- Joined
- Dec 30, 2014
- Messages
- 16
Hello all,
I just purchased my first lathe, a HF 8x12 (44859). It's going to be delivered on Monday and I want to give it a nice sturdy, rigid workbench.
I really like the idea of casting a concrete slab (~2'x4' and 3" thick) with embedded reinforcement and female 1/4"-20 studs with which the bolt the machine to. This would sit atop a wooden 4x4, 2x4 and plywood frame with diagonal supports and mortise and tenon joinery, again for rigidity. I'm guessing this will end up weighing 500 lbs on the high end (not including the actual machine).
Now here's the thing, I have a good feeling I may be moving in 6 months and I might have one or two people to help, but still that's a lot of weight for three people to handle. I really want to add locking casters to each of the four 4x4 legs so that it is easily movable, but I'm not sure if they would be any good as permanent supports. My hope is that the rigidity of the concrete slab will do the work of keeping everything on the machine aligned in reference to itself but I don't know anything about how lathe benches *should* be built. Another option is a removable wheel system that I could slap on when I need to move the machine, but that's more money and I'm already over budget Also, I don't weld (yet), so it would have to be some kind of bolt-on thing.
Honest answer please: Am I going way overboard?
I just purchased my first lathe, a HF 8x12 (44859). It's going to be delivered on Monday and I want to give it a nice sturdy, rigid workbench.
I really like the idea of casting a concrete slab (~2'x4' and 3" thick) with embedded reinforcement and female 1/4"-20 studs with which the bolt the machine to. This would sit atop a wooden 4x4, 2x4 and plywood frame with diagonal supports and mortise and tenon joinery, again for rigidity. I'm guessing this will end up weighing 500 lbs on the high end (not including the actual machine).
Now here's the thing, I have a good feeling I may be moving in 6 months and I might have one or two people to help, but still that's a lot of weight for three people to handle. I really want to add locking casters to each of the four 4x4 legs so that it is easily movable, but I'm not sure if they would be any good as permanent supports. My hope is that the rigidity of the concrete slab will do the work of keeping everything on the machine aligned in reference to itself but I don't know anything about how lathe benches *should* be built. Another option is a removable wheel system that I could slap on when I need to move the machine, but that's more money and I'm already over budget Also, I don't weld (yet), so it would have to be some kind of bolt-on thing.
Honest answer please: Am I going way overboard?
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