Lathe stand tabletop thickness

[matthewsx]

Yes, I appreciate this. I’m going more solid than the factory base.

Just trying to figure out the top, I will have to look into sufficiently wide channel.

John

 

[mattthemuppet2]

For a 600lb lathe I would have thought 3 or 4 layers of 3/4" plywood would be more than stiff enough. Screw and glue each layer together at right angles to the other. Should be plenty stable enough too. I only have 2 layers under my SB heavy 9 (450lb?) and it seems to do the job just fine. I've certainly never wondered if I should stiffen it up further.

 

[bill70j]

John:

You might consider laminating construction grade 2X4's, then hand or machine planing the slab flat. That will provide plenty of weight, stability, and rigidity. The only downside is that leveling the lathe on a soft surface is hard to do. I got around that by putting 1/4" steel plates under the lathe feet. The leveling process was straightforward and the lathe has remained level for several years.

Bill

 

[ARC-170]

I have my 350 lb Atlas Craftsman mounted on 4x4 posts with 4x4 cross members. It's also bolted to the floor and wall. The top is 2 sheets of screwed and glued 3/4" plywood, with 16 Ga cold-rolled steel on top. I also made a drip tray. I bolted the lathe to the top thru the 4 layers.

I would recommend getting a metal top because oil will soak into wood and metal is easier to clean.

 

[DavidR8]

I have a length of laminated roof beam recovered from an old grocery store as the table for my lathe. It's about 3" thick old growth fir and hard as a rock.

 

[Jim F]

I've found that most of the 2x lumber at Home Depot is pretty warped (great starting material, if your goal is to make a propeller!). So I generally go with the "pressure treated" stuff. It's usually a lot straighter, with fewer knots and bad edges.

I think mine may be close to original, they had better lumber in 1947...............