Lathe Stand Options?

D

Damn Yankee

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Hi All,

I purchased a 7" x 27" tabletop mill last year. I knew what I was getting, but it had to go inside the house and there was no way I could maneuver and maintain a full-sized knee mill indoors. I plopped the new mill on a sturdy bottom tool chest and it all works very well (except for the crappy torque - but I already knew what I was getting).

Now it has become lathe time for John and I know 1.1 HP wasn't going to cut it ;) so I ordered a Griz G4003. Not the biggest, best, nor most powerful lathe on the market but it will fit my needs and facilities (house) well. Since these dudes are on back order, I had time to consider that the Grizzly stand is steel, not cast and so might lack some rigidity, so I thought I'd hit up the group for their thoughts. My first solution was why not another toolbox? I get the need for leveling, but could that not be done between the lathe and the toolbox? I thought about the wheels perhaps being the weak link in all this, but I could get one with 6 wheels and upgrade them with mondo casters.

So, does anyone have any experience with this approach? All ideas, thoughts, and criticism are welcome!

Thanks,
John
 
I bought a G0750G used last year, it has the stand. I am quite pleased with it. I think a similar stand would be acceptable.

www.grizzly.com

12" x 36" Gunsmithing Lathe at Grizzly.com

<h1>G0750G 12" x 36" Gunsmithing Lathe</h1> <p>The G0750G 12" x 36" Gunsmithing Lathe features a totally enclosed gearbox for quieter operation, smoother performance, reduced oil change frequency, and longer gear and bearing life. <p>The spider mount system is especially designed for supporting...
www.grizzly.com www.grizzly.com
 
I agree that the factory stand should be fine. I have a similar, but older, Tida lathe, and even though the stand is sheet metal, it's heavy gauge metal. You might want to add leveling feet before parking the lathe in it's forever home.

If you want casters, plan for the height. I was going to use them on my machine, but they lifted the height way too high.
 
Thanks for the replies.

I found a set of leveling casters that will support 3x the lathe weight. For ****s and giggles, I looked at reviews on Amazon and was totally disappointed with what they were saying. Some people are picky or have an axe to grind for whatever reason, but the accompanying photos truly spoke a million words!

A bottom box - my first thought is WAY too high - I must have been drunk o_O... Perhaps it is better to weld-up a HD stand using angle and flat stock then put the casters on it.

Too bad about the crappy reviews; worse about the pics. Anyone home-brewed a stand and can add any advice/cautions?

Thanks,
J
 
I really like the design @davidpbest did but I can’t justify spending more on materials than I spent on the lathe.

Some folks use old tanker desks with good results. I kept my factory stand and am using it for two different tools. I’m sure the new ones aren’t anywhere close to the weight of mine though.

If you weld it’s a great project and you can incorporate whatever storage you need. Finding boxes that are the right size can be hard though. I almost didn’t do my setup because of height and I’m 6’3”. As it is I had to give up on any thought of casters or a frame around them.

If you haven’t taken delivery yet you’ll see how substantial these machines are. Whatever you do be safe and make sure you over engineer it.

John
 
I had some of those cheap leveling casters. I hear the Carrymaster ones are superior but they are far more expensive.
 
I bought two sets of leveling casters from Amazon, rated for way more weight than the lathe, and the lathe scoots around the garage just fine on them. If building a stand, I think the leveling casters would be a fine idea. I'm bummed that they won't work for my application.
BTW, if you want a set for cheap, hit me up.
 
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