Design for Lathe bench.

[waynelang2001]

Hello to all,

i bought the JET JWL-1236 a couple of years ago, it works great when turning small objects or thin spindles. The trouble comes in when i have large turnings to do and they are not perfectly centered in the lathe. The thin stand that comes with the lathe is simply not sturdy enough and the lathe tends to rattle around. So ive design a bench that i think will work pretty well, it also solves the problem of where to keep chisels and accessories for the machine. Ive added the renderings and also a picture of the lathe as it is now with the weak stand it comes with.

 

[jonny round boy]

Wayne,

That's really nice! I like the combination of the timber and the white (presumably melamine?), especially the use of the solid edging around the drawerfronts. What timber are you using?

Just 2 things though - firstly, are the metal legs necessary for adjusting to an unlevel floor? If not, it may be better to continue the large timbers down to the floor. No matter how sturdy the metal legs are, they're going to add some possibility of instability.

Second, it may be worth making up a couple of nice timber wedges to go under either end where the bed lifts up off the benchtop. I can forsee drill bits, pencils, small tools etc. rolling under there. Sure, you could get them back, but it will become a pain!

JRB

 

[mouppe]

Nice design. Since you are at the planning stage, why not add some dust collection setup at the back of the unit, similar to that on a router table?

Richard.

 

[waynelang2001]

Wayne,

That's really nice! I like the combination of the timber and the white (presumably melamine?), especially the use of the solid edging around the drawerfronts. What timber are you using?

Just 2 things though - firstly, are the metal legs necessary for adjusting to an unlevel floor? If not, it may be better to continue the large timbers down to the floor. No matter how sturdy the metal legs are, they're going to add some possibility of instability.

Second, it may be worth making up a couple of nice timber wedges to go under either end where the bed lifts up off the benchtop. I can forsee drill bits, pencils, small tools etc. rolling under there. Sure, you could get them back, but it will become a pain!

JRB

Hi Johnny,

Im not to sure on what timber i would be using, I was thinking the cheepest would be pine, But depending on the finances i might upgrade to a pink beech.

All the white would be melamine, I used the same technic on benches i made at my old job.

Im still not sure what to do with the legs, I might run the timber right to the floor like you said and just level it out with something. Ive seen these screw in leveling pads before but i would need to find some heavy duty ones. I like the wedge idea..........I'LL TAKE IT! [tongue]

 

[waynelang2001]

Nice design. Since you are at the planning stage, why not add some dust collection setup at the back of the unit, similar to that on a router table?

Richard.

Hi Richard,

Ive been thinking about that, any ideas on a design ???

 

[jonny round boy]

Nice design. Since you are at the planning stage, why not add some dust collection setup at the back of the unit, similar to that on a router table?

Richard.

Hi Richard,

Ive been thinking about that, any ideas on a design ???

Dust extraction is very hard on a lathe - ideally, you want a big, wide opening to catch all the chips along the length of the lathe. But then, spread across that big, wide area, the suction just disappears. Catch 22...

 

[mouppe]

I was thinking of something that could be slid parallel to the lathe so that if you are turning something in one place you could catch the dust there. I realize it would be well nigh impossible to catch all the dust for a chair leg, but a bowl in a 4-jaw chuck could be possible.

Also make sure the drawers can accommodate the long turning tools somehow.

 

[butzla]

Did you check out GaryK's lathe stand in this thread?  I like the pullout drawer so the tools stand vertically and also notice he uses a doug fir glue lam for the bench.  Heavy and strong.

 

[Jay Knoll]

Wayne

That looks great but I've got a couple of suggestions.  Put some riser blocks underneath the lathe so you can blow out the chips that are going to accumulate between the rails.  Trust me, this is very good advice that I received from someone else and I really feel like I dodged a bullet on this one.

I think you should design some space at the bottom for some serious mass.  Like 4-5 large bags of playground sand.  The more the better.  That is what is going to dampen the vibration when you're roughing out something that is off center,  Give up a drawer to get the space.

Jay

 

[waynelang2001]

Oky doky, i took some of the ideas you guys gave me and added them on the redesign. I placed some small blocks under the lathe to lift it above the top, making it easier to clean any dust and shavings. I also made the legs go right to the floor. The thick base at the bottom will now allow me some space to put some concrete blocks or bricks in to give the bench some serious footing. Any other ideas to improve the design ???

 

[Scott Rollins]

I think it looks great.  What software did you use?  Where did you find the Jet lathe as a model or did you make it?  My only suggestion is that the drawers may come open on you during the cuts, but your hip is right there to hold it closed.

 

[waynelang2001]

I think it looks great.  What software did you use?  Where did you find the Jet lathe as a model or did you make it?  My only suggestion is that the drawers may come open on you during the cuts, but your hip is right there to hold it closed.

Hi Scott

I use 3ds max for all my 3d work. The Jet lathe took me about 4 hours to model, I just went off measurements i took from my lathe and used reference pics to make a " more or less " design. The drawer slides I used have a pretty strong clip to them when you push them all the way in, its actually hard sometimes to pull them out when the clip is engaged. So them coming loose while I turn wont be possible.

 

[jvsteenb]

The thick base at the bottom will now allow me some space to put some concrete blocks or bricks in to give the bench some serious footing. Any other ideas to improve the design

While adding mass to the foot of the bench increases stability ( that's GOOD ) it does litle to increase dampening. Large imbalances caused by crooked workpieces will be countered, but higher frequency vibrations will still be able to traverse freely in the upper half of the bench. This may impact cutting performance, more then you might think.
A good anvil rings, but a good machinebase is dead silent. Make the blocks under the lathe trapezoidal ( large base, smaller top ) this helps to redirect more of the vibrations from the lathe to the base. And from there on: add dampening.
A good way to achieve this would be doubled sides, filled with sand. This adds mass AND increases dampening. A couple of the lead-bitumen plates that are used for vibration dampening of carbody panels might prove usefull on the underside of the benchtop. And stiffen it up ( the top ) as much as you can - perhaps even a torsion box design - but without sacificing dampening.

The sole reason cast grey iron has been so tremendously popular for machinebases is that it combines two very important properties: it has a high mass AND a high internal dampening. This combined with reasonable siffness makes it about the ideal machinebase material. Wood has a lot less mass, and a lot less stiffness, but it can portray good dampening. When coupled with other materials in a closed mechanical bond ( there is a nice scientific name for this but I just can't seem to remember it right now ) the dampening properties are significantly improved in a synergetic way. The sand-filled wooden cavity is an example of that. Stiffness can be engineered in by using torsion boxes and the likes.

This all may sound a bit over-the-top, but vibration dampening is one of the most important aspects in machining, and in a woodlathe it means comfort, cleaner cuts, and ( not the least ) longer sharpening intervals. Constraining and "sinking" your lathe's more-or-less unwanted movements will probabbly also increase the service life of the drivetrain.
Besides: wood is (relatively) cheap, and sand is literally dirt-cheap.

Regards,

Job

 

[mattfc]

how about extending the back legs higher to create a backboard, where you could attach magnetic strips to hold tools, and create a lip on the top to conceal a good strip light, you could use this as a shelf too?

sorry about the bad drawing!

 

[waynelang2001]

The thick base at the bottom will now allow me some space to put some concrete blocks or bricks in to give the bench some serious footing. Any other ideas to improve the design

While adding mass to the foot of the bench increases stability ( that's GOOD ) it does litle to increase dampening. Large imbalances caused by crooked workpieces will be countered, but higher frequency vibrations will still be able to traverse freely in the upper half of the bench. This may impact cutting performance, more then you might think.
A good anvil rings, but a good machinebase is dead silent. Make the blocks under the lathe trapezoidal ( large base, smaller top ) this helps to redirect more of the vibrations from the lathe to the base. And from there on: add dampening.
A good way to achieve this would be doubled sides, filled with sand. This adds mass AND increases dampening. A couple of the lead-bitumen plates that are used for vibration dampening of carbody panels might prove usefull on the underside of the benchtop. And stiffen it up ( the top ) as much as you can - perhaps even a torsion box design - but without sacificing dampening.

The sole reason cast grey iron has been so tremendously popular for machinebases is that it combines two very important properties: it has a high mass AND a high internal dampening. This combined with reasonable siffness makes it about the ideal machinebase material. Wood has a lot less mass, and a lot less stiffness, but it can portray good dampening. When coupled with other materials in a closed mechanical bond ( there is a nice scientific name for this but I just can't seem to remember it right now ) the dampening properties are significantly improved in a synergetic way. The sand-filled wooden cavity is an example of that. Stiffness can be engineered in by using torsion boxes and the likes.

This all may sound a bit over-the-top, but vibration dampening is one of the most important aspects in machining, and in a woodlathe it means comfort, cleaner cuts, and ( not the least ) longer sharpening intervals. Constraining and "sinking" your lathe's more-or-less unwanted movements will probabbly also increase the service life of the drivetrain.
Besides: wood is (relatively) cheap, and sand is literally dirt-cheap.

Regards,

Job

Thanks for taking the time to explain the ins and outs of dampening Job, Alot of it is still going in one ear and out the other but im going to read through it a few times until it sinks in.

 

[waynelang2001]

how about extending the back legs higher to create a backboard, where you could attach magnetic strips to hold tools, and create a lip on the top to conceal a good strip light, you could use this as a shelf too?

sorry about the bad drawing!

Very nice idea Matt! Your drawing is great you even got the perspective right on. When i have a few hours i'll design something along the same line. But maybe make it a add on instead of extending the back legs.

 

[mattfc]

I thought this kind of set-up would be useful, so you don't have to step back to open a drawer

A good 2 x 58W tube light would work well and light the whole length of the workbed, I have used soemthing linke this in my workshop

 

[waynelang2001]

I thought this kind of set-up would be useful, so you don't have to step back to open a drawer

A good 2 x 58W tube light would work well and light the whole length of the workbed, I have used soemthing linke this in my workshop

I dont think i will have the chisels at the back, i would rather have some kind of side table that lifts up to place chisels that i will use for the job, then pop them back in the drawer when im done. I wonder if florecent lighting is good for turning ??

 

[mattfc]

I dont think i will have the chisels at the back, i would rather have some kind of side table that lifts up to place chisels that i will use for the job, then pop them back in the drawer when im done. I wonder if florecent lighting is good for turning ??

If you are worried about the colour, you can get different colour temperature tubes, e.g. 6500k etc

 

[jvsteenb]

I would have slight worries over the stroboscopic effect, it may play tricks with your eyes.
But that's easily countered by adding an incandescent spot to light out the spindle area.

Regards,

Job