I am a daily reader of a lot of wood turning forums and notice the
majority of turners place their lathes against a wall with the bed
parallel to the wall. I have to be different and mine is tailstock
against the wall and the bed at a right angle to the wall.
This allows tool storage on the wall to my right and also easy access
to be able to clean behind the lathe. I can also work from the other
side when doing hollowing. If something comes loose it doesn't bounce
of the wall and break. Also the access for outboard turning is greatly
improved.
I must admit I was more or less forced into this as the wall in
question has a window in it that was directly in the firing line.
So why did you decide on a parallel to the wall installation?

Pete
Visit my site at:
http://www.oldtoolsshop.com/Galoots/pHyde/

Space. Need room to get by the machine. Need to make the most open
area possible for moving around and handling materials. In commercial
shops, the machine tools are often placed at 45 degrees to the walls.
If you have plenty of room in your shop, have at it.

Pete Stanaitis
------------------------------

Canchippy wrote:

I am a daily reader of a lot of wood turning forums and notice the
majority of turners place their lathes against a wall with the bed
parallel to the wall. I have to be different and mine is tailstock
against the wall and the bed at a right angle to the wall.
This allows tool storage on the wall to my right and also easy access
to be able to clean behind the lathe. I can also work from the other
side when doing hollowing. If something comes loose it doesn't bounce
of the wall and break. Also the access for outboard turning is greatly
improved.
I must admit I was more or less forced into this as the wall in
question has a window in it that was directly in the firing line.
So why did you decide on a parallel to the wall installation?

Pete
Visit my site at:
http://www.oldtoolsshop.com/Galoots/pHyde/

"Canchippy" wrote in message
oups.com...
I am a daily reader of a lot of wood turning forums and notice the
majority of turners place their lathes against a wall with the bed
parallel to the wall. I have to be different and mine is tailstock
against the wall and the bed at a right angle to the wall.
This allows tool storage on the wall to my right and also easy access
to be able to clean behind the lathe. I can also work from the other
side when doing hollowing. If something comes loose it doesn't bounce
of the wall and break. Also the access for outboard turning is greatly
improved.
I must admit I was more or less forced into this as the wall in
question has a window in it that was directly in the firing line.
So why did you decide on a parallel to the wall installation?


I never stand behind the lathe, being a right-hander, so the wall supports
my tool racks and catches the shavings that run up and out when making
bowls. The outsides of things drop the shavings right into a conveniently
placed bag. Scoop and sweep clears the table behind the lathe and between
the bed and the wall.

If you have a window, consider erecting a "wall" above the back of your
stand for shaving control.

Hi Pete,

Once upon a time my lathe was in a clear and unfettered space at the
open end of a two car garage. It was obviously the king of machine
tools. The king and I could turn and sweep up and generally mess around
with no lesser tools and gear to bother us.


To make tool sharpening gear too close to ignore, the grinding wheel
insisted on being moved in near the headstock. A stray wolverine took up
with it and if not tied close to the grinder would snap at my backsides.
An exhaust fan stood on its right to take over the back of the lathe
bench and a window fan with air condx filters insisted on being seated
up front so it could blow the dust about the entire garage. It did agree
to sit in the back, just not very far back.

Vacuum and air pressure hoses, dust exhaust pipes and 220 volts came
traipsing down from the balcony where the garage door opener had once
lived alone. A heavy steady hung by a pulley from a ceiling joist. We
thought about hanging an overhead lift, but never did because we used
its space for a huge overhead operating room light. I'm glad we didn't
add the lift since our big blank days are a faded memory.

The turning tools and turning accessories resided happily on their
movable cart and had easy access to the king. It wasn't long before the
cart was hemmed in with no room to move. The king wasn't pleased.

Extension cords, a broom, a big dust pan a lidded garbage can and a hand
truck all hung around near the king. The cords sometimes were crass
enough to get under foot. Several ready to turn blanks were always
waiting nearby. They planned to move out to the backyard, but never did.
Discarded sandpaper, greasy kitchen paper and a can or two of dried tung
oil had the temerity to lie on the end of the lathe bed or sit on the
bench while they 'temporarily' waited and waited and waited, to leave
the building.

I have tried several times to restore the once green, elegant and
pristine environment around the lathe to its once safe, unwarmed natural
glory, but each time the remaining one car garage became a no car
garage. My wife wasn't pleased.

I reckon the king and I are commoners and slobs at heart so now the
lathe is covered with dried lacquer, glue and chips, my face mask is
clouded and my shirt is dirty with pockets full of chips.

Somehow, we both seem not to mind our mess. We hope that at least it
shows that whether or not we do it well, we actually do turn wood.


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter


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

On Fri, 01 Jun 2007 14:55:20 -0000, Canchippy
wrote:

I am a daily reader of a lot of wood turning forums and notice the
majority of turners place their lathes against a wall with the bed
parallel to the wall. I have to be different and mine is tailstock
against the wall and the bed at a right angle to the wall.
This allows tool storage on the wall to my right and also easy access
to be able to clean behind the lathe. I can also work from the other
side when doing hollowing. If something comes loose it doesn't bounce
of the wall and break. Also the access for outboard turning is greatly
improved.
I must admit I was more or less forced into this as the wall in
question has a window in it that was directly in the firing line.
So why did you decide on a parallel to the wall installation?

A few reasons here- first, I don't normally do outboard turning. My
lathe will do it, I just haven't gotten around to getting a left-hand
thread faceplate yet, and it hasn't been much of a priority, as most
of the wood I get fits on the inboard side.

The second is that the lathe is parallel to the wall only when not in
use- if I were to take a picture of it, that is how it would likely
look. But when I am turning, one of the first things I do is grab the
tailstock end and slide it out about 30 degrees (my lathe is mounted
to a wooden platform with three "runners" on the bottom, which make
for easy sliding- maybe not the way I would have done it, but the guy
I bought it from is about the same height as I am, so I left good
enough alone)- this allows me to hollow without my chisel whacking the
wall.

Third one is that I occasionally do remove the tailstock entirely.
Usually, there is plenty of room if I slide it back all the way, but
if I am hollowing something tall, I hate whacking my elbow into the
live center.

All that being said, if my turnery was a square (It's an L-shaped room
in the basement because there is a small bathroom using one corner) I
think I'd be inclined to do as you have, and mount the lathe to the
floor on a steel stand right in the center. Having it against the
wall is a little bit of a compromise, but it fits the space much
better. If it was mounted as yours is, I could secure it with
concrete bolts, and that could come in more than a little handy with
some blanks. (And with as much as that little bath in the basement
actually gets used, one day I may tear it out and do just that!)

On Fri, 1 Jun 2007 17:57:25 -0400, (Arch) wrote:

I reckon the king and I are commoners and slobs at heart so now the
lathe is covered with dried lacquer, glue and chips, my face mask is
clouded and my shirt is dirty with pockets full of chips.

Somehow, we both seem not to mind our mess. We hope that at least it
shows that whether or not we do it well, we actually do turn wood.

Well, at least I'm not the only one!

I have to wonder what the guys at the recycling center (who run our
garbage disposal service as well) think when they get a two-yard
dumpster filled level full with shavings, sawdust and metal chips
every three or four months. The real story is simplicity itself- the
turnery gets piled with chips until it looks like it's been attacked
by a heavy snowstorm, and then I rent a dumpster and shovel it out
with snow shovel into the dumpster.

Slobbish? Of course- but that's why the lathe is in it's own room.
It was just flat-out costing too much money to sweep up after every
project and send the shavings in the regular garbage. It was nice to
put them on the curb for the neighbors before I started playing with
non-ferrous metal on it, but now the debris is no good for gardening,
so it just has to go out in the trash.

I *did* stop finishing on the lathe when I got my big one, so at least
there are no laquer or glue chips on it. I was kind of mad at myself
when I saw what lathe finishing had done to my midi lathe, and it took
several hours to clean it up before I sold it. Not to mention the
condition of the wall behind it!

On Jun 1, 3:13 pm, "George" wrote:


I never stand behind the lathe, being a right-hander, so the wall supports
my tool racks and catches the shavings that run up and out when making
bowls. The outsides of things drop the shavings right into a conveniently
placed bag. Scoop and sweep clears the table behind the lathe and between
the bed and the wall.

If you have a window, consider erecting a "wall" above the back of your
stand for shaving control.

Well George I am also a right hander and sometimes it's a lot easier
to reach inside a hollow form from the other side than it is lying
across the lathe ways.
I also have a shaving collector behind the head stock and about 3
quick steps to the outside door.
Tools behind the lathe to me are a hazard. Reaching over a rotating
tool is not healthy.
I also use a dust collector with a "Big Gulp" hood on it for catching
shavings before they hit the floor or the garbage can.
I had a bench top lathe before I got my Delta old iron and found it to
be a real pain as everything was so obstructed.
I also find that the amount of space taken up is actually less because
the space around the lathe is being used more efficiently.
Sun shines through the window from noon until sunset and there is
something about turning in natural light that I really enjoy, so I
would not block it off.
Thanks for the reply
Pete
Visit my site at:
http://www.oldtoolsshop.com/Galoots/pHyde/

On Jun 1, 5:57 pm, (Arch) wrote:
Hi Pete,

Once upon a time my lathe was in a clear and unfettered space at the
open end of a two car garage. It was obviously the king of machine
tools. The king and I could turn and sweep up and generally mess around
with no lesser tools and gear to bother us.
Arch a 2 car garage would be my idea of heaven:-)
I occupy a 24' x 11' single car and the space is also shared with
table saw, jointer, drill press, thicknesser, chop saw and 16' bench,
compressor, and DC. At the moment there is also a stack of logs
waiting to be cut up and rough turned, and also the remaining pieces
of 7 large drawers that still have to be finished for a built in
bedroom unit. The shop is still evolving and will probably become a
bedroom also if I spend much more time out the-) Retirement has now
given me the luxury of working on projects that have been on the back
burner for a long time. Clean up is also now becoming a habit before
I turn out the light. Ahhh! life is good.
Pete
Visit my site at:
http://www.oldtoolsshop.com/Galoots/pHyde/