This is my lathe work area. The stands that came with it did nothing for me (they’re now bench supports) so I made one from what I had to hand. The stand is in two sections: the bottom section bolts to the floor and is leveled via shim washers, the top section on which the lathe sits is leveled via four fine thread bolts - one at each corner. It provides leveling to within around .02 mm, depending on patience levels.
There is a small shelf immediately under the swarf tray for chuck jaws, mounts for dremel type grinders, etc, and a draw under that for micrometers, verniers, rules, reamers, centre drills and other odds and sods. Behind the two hinged doors below are chucks, steadies, change gears and the coolant system. Below that is just storage for smaller stock.
The coolant system is a five litre bucket and a 12 volt external pump which delivers coolant to two coolant nozzles: one has a magnetic base and sits on the compound slide for turning, the other nozzle is fixed to the back and is for drilling, milling, etc. There is a small tube and tap sticking out the right side of the cupboard to drain the coolant off, leaving oil and contaminants behind to be disposed of.
Above the lathe is the control system for coolant. It is comprised of a switch to switch the power supply on and off and to the right is the main tap (green) to control pressure. To the left of the switch are two smaller taps for individual flow to the two nozzles. The system works on a continuous loop principle, with excess coolant being delivered back to the bucket continuously to both aerate and mix the coolant.
Above that resides a set of three drawers for cutting bits, T nuts, spanners, etc, and above that is where I store drill chucks, live and dead centres, a die holder, dial gauge, drill sets, etc.
The steel work is painted hammertone and the wood shellaqued to make it look nice.
There is a small shelf immediately under the swarf tray for chuck jaws, mounts for dremel type grinders, etc, and a draw under that for micrometers, verniers, rules, reamers, centre drills and other odds and sods. Behind the two hinged doors below are chucks, steadies, change gears and the coolant system. Below that is just storage for smaller stock.
The coolant system is a five litre bucket and a 12 volt external pump which delivers coolant to two coolant nozzles: one has a magnetic base and sits on the compound slide for turning, the other nozzle is fixed to the back and is for drilling, milling, etc. There is a small tube and tap sticking out the right side of the cupboard to drain the coolant off, leaving oil and contaminants behind to be disposed of.
Above the lathe is the control system for coolant. It is comprised of a switch to switch the power supply on and off and to the right is the main tap (green) to control pressure. To the left of the switch are two smaller taps for individual flow to the two nozzles. The system works on a continuous loop principle, with excess coolant being delivered back to the bucket continuously to both aerate and mix the coolant.
Above that resides a set of three drawers for cutting bits, T nuts, spanners, etc, and above that is where I store drill chucks, live and dead centres, a die holder, dial gauge, drill sets, etc.
The steel work is painted hammertone and the wood shellaqued to make it look nice.
