Appreciate Some Advice On Platform For Mini-lathe

[karim]

Thanks also, especially for the photo - very nice - and drawers! Think I'll do as you do - let the weight hold it down.

Something really important:

The lathe must be secured to a base. None of these mini lathes should really be operated just on their own footprint. I highly recommend you do the opposite: secure the lathe to a base, and then optionally secure the base to the bench.

 

[Epictetus]

Karim,
Yeah, i agree - even though I know squat.
How about this - I secure the lathe to the plywood and then secure the plywood to the (uneven) benchtop with just one big screw? Hey, that'll have the extra benefit of being able to swivel it around to take a look at things in the back, etc.
Cheers!

 

[Epictetus]

As mentioned, the HF manual doesn't talk about mounting the lathe.
However, the little machine shop has a good manual for their version of the lathe and they say:

Mounting Your Lathe
The SIEG C3 7x14Mini Lathe comes with rubber feet and spreader bars that attach to the same holes used to secure the lathe for shipping. If you want your lathe to be portable, simply install these spreader bars and feet. You can also bolt your lathe to your workbench. The following diagram shows the holes required. Mount the lathe to the workbench with M8 bolts. The bolts should be about 10 mm longer than the thickness of the workbench. Use fender washers on the underside of wooden benches to prevent the bolt heads from pulling through.

Not sure of the purpose for the "spreader bars".

 

[MSD0]

As mentioned, the HF manual doesn't talk about mounting the lathe.
However, the little machine shop has a good manual for their version of the lathe and they say:

Mounting Your Lathe
The SIEG C3 7x14Mini Lathe comes with rubber feet and spreader bars that attach to the same holes used to secure the lathe for shipping. If you want your lathe to be portable, simply install these spreader bars and feet. You can also bolt your lathe to your workbench. The following diagram shows the holes required. Mount the lathe to the workbench with M8 bolts. The bolts should be about 10 mm longer than the thickness of the workbench. Use fender washers on the underside of wooden benches to prevent the bolt heads from pulling through.

Not sure of the purpose for the "spreader bars".

I would remove the rubber feet and just use the M8 bolts to mount the lathe to the bench. Try to get the bench somewhat level and then level the lathe by tightening the bolts and adding shims.

 

[Kernbigo]

Here is my south bend, mounted on a bench 1 1/2" thick bench a friend built me when he worked at a furniture factory