Swapping Lathe Stand for Bench

[bodrighywood]

You can turn a 12" bowl or platter safely if it is balanced and the swivel is useful fpr tjurning as it means that you can rech inside them and hollow forms without having to bend awkwardly over the bed. They aren't just selling points that are not of real use. If you turn the lathe down to its lowest speed (500 rpm I believe on yours) and then slowly turn the speed up as you decrease the inbalance and / or weight you should be able to turn safely. If however the lowest speed still results in vibration then it is nor really safe, for you or the lathe. Any lathe has a limit and though you see turners on you tube turning huge pieces that are  shaking all over the place they are accidents waiting to happen. The first rule in turning is always to turn safely. his means knowing the limits of both your own experience and the equipment you have,

Pete

[Tony_a]

I am relatively new to turning and have a somewhat similar issue. My Woodfast M910 lathe (Australian made) is a solid cast machine but is mounted on a pressed steel cabinet which is only about 350 mm wide. This makes it prone to vibrating if the work is out of balance. A larger piece of wood only has to be a little out of balance to cause vibration.
 Bolting the lathe down to the floor would be an option but I like to be able to turn with the work in good light (doorway) and move the lathe out of the way when not in use.  I feel that a considerably heavier and slightly wider stand would go a long way to towards fixing my problem.  The concrete floor of my shed is slightly uneven so the stand needs to be rigid with no flex and have a levelling leg on one corner so as not to transfer any winding forces to the lathe bed.
In my mind the two options are either a heavy steel frame or a heavy timber frame built using similar materials and joinery as a Roubo work bench. Weight can be added to the frame to increase mass. I use a pallet trolley to move my larger machines.
Derek Cohen built a light timber frame for his Jet lathe http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/AStandformyJetMiniLathe.html

I also am interested in how others have managed this problem.

Always try to get the blank as well balanced as possible prior to turning, chainsaw, run one side over a buzzer, cut it to a circle on the bandsaw and if still out of balance use an Arbortech wood carver on the angle grinder (blank mounted on lathe but lathe not going). Even so larger blanks can still be unbalanced when turned due to differing wood density.

Tony

[seventhdevil]

in my humble opinion it is part of the work turning unbalanced timber so it should always be done on the lathe (within reason of course) and i rarely trim too much off my blanks and just start slowly to get them and even shape before ramping up the speed. ok i admit i do have the advantage of a 360kg lathe but i still remember my days turning with a benchtop and an SIP lathe which were as light as a feather in comparison and you just had to take it slowly.

[howlingbaboon]

OK, I'm going to try and bring back my initial query a little. I'm sure my lathe has it's limitations but I think the weakest point may possibly be the stand (yes I agree that the minimum speed is also a major limitation). The rest of the lathe seems to be very solid cast iron bed.

Could it be more stable on the bench I posted?

What did you make of my options?

So it's looking like the bench isn't quite wide enough. The bench is 48" wide. The inner 2 bolts on the lathe are 43" apart so they would fit on however the outer 2 bolts are 51" apart. This would leave me either having to have the bench top overhang by a few inches on either end or just bolt it down with the 4 inner bolts. Do you think either of these solutions would work or should I just pass on it?

[Derwent Woodturning club]

Hi Dave,
How about a thick piece of oak, say 4", to fit under the lathe and on top of the bench, the right size to fit both? (Not the full depth of the bench unless you are rich, or have a very friendly timber source!) Bolt the wood to the bench and the lathe to the wood.

That would give you some weight to the bench, address the length problem and if you ever upgrade you will have a nice piece of oak to turn!

The only down side is you will probably have to reduce the height of the bench to accommodate the rise in height of the lathe.

[seventhdevil]

for me this is all down to mass. the setup you currently have obviously does not have enough when you turn large or unbalanced items hence the lathe going all hippy hippy shake on you when the limit is exceeded. adding extra mass will be part of the solution.

if you can get a really heavy wood in slab form like greenheart, ekki or cumaru and use them as a base like paul suggested, this will mean that the energy needed to exceed the limits again will vastly increase enabling you to turn larger or more out of balance pieces without too much interference from a wobbly lathe.

[howlingbaboon]

Do you think that those ideas will work OK with the bench top overhanging the edges about 3 inches at either end then? I've then got to put some blocks down to raise the bed so I can access the nuts from the head, tail and rests underneath. These will also have to be partly attached to the overhanging bench top.

I've got a few pieces of strong wood which may be up to the task. 1" Ply, a 2" mahogany bench top which is long enough, and and an inch thick oak table top (which is probs not long enough whole). I've also got some recovered 3x3 oak beams which might be suitable for the blocks but I'd need 2 at each end either way I orientate them.

I'm leaning towards the ply as a base for the whole bench then a lathe-wide strip of mahogany with oak mounting blocks. What do you think?

I really appreciate all this advice guys! As you can tell, I'm no carpenter!

[seventhdevil]

as it happens i am a joiner so can give you any advice you need.

if you can increase the foot of the bench then the overhang of the top will not be too much of an issue but i would not use the woods you say you have as they are relatively light in comparison to what i'm thinking of. oak would be the heaviest out of what you say you have and that is only 45lbft3 whereas ekki is about 66lbft3. check ebay out for old reclaimed stuff from the coast. i do know of a source of ekki planking which would do the job.

[howlingbaboon]

Seventhdevil, You obviously know a lot more than I do about wood seen as I'd never heard of most of them until now Now please correct me if I'm wrong (I'm learning here!)

I'm wondering if the overhang is such an issue seen as with the sliding headstock, I do most of my work towards the middle of the bed.

I'm also a bit confused (generally and specifically!  ) Does the bench top itself have to be heavy or just rigid? Maybe they are one in the same...? I thought as long as the top was rigid, that I could then add weight to the bench itself, like sandbags etc onto the shelves underneath. I guess I'm worried (based on a quick ebay search) that some of these heavy woods could set me back more than a new lathe Although maybe your source is more affordable...?

[seventhdevil]

why not post a picture of your setup and i'll see if i can assist you.

yes brand new those woods can be bloody expensive but they will easily last 50-100 years when not in contact with the ground and the source i have was an old bridge built in the 90's.

[howlingbaboon]

I've not got the bench yet but I've been offered it for free if I can make use of it. Here's a pic of it, the lathe and it's dimensions

The bench isn't quite wide enough. The bench top is 48" (1219mm) long by 30" (762mm) wide. The inner 2 bolts on the lathe are 43" (1092mm) apart so they would fit on however the outer 2 bolts are 51" (1295mm) apart. This would leave me either having to have the bench top overhang by a few inches on either end or just bolt it down with the 4 inner bolts.

[burywoodturners]

Being well over six foot tall, I decided to make a bench, with cupboards underneath. I used a kitchen work top for the bench top and I have used the current one for over twelve years now. The only snag is that it collects a lot of shavings and seems to attract all manner of jigs and incomplete projects. No idea where they all come from!
Ron

[fuzzyturns]

There is another alternative: Leave the lathe on its stand, and put the whole assembly onto a base. The base adds weight of its own and can be loaded with additional weight. This is what I have done with my lathe, not so much for weight reasons, but for height (I am 6ft tall and the lathe on its own was just too low, probably designed for 5ft 6" people).
Now my whole assembly weighs around 200kg, and is (when needed) loaded with additional steel weights on the base, but let me tell you: if I do a seriously off-centre piece, it still walks about the workshop.

I really like the idea of putting a large disc behind the chuck to mount counterweights. Nifty!

[Lazurus]

I cant help but feel, reading back on this thread that the issue of a stable lathe whilst extremely important is missing the issue of overstepping the lathes abilities. Its not just about the stand, its the size and type of bearings, quality of the castings and the general fir and finish of the lathe itself.
I started with a lathe very similar to that of the OP, boxed in the stand and filled it with damp sand, it cured all the issues described, but, was I pushing the lathe above its limits at times, undoubtedly.
I am now fortunate and have a VB36 which as most of you know is almost limitless, check google for some astounding items in both size and weight, again a but, I always start between centers, I always find the natural balance point of the blank, then I plan my turning around that. (Lyle JAMIESON explains this better in his videos than I can) It makes a huge difference to the comfort, and safety of my turning. No more rattle a thump as I try and even out a wobbly blank, once on balance I can zip the speed way up to start resulting in better cuts and more comfortable turning.
I think we have to keep in mind the limitations of the lathe, and the difference between our aspirations and abilities, be it by experience or equipment limitations. You can`t make butter with a toothpick!!

[fuzzyturns]

All the comments about the limits of the lathe are absolutely valid and I fully agree with them. However, it should be pointed out that there are situations that require off-centre turning, which can result in unbalanced work. The biggest issue for the OP here will be the inability to  reduce speed below 500rpm (which is way too high for a large unbalanced piece, even on a much bigger lathe). 
I think the way to go here really is with the advice to have a separate disc behind the chuck with counterweights mounted onto it.