[Lathe] lathe bench wood or steel

[icore3user]

Hello all

i just picked up a used Enco 110-2021, there was no specs on the weight of it, but I downloaded a pdf file for a similar lathe ( mine is belt driven ), ad it listed the weight as about 750 lbs, which when i bought and and used a 1 ton engine hoist, it seemed heavier than that. As for now it sits on the previous owners home made wooden bench. I plan on making a better bench, but am thinking wood or steel, and what do people think about making it mobile?

I like the idea ( the mobility aspect ) for cleaning and re arranging the shop, though I know most lathes, once set up, are generally never moved, the other aspect I am concerned is that lathes on stands are top heavy. I do plan to attach the bench to the wall in a removable fashion via L brackets for safety issues
( I live in earthquake southern California territory ). A wood benchtop I know how to make a ultra heavy duty bench that can support 1000 pounds, as for steel, I have downloaded a couple of plans that I can use those a starting guide for building the bench top. Most of my wood tools are mobile, this includes my tablesaw / router table combo I made, with 9 caster wheels it moves around the garage quite easily. Being mobile in my garage helps, as the accumulation of my tools ( both wood and metal ) does limit my floor space in my garage and I do shuffle my tools around as I switch from operation to another.

Any thought or comments would be welcomed.

- Alfredo

 

[randyjaco]

Either one will work if you make them stiff enough. Just remember to build in some adjustment so you can keep it level.

Randy

 

[jumps4]

hello
I do not know the correct answer but i can tell you what i did because i was out of space and it has worked very well for me, my lathe weighs 750lbs also and i found with everything having their own bases that they do not fit together well the base for my lathe was really cheap. so i purchased harbor freight wood workers benches because they each have 4 nice drawers and a shelf and i bolted them together and added another 1-1/2 of plywood to the top then they were screwed to the wall. the lathe mounting holes are directly over the legs and with 8 legs it dont budge. the 6 benches allowed me to have the equipment back to back so in an area 20' x 60" i now have 3 lathes 2 mills a drill press. and all the fixtures under each plus 24 drawers with everything needed for each machine. this opened up all the rest of my shop for working on larger projects and welding projects. I not saying what to do just showing limited space options.
here are some before and after pics, i'm not done yet. but there is more equipment in here now than there was before and you can see the room i gained by putting them back to back .
steve

 

[joe_m]

Wood vs metal seems to be a matter of personal choice. I can say that I noticed a huge drop in vibration/chatter when I stepped up from a small tool to a big (for me) tool. I noticed more improvement when I leveled them and bolted them to the floor. A 90 pound bag of cement and four bolts made my mill-drill usable to a novice like me who was prone to making the occasional heavy-handed cut. So whatever you choose - make it heavy enough to absorb vibration and solid enough not to rock or walk across the floor. Like the others said - make it levalable (if that's not a word then I claim copyright but you can us it for 35 cents a shot.) and find a way to secure it to the floor and possibly the wall too.

The mill I just bought was missing one leveling pad - I got skunked at walmart but found a regulation hockey puck at the sporting goods store and it is working great. You can get four for about $20 and there's a thread here somewhere from Rick Sparber (I think) that shows how to make leveling pads from the hockey puck and a 1/2" bolt.

And congrats on the new lathe.

Joe

 

[jumps4]

Steve,

but seriously, the pic you posted doesn't show this bench you describe.

in the 4th pic down there are 2 sets of the benches bolted together in the center and a single one on the far left out of view in that pic there is another to the far right. 6 all together
and no you cannot have enough drill presses:whistle:
steve

 

[ranch23]

Wood moves much more than steel. And those hockey pucks?, make great sanding blocks, easy to cut and shape.

 

[Rbeckett]

I prefer a metal bench to reduce the chance of splinters getting stuck in the top and ultimately into me. I also lube my stuff excessively so a wooden bech would become oil soaked pretty quickly. And at 750+ or - I would definately be looking for the strength and rigidity that metal offers. What a lot of fellows have done to is to build a hybrid wood table covered on top with galvinized metal. Works great as long as you dont use a torch or high heat source on it too. There are several different approaches, but the most important to me is work height, neither too high or too low, strength and adjustability to compensate for floor variations. Just my .02, hope this helps you decide which way to go. There really is no right or wrong to this wuestion, just several differing approaches to consider for the future.

Bro. Bob, Wheelchair pilot/explorer

 

[8ntsane]

Everyone has a different opinion on this topic. I,m not a great fan of wood, and would build yours from steel if costs permit. Wood seems to move around with moisture, and wouldnt want to be chasing my tail trying to maintain level.

I agree that wood will absorb vibes, and may help you with that problem, but Id rather keep things leveled out. The stand should be built heavy enough it will handle vibes, and with ajustment to level it. I dont like rubber feet on a application for a machine tool that needs to maintain level.

Some perfer to bolt them down to the floor, and that sounds like a good idea, providing they still have a way to ajust the stand to level it. Wood or steel, its a double edged sword really. Choose your materials, and plan it out carefully.