Wood or metal bench for lathe?

Back in High School there was a teacher with a particular war injury that he always told the class about on the first day, as he knew it was good gossip. We called him.....you guessed it: Uniball.
 
I will second the hockey puck feet.

I have them under a variety of machines, compressor, Press, workbench, pedestal grinder and they were used on my old lathe.

Easy to make, drill through 1/2" diameter and Counterbore 1-1/8" by 3/8" deep
Cut a 1/4" thick washer 3" diam. I use a 3-1/4" holesaw, drill out the pilot hole to 1/2" and mount on a mandrel and turn to 3" diam.

Use a 1/2" carriage bolt about 3" long and a few nuts and washers and you are ready to go.

Walter
 
Well, I don't have any machines sitting on wooden benches, but if I did, I would put 3 coats of polyurethane on it. I have one workbench for my radio stuff done that way and I like it.
 
Consider laminating malimine or whatever that kitchen counter stuff is, its durable easy to clean and stands up to oil and grease.....just a thought.
 
No, Melamine is not Formica. You will see this type material in some bathrooms as walls (over drywall). It's water resistant and pretty hardy. It's not as hard or slick as Formica...should make a great top.
 
I like 1/4" Quench & Tempered hardboard for workbench tops, glued down with contact cement. Mine needs redoing soon, but has stood up to all sorts of abuse for better than 20 years including being stored outside for awhile.

My lathe tables I like a metal top. Or at least a chip pan made of metal, large cookie sheets work well. My current lathe has a deep metal drawer that acts as a chip catcher, well at least some of the chips, the rest end up in my hair and all over the shop.

Now speaking of all over the shop, got a fly cutter set for the mill not long ago, first time I used it, I had chips coming out like casings from a machine gun. I am still picking short curly chips from dark corners of the shop.

Walter
 
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I built a metal stand for my metal lathe.
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The “feet” levellers I made out of washers and 3/4” bolts. The 10 ga. tray under the machine slides out.


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