New SB 9 Workbench

[Manderioli]

I decided to improve the workbench for my SB9. It had originally sat on a 2'x4' wood table that was sufficient for my needs. However, I bought a new tool box on sale to keep all the tool organized for the lathe and possibly mill. Due to the size of the tool box, a new workbench was needed.

I decided to build the new bench out of metal to dampen some of the vibrations and withstand the weight of the tool box, lathe, and tools. I ran some FEA on 1"x1"x0.12" tubing. I wanted the stand to be sturdy but also light. I also wanted a little more room underneath the bed for the chip tray. Without a top cover the max deflection was around 1.4mm between the lathe risers. With a top cover to act as a stressed plane, the max deflection was around 0.862mm. The angled supports near the feet helped immensely with the deflection. I tried various angles and came up with a 15/75 angle that worked the best for stress and deflection.

The hardest part was slipping the cabinet into the frame. My measurements and welding were too precise which caused some frustration during assembly. I am confident the tool box will not come out of the frame without persuasion.

The wood came with the tool box and was used as a stressed plane and finishing top. Overall dimensions of the workbench are 24"x48"x37" (Metal frame), tool box is 24.5"x46"x30". The feet came from McMaster and are 600lb rated for vibration dampening. During the install of the lathe, I decided to add adjustment setscrews to the lathe risers to keep the lathe level independent of the workbench.

Total cost:
$250 Husky Tool Box 9 Drawer 46"x24.5"
$140 1"x1"x.120 7-10' sticks
$40 8x8x0.375" steel plates
$30 leveling vibration feet
$10 for hardware (set screws and new bolts to mount lathe)

Will likely run test cuts on new bench in two weeks. In the meantime, I need to figure out how I want to organize each drawer and if I want to use the kaizen cut out foam.

 

[RandyM]

Very well done!

 

[RWanke]

Something similar to what I did for my SB9. I built a frame out of 1 3/4" square and 1 3/4" x 3/4" rectangular tube that the bottom of my tool box would fit into. I built the top by laminating 3 pieces of 1/2" baltic birch plywood together. The bottom ply was inlet for 3 separate pieces of 3/8" steel plate where the lathe and drive unit mount then put 3 pieces of 10 gauge stainless on top of the plywood basically sandwiching the plywood between the steel. I also inserted T nuts into the middle layer of plywood to attach the top to the frame and put leveling feet on the legs. The only problem is it's a little higher than I would like but if it gets to be a problem I'll build a small "platform" in front of it. Have not installed the tool box yet. hope to get to it this week but am thinking about putting some PVC tubes in the empty space behind the tool box for some short stock storage.

I leveled the table before putting the lathe on then leveled the bed of the lathe with my machinist level. I had about .005 twist from headstock end to tailstock end. It ended up taking .009 in shims under the back of the tailstock end foot to get it true. I am assuming this is because the table top is flexing somewhat easier than the bed. I will check it again after putting the weight of the tool box and all the tools in it.

 

[RWanke]

Here's what mine looks like with lathe installed. The tool box bottom half in the background is the one that will be put into the frame. Still need to clean and install and paint the guard for the gear train too.