with it packed between and below.

You may "lack confidence" in the material, but you live with it everywhere.
Even when it's assembled fasteners only, there's utility to it. Use real
joinery, and it's incredibly rigid.

I noticed one stand touted extra extension of trestle-type feet behind the
lathe. Unless you're going to be turning in reverse, that's a waste of
space. With the counterclockwise motion, the acceleration wants to dig in
the front and lift the rear. Remember that in weight distribution.

Greg,
If you can get you hands on Shop Notes issue #10 there is a nice stand that
should be solid enough to keep vibration to a minimum. It also has two
drawers for accessories and an optional tool rack.

John


"George" George@least wrote in message
...

"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.

George said:

"Greg G." wrote in message
.. .
Thanks for the input, and do you have a photo of such a stand built of
chipboard? And is chipboard the same as OSB (they are both considered
the same thing around here). Or do you mean particle board, that
flaky stuff they build Wal-Mart furniture out of? I don't really have
much respect or confidence in that stuff either... ;-)

My former setup - still there.
http://personalpages.tds.net/~upgeor...In-the-Bag.jpg

OK - I get the idea now... Nice job.

My current setup.
http://groups.msn.com/NovaOwners/geo...to&PhotoID=228

I'll trade you one used Jet mini and a used SWMBO for your Nova. ;-)

Melamine-coated chipboard (particle board), which is what was on sale. Top
is a laminated double layer, with a piece of 3/4 birch ply on top of the
chipboard. Poplar end frames are fully reinforced by glued sheet goods in
rabbets. Dados, biscuits and glue for the rest. Fully-glued back.

OK - Melamine coated particle board. Sure, they use that stuff for TV
and kitchen/bath cabinets, office furniture, etc. It's everywhere...
For some reason, they call (dis)oriented strand board "chipboard"
around here - probably because it looks like a lot of big wood chips.

I wouldn't build a doghouse out of OSB - but it's the material of
choice around here for roof sheathing, walls - and sometimes, floors -
when they throw up another frackin clump of McMansions.

The lathe is elevated for ease of cleaning. You'll want to do the same with
your mini for motor and chip clearing, though if you work from the back,
being a lefty, you probably will want symmetry, which limits the depth of
your shelf. The first picture shows why I built the new stand with lifts.
Tough to get the stuff out with it packed between and below.

The bed on the mini is high enough to get a vacuum under it, and it's
not that heavy, so lifts are out for this particular job. But I can
see the benefits on a larger, heavier lathe.

You may "lack confidence" in the material, but you live with it everywhere.
Even when it's assembled fasteners only, there's utility to it. Use real
joinery, and it's incredibly rigid.

Until it gets wet and swells like a viagra soaked woody... ;-)

I live in an area that has humidity levels hovering around 80-90% for
many months out of the year. It rained for 2 months this summer.
Everything made with particle board swelled and distorted slightly.
Even MDF swells up and molds in these environs.

But yea, I know it's everywhere. See above. Doesn't mean I have to
respect it, however. I used to work on high end home theater systems
and it was rather disconcerting to see a $5000 BS constructed out of
painted 1/2" particle board. I have FAR more respect for a 3/4" slab
of oak, cherry, or walnut. ;-)

I noticed one stand touted extra extension of trestle-type feet behind the
lathe. Unless you're going to be turning in reverse, that's a waste of
space. With the counterclockwise motion, the acceleration wants to dig in
the front and lift the rear. Remember that in weight distribution.

I noticed that in the picture posted earlier. Seemed like an
interesting idea until I though about it. But by the same token, any
added depth to the stance is probably not a bad idea, but one I can't
consider due to space considerations.

Thanks again,


Greg G.

John said:

Greg,
If you can get you hands on Shop Notes issue #10 there is a nice stand that
should be solid enough to keep vibration to a minimum. It also has two
drawers for accessories and an optional tool rack.

John

Thanks, I have a dozen of so Shop Notes, but not that particular one.
I'll look around for it. Thanks for the pointer.


Greg G.

"Greg G." wrote in message
...

I'll trade you one used Jet mini and a used SWMBO for your Nova. ;-)


Sorry, both are gloatable. Picked up the one thirty eight years ago this
month from six houses down the street. Cost me ten bucks for the license.
An exceptional bargain.

The Nova, with a Super, two steel faceplates and the crapola aluminum one
that came with, extra rests, handwheel &ctera - 700. Cost more, and my
expectations are lower, but still a bargain.