sleepy127
Well-known member
I picked up a few file cabinets today that I am going to use to make a lathe bench out of. Here are the cabinets;
Here is the lathe;
Here is the lathe;
Lathe Bench/ Cabinet
- Thread starter sleepy127
- Start date
So here is the plan;
I will build then up on a base on 6 legs (8" tall each). Those legs will be retractable so the casters that will be underneath can make contact and make the cabinet easier to move around (in the military, still got at least 2 more moves to go before retirement). The top will be 2x4s stood on the side and combined butcher block style with a sheet of 12 gauge covering them. On that the lathe and motor will get mounted. The bottom drawers for the cabinets will stay the same but I will cut the top drawers in half and turn each one into 2. The far left very top will just be a panel instead of a drawer and that is where my switch will mount as well as a extra outlet. I will also add a light somewhere on the top (flexible office/work light). The top will also have the chip pan built on to it.
So what do yall think? Trying to do this fairly inexpensive. I have the 12 gauge, more slides for drawers, can get more drawers, and I have a bunch of old 2x4s, not sure if I have enough of those though.
I will build then up on a base on 6 legs (8" tall each). Those legs will be retractable so the casters that will be underneath can make contact and make the cabinet easier to move around (in the military, still got at least 2 more moves to go before retirement). The top will be 2x4s stood on the side and combined butcher block style with a sheet of 12 gauge covering them. On that the lathe and motor will get mounted. The bottom drawers for the cabinets will stay the same but I will cut the top drawers in half and turn each one into 2. The far left very top will just be a panel instead of a drawer and that is where my switch will mount as well as a extra outlet. I will also add a light somewhere on the top (flexible office/work light). The top will also have the chip pan built on to it.
So what do yall think? Trying to do this fairly inexpensive. I have the 12 gauge, more slides for drawers, can get more drawers, and I have a bunch of old 2x4s, not sure if I have enough of those though.
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Fyrme
Well-known member
You need to make sure the file cabinets are not carrying the load, because they are flimsy and can't support that kind of weight. Also you need to consider a recessed toe kick like a kitchen base cabinet has. You would be surprised the difference when standing up close to it. Toe kicks are more than just for looks.
aggierailroad
Well-known member
Same exact top I'm planning for my southbend. I tend to believe that the cabinets will hold the weight but you might get some vibration. Who knows?! Best of luck!
I was thinking of framing it out with some 1" angle. Not really sure though. The cabinets are pretty sturdy and it will be way better than what the lathe is mounted on right now. The toe kick, if I am understanding what it is will be there because I am making the legs 8" so that will leave that much room under it. It will be a little hard on the knees though. I am thinking about the top overlapping the front by 2" or a little more.
laser3kw
Well-known member
Yup! you learn that lesson when you stick a pan full of parts down there and then later step in to view you work and jam your foot into it!
astroracer
Well-known member
Stacked side by side like that the cabinets will have no problem supporting your lathe. Screw them together on the inside with short self-tapping screws and your stand will be stout.
Rather then stacking all of those 2 x 4's together which, unless you are going to mill the top flat, will be fairly uneven, just use a couple of pieces of 3/4" plywood laminated together. Fasten that to the cabinets and throw your 12ga on top of that. Like you are thinking, build the top a couple of inches wider then the cabinets for a nice overhang and put your switch box on the left side of the cabinet, out of the way. That way you can use the drawer as a drawer.
I built a 2 x 2 steel frame with a piece of 1/2" plywood under my Smithy and it has been good for 22 years... I also built a "rollbar" for the stand that hangs a 48" flourescent light right above the lathe. It is removable if the need arises.
Mark
Rather then stacking all of those 2 x 4's together which, unless you are going to mill the top flat, will be fairly uneven, just use a couple of pieces of 3/4" plywood laminated together. Fasten that to the cabinets and throw your 12ga on top of that. Like you are thinking, build the top a couple of inches wider then the cabinets for a nice overhang and put your switch box on the left side of the cabinet, out of the way. That way you can use the drawer as a drawer.
I built a 2 x 2 steel frame with a piece of 1/2" plywood under my Smithy and it has been good for 22 years... I also built a "rollbar" for the stand that hangs a 48" flourescent light right above the lathe. It is removable if the need arises.
Mark
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Thanks for the info. Just hope I can find some 3/4" fairly cheap. I will be keeping my eyes on the craigslist free page for some. The 2x4s are real agravating to get even. I do have a planer but it isnt wide enough to do the depth of the top at once so it would take me building it into 2 pieces.
What glue do you recomend for laminating the 2 pieces of plywood? I figure I will glue them, weight and clamp them down, and then screw them together and let them dry.
The switch and wiring I think I will still use the false drawer idea. I mainly want to keep as much hidden as possible and fewer things on the side to get hung up on. My garage is a really tight space right now and probably will be for a while so it will be one thing less hanging off of the side to get broke while sitting there or when moving.
So here is how I am going to layout the legs;
You have the side and front view of the legs. They will be 2 or 3" angle. For normal operations I will have bolts in the top 2 holes; one in the front and one in the side. When I need to transport it I will jack it up and take the bolts out and move it up and put a pin in the bottom to hold it off the floor so it can rest on the casters. I will probably end up welding the nut for the bolts on the inside to make it a little quicker to put the legs on and off. Heck I may just not worry about a transport position and throw them in a drawer when I need to move it.
You have the side and front view of the legs. They will be 2 or 3" angle. For normal operations I will have bolts in the top 2 holes; one in the front and one in the side. When I need to transport it I will jack it up and take the bolts out and move it up and put a pin in the bottom to hold it off the floor so it can rest on the casters. I will probably end up welding the nut for the bolts on the inside to make it a little quicker to put the legs on and off. Heck I may just not worry about a transport position and throw them in a drawer when I need to move it.
Fyrme
Well-known member
I see people on CL all the time selling plywood and 2x4 'scraps' usually 2'x4' or 3'x4' plywood or 3-4' long 2xs.
There are probably better options but I've used Gorilla wood glue and Liquid Nails with very good results.
On this benchtop I used Gorilla glue and screws to bond 2 sheets of plywood together and glue and blind finish nails to attach the oak to the ply.
It's been in a non climate controlled environment for about a year now and is as solid as the day I built it.
There are probably better options but I've used Gorilla wood glue and Liquid Nails with very good results.
On this benchtop I used Gorilla glue and screws to bond 2 sheets of plywood together and glue and blind finish nails to attach the oak to the ply.
It's been in a non climate controlled environment for about a year now and is as solid as the day I built it.
Vegaman_Dan
Well-known member
Bolting them together and then mounting some hardboard or plywood to the outside ends will go a long way towards reducing vibration. While they will hold your lathe, all that loose sheet metal will RESONATE and drive you nuts. Putting solid panels of wood on the end will stop that.
Another approach is to build the bench out of angle iron and place the cabinets in the frame. That should help isolate the cabinets from the lathe itself.
Another approach is to build the bench out of angle iron and place the cabinets in the frame. That should help isolate the cabinets from the lathe itself.
Nice Miket, I used a flat file and a 3 drawer desk cabinet and built a frame around it with channel iron salvaged from a server rack, 2" thick-wall square tubing verticals. The top is maple butcher block stained ebony to hide the oil stains etc you get from running a lathe. If I were you Sleepy, I'd definitely frame up those file cabinets with some tubing, not only for support but the added mass helps prevent chatter from oscillations and vibration.
laser3kw
Well-known member
nice4gmc - Nice! I like that arrangement.
If / when I revamp my 13 x 40 lathe stand, I am going with a drop center section. I hate jamming my hand under the bed trying to clean swarf and oil.
If / when I revamp my 13 x 40 lathe stand, I am going with a drop center section. I hate jamming my hand under the bed trying to clean swarf and oil.
rsanter
Well-known member
If it was me I would bolt or if you have a welder, tack weld the cabinets together.
I would make a frame for the bottom only that is 2x2 tube and install the wheels direct to that. Use locking casters and you do not need legs or feet. You can always use a floor jack under the frame to install wood blocks of you don't think the wheels are secure enough.
For the top I would go get a salvage solid core door or use a couple layers of plywood.
You can also get one of those solid core steel clad doors.
If you use plywood I would either paint it with an oil based paint or even cover it with a this sheet of metal ( use spray adhesive to attach) so make clean up easier. Rough plywood is hard to sweep the chips from
Bob
I would make a frame for the bottom only that is 2x2 tube and install the wheels direct to that. Use locking casters and you do not need legs or feet. You can always use a floor jack under the frame to install wood blocks of you don't think the wheels are secure enough.
For the top I would go get a salvage solid core door or use a couple layers of plywood.
You can also get one of those solid core steel clad doors.
If you use plywood I would either paint it with an oil based paint or even cover it with a this sheet of metal ( use spray adhesive to attach) so make clean up easier. Rough plywood is hard to sweep the chips from
Bob
I put together a few more pieces of scrap to use for the build. I have enough 1" inch angle to do about 1/3 of the build.
I also picked up this metal door that has been cut on.
The outsides on all four corners have been cut away leaving the hard foam core;
I am thinking of undercutting the bottom where it will mounts to the cabinets. Weld 12 gauge to the top side perpendicular to the top to weld the frame to and hopefully transfer vibration directly to the floor.
I also picked up this metal door that has been cut on.
The outsides on all four corners have been cut away leaving the hard foam core;
I am thinking of undercutting the bottom where it will mounts to the cabinets. Weld 12 gauge to the top side perpendicular to the top to weld the frame to and hopefully transfer vibration directly to the floor.
Nice Miket, I used a flat file and a 3 drawer desk cabinet and built a frame around it with channel iron salvaged from a server rack, 2" thick-wall square tubing verticals. The top is maple butcher block stained ebony to hide the oil stains etc you get from running a lathe. If I were you Sleepy, I'd definitely frame up those file cabinets with some tubing, not only for support but the added mass helps prevent chatter from oscillations and vibration.
I love that lathe bench, hope mine turns out that nice
So I manage to do a little more work on mine today. I have all of the drawers set up for one of the file cabinets. One more file cabinet to go then I can sand it all down and get it ready to paint. I will also be looking for some angle iron in later on today.
Here is with all three drawers in;
Here are the slides for the top drawer;
I will be looking for some edge covering also.
Here is with all three drawers in;
Here are the slides for the top drawer;
I will be looking for some edge covering also.
Went to the scrap yard yesterday and sold off my cans then went into the back to find some angle iron to frame this thing up with. I found one 3' piece of 1" and a complete bed frame. The bed frame ended up being enough to do the bottom frame. The bad thing is it was covered in urine (didn't figure that out until welding on it). I also picked me up a 18" piece of I-beam (5"). Didn't need it but found uses it for it anyways. Paid 11.25 for it all @ .25 a lb. My cans got me 18$ so I had enough to stop by the local pawn shop and pick up some tools for no reason at all other than just because lol. Now for the pictures;
Here is the bottom frame with my casters;
Here is a little shot of some of the welds. I took pictures of all of them with the iphone prior to welding the casters on but the pictures didn't turn out right. Most of the welds looked similar to the corner weld there. The HF 90 amp didn't do too bad.
Here is the bottom frame with my casters;
Here is a little shot of some of the welds. I took pictures of all of them with the iphone prior to welding the casters on but the pictures didn't turn out right. Most of the welds looked similar to the corner weld there. The HF 90 amp didn't do too bad.
After I got the bottom frame done I turned my attention to the wiring for the lathe motor. When I got it the Montgomery Wards motor was wired up with some fairly old wiring. They had it wired to plug in direct to a switched outlet with about a 10' cord. I took the old cord off and wired it with about a 18" section of 14/2.
When I set the electrical up in the cabinet I will run that to a light switch. From the light switch I am going to use some 10/3 service cord (about 5 foot) to plug it in to an outlet with a 15 amp/ 120v plug.
With all of that said I need some advice; I also want to put a double receptacle on this and run lights overhead somehow. Will it be too much to run the receptacle, lights, and maybe a small power-tool (maybe grinder) off of the same circuit? This will be run plugged into a single receptacle 15a/120 in my garage and that's all I have available. Don't really want to do any electrical here, i'm renting and not sure how they would take it.
When I set the electrical up in the cabinet I will run that to a light switch. From the light switch I am going to use some 10/3 service cord (about 5 foot) to plug it in to an outlet with a 15 amp/ 120v plug.
With all of that said I need some advice; I also want to put a double receptacle on this and run lights overhead somehow. Will it be too much to run the receptacle, lights, and maybe a small power-tool (maybe grinder) off of the same circuit? This will be run plugged into a single receptacle 15a/120 in my garage and that's all I have available. Don't really want to do any electrical here, i'm renting and not sure how they would take it.
astroracer
Well-known member
My set-up is run off an outlet. The lathe and light are wired into a box on the stand and that is plugged into the outlet. Shouldn't be an issue power wise. Mine has been like that for 22 years, same light, same lathe.
Mark
Mark