Mini Lathe Stand

by Steve Tiedman

In December, 2001, I conducted an extensive critique for Jet Equipment & Tools of a pre-production model retrofit bed extension for the "old" style Jet 1014 mini lathe (to be released in the market sometime mid-2002).  In a nutshell, the retrofit works well, but now I needed a new stand for the lathe and bed extension to be mounted on.

The photos here show an upgraded version of the same stand I used for the lathe only.  In that original model of the stand, the lathe was bolted to wood cross members that extended from each end of the lathe about 5 inches.  The ends of the cross members were then bolted to the top of the concrete uprights.

For this new stand I wanted some improvements.  For starters, I was adding more weight and about double the length.  This would require very stout cross members that would resist sagging and more importantly would be free of any twist or warp that can occur in wood the length of these cross members (72").  For me the answer rested with steel for the cross members, although "engineered" wood products could have been an alternate choice instead of steel.  Specifically, I used 2" x 3" x 3/8" thick angle steel (mild steel), with the 3" leg in the vertical position.  And I wanted extra length beyond the left end of the lathe so I would not be tripping over the foot of the lathe when working near the headstock.

Material costs for the stand: approx. $75, depending on material costs in your area.

Here we see the entire lathe and stand.  (Basic dimensions- at the feet, 28" front to back; total length, 72"; floor to spindle centerline height, 49.5".)  The lathe is bolted to the steel cross members of the stand.  The bed extension is bolted to the lathe bed, but is not bolted to the steel cross members.  This is because the right end of the bed extension has leveling feet to help ensure proper alignment between the lathe and the bed extension.  Because the lathe is bolted down, the rubber feet that came on the lathe were removed, thus lowering the height of the lathe to the surface on which it rests.  The same had to be done with the bed extension feet; its rubber feet were now too tall, so I just flipped the adjustable feet of the bed extension upside-down and threaded them into their mounting holes from the top, still allowing fine tuning of the bed extension to the lathe.  (I first chucked these adjustable feet into my Talon chuck and turned down the diameter of the rubber foot, it was too wide at first to thread in from the top of the mounting holes.  Hard rubber cuts very easily with a sharp gouge!)  Notice that I allowed about 15 inches of extra length beyond the left end of the lathe, again so I would not be tripping over the feet of the stand when working near the headstock.  At a later time I'll be using this extra length to mount a small shelf for setting tools down while turning

In this photo we see the right end upright of the lathe stand.  Toward the left and right ends of the flat board on top the concrete blocks (4" wide, 8" tall, 16" long hollow core concrete blocks) you can see two large hex nuts.  These are threaded on to 1/2" diameter threaded rod which runs down through the cores of the blocks through the foot timbers, and secured under the feet with more nuts.  Actually, the threaded rod is nutted on both the top and bottom surfaces of the timbers, making it much easier to install the concrete blocks.  Be careful not to over tighten the threaded rod assemblies on the blocks, you don't want to cause crushing damage to the blocks.  Consider a "gasket" of cardboard between each block to cushion the blocks against each other.  4" x 4" x 3/4" oak squares under each end of the timbers ensures the weight is spread out as far as possible for added stability.  5" long carriage bolts come up through the bottom of the board on top the blocks, through the 2 pieces of 2" x 4" framing lumber, and through the steel cross members.  You must of course plan the locations of the bolts and threaded rod around the cores of the blocks.  Chamfer the top end edges of the 2" x 4" blocks to mold around the inside corner of the angle steel.

This following idea of adjusting the height of the stand was given to me by Tyler Beard who has inquired about the design via the internet newsgroup rec.crafts.woodturning.  He is building the stand and had this thought:

Tyler suggested leaving off the top concrete block (which is 8" tall) from each upright and substitute simple wood blocks, for example cut-to-size pieces of 2" x 6" framing lumber (1.5" actual thickness), on top the concrete block stack.  This way the height could be adjusted in 1.5" increments allowing a better fit for the user, and the weight of the concrete blocks is kept low, maintaining a low center of gravity.  Thanks, Tyler.

This is the top of the diagonal cross brace, a length of 2" x 4" framing lumber.  It is bolted to a standard construction framing bracket, this one being a bracket used to mount stair treads to the stair framing.  The bracket comes as a 10" long piece of 90 degree angle steel with pre-drilled holes.  I cut the bracket to length and it shares the same bolts as the right end of the lathe.  I drilled holes through the wood brace to accept the bolts, but I had to use a chisel to square up the outer face of the hole so the nut and washer would tighten down properly.  What you are seeing of the lathe above is the right end of the lathe and how the bed extension is bolted to it.

And here is the bottom mounting of the diagonal cross brace.  Each end of the wood cross brace has 2- 45 degree miter cuts allowing the brace to set inside its metal bracket.  This bottom bracket is a standard type of construction framing bracket, similar to a joist hanger bracket.  It is secured to the foot timber with 4- #12 x 1-1/2" wood screws in pre-drilled holes.  Then a hole was drilled through the bracket and wood brace and bolted secure.

Overall, the lathe stand is very rigid.  There is absolutely no racking left to right, and with somewhere near 400 pounds of mass including the lathe, this lathe is staying put no matter what you mount on it.  Vibration is nearly nonexistent thanks to the mass of the cast iron, steel, and concrete.  There is no reason this stand could not be used with larger lathes such as the full size Jet/Delta 12" x 36" lathes, and probably the Nova 3000 as well.  The basic design of the stand could be used for even larger lathes, but then you may need to consider taller steel cross members to take the added weight without bowing.  If so, you may have to deal with the overall height dimensions, possibly by removing one concrete block.  As this stand is now, it is a few inches too tall for me (I'm 6'0" tall), but that is easily made up for with a simple wood platform for me to stand on.  A variation of this stand is what I am planning for my new 24" Vicmarc VL300 in the coming months.  I visualize using thick channel steel ("U" shape steel members instead of "L" shape angle steel) that is 8" to 12" tall, thus eliminating the need of one concrete block.

A note on the steel cross members- This is not your typical hardware store variety angle steel.  I purchased this steel from a local steel supplier.  There is about 70 pounds of steel between the two 72" long pieces.  This can be bought either as scrap stock or "prime" (new) stock.  I preferred prime stock knowing that the material did not serve a previous purpose where it could have been slightly bent or twisted, causing possible set-up problems for the mounting and alignment of the lathe.  The price was good enough, around $.35-.40 per pound of weight.  Including the perfect band saw cuts the steel supplier provided on the two pieces, I paid about $35 for the two pieces of steel.  Cutting it myself or having the supplier torch cut the pieces for free (a torch cut would not be as clean of a cut) would have saved me $10 on the price, but I don't own a torch and cutting steel this thick with a hack saw seemed to lack any glamour.  If you have never worked with steel like this, it does come to you somewhat dirty.  A good scrub down with mineral spirits or other strong cleaner will remove any oily residue and grit from the steel, ready for painting if you choose.  I'll paint the steel this summer when the lathe is set up in my new shop.  Using a hand drill and patience, I drilled through the steel first with a 1/8" HSS drill bit for a pilot hole, and then a 3/8" HSS drill bit.  The 3/8" hole was slightly larger than needed, but allowed for minor alignment adjustments when setting up the lathe.  I used a drip bottle of 20W "all purpose" oil from the hardware store as a lubricating oil when drilling.  Thread cutting oil would probably work also.  This is a must when drilling steel; add another drop to the hole many times while drilling each size hole.  Keep the drill RPM relatively slow, and apply moderate pressure to the drill.

Steve Tiedman is a woodturner from Minnesota.  He has been turning as a hobby since 1995.  He serves on the Board of Directors of his local AAW chapter, the Minnesota Woodturners Association.  Steve enjoys sharing turning related information and would be happy to attempt an answer to any questions about this lathe stand.  E-mail him at: smt@mninter.net.