# Want to see pictures of your benchtop lathe stand



## GrizzlyBagWorks (Jun 14, 2019)

I recently picked up a very nice Emco V10P.  Unfortunately the stand it come on is very much not nice and needs to be replaced.  My Kennedy stack is pretty full at this point and I have quite a bit of tooling for the Emco so I'm looking for options for the stand that can incorporate storage. 

Initially I thought to just purchase a Harbor Freight 44" tool box, remove the casters to get it to an appropriate height for this machine (34-35").  Problem is there is very little clearance between the handwheel and the table surface.  Cost of this would be ~$500

My next thought was to purchase two Harbor Freight "End Cabinets" to put under each foot and then fabricate a "bridge" between the two that sits several inches below the top and put a chip pan in between.  I think this would most resemble the original cabinet.  Cost of the two cabinets is ~$500 plus the steel for bracing and sheet metal for pan.

Not sure which direction to go.  I'd love to see what you guys have done for your machines or whatever input you may have.

Thanks guys!

My Emco: 






Original Emco Stand



Harbor Freight 44" Cabinet:



Harbor Freight "Side Cabinet"


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## jwmelvin (Jun 14, 2019)

I like your idea with the two end cabinets. 

The stand my lathe’s former owner built has provisions for a slide-out chip tray but he never cut out the top to take advantage of it. 






Your idea would have nice storage. I bought one of the 26” roller cabinets to possibly put under my bench top mill. I’m trying it out first with a welded-frame table before committing to the height.


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## matthewsx (Jun 14, 2019)

My lathe is on an old store counter that came with my old shop.




But, Grizzly has stands for sale.









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Grizzly Industrial, Inc. is a national retail and internet company providing a wide variety of high-quality woodworking and metalworking machinery, power tools, hand tools and accessories.  By selling directly to end users we provide the best quality products at the best price to professionals...




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Or just fire up the welder and make what you like.

John


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## Logan 400 (Jun 14, 2019)

I built a stand with a removable chip pan. The shelf now has a craftsman tool box on it.


Jay


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## bill70j (Jun 14, 2019)

GrizzlyBagWorks said:


> Not sure which direction to go.  I'd love to see what you guys have done for your machines or whatever input you may have.


GrizzlyBagWorks:

FWIW:  I faced the same situation when I bought my 50's vintage Atlas 10" lathe.

I was most concerned with mounting the lathe on a rigid bench, but did not have the funds to go with metal construction.  I looked at the benches Atlas sold with their lathes back then, and they were constructed of hardwood.  But I didn't have the funds to use either metal or hardwood,

So I designed one made from from hemfir 2X4's.  The top is laminated 2X4's as are the legs.  That makes them both rigid, plus the legs are secured to the floor, and there are steel plates under the bed, making leveling pretty easy.  Then I added full extension drawers and a cabinet for storage.

Maybe a cheap alternative for you.

HTH, Bill


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## hman (Jun 14, 2019)

I built a custom stand for my 9x20 Grizzly out of 2x4s, with a double thickness of ¾" MDF for a top and chuck storage below.  Added "knee action" wheel plates for mobility.


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## WCraig (Jun 14, 2019)

I went cheap.  A Canadian retailer sold a tonne of these inexpensive handyman workbenches.  It was exactly the dimensions I wanted:  48 wide by 24 deep.  I got one used on Kijiji for $50.




Even though it is just stamped steel, the frame is quite strong and stable.  The top is braced from underneath with glued and screwed hardwood cleats.  The cleats are down the centre line of the lathe bed and underneath the headstock, counter-shaft and motor.  Particle board would sag, otherwise.  Oh, and I cut down the legs by about 2 inches to get to a comfortable working height.

By stroke of fortune, the black cabinet on the left slide right in.  I bought it via an auction for the contents and had planned to dispose of the box.  It has 6 sliding trays with all sorts of tooling.  I cut up some cheap 4 inch PVC pipe to make the metal storage area on the lower shelf.  The shelf above simply sits on top of two of the PVC tubes.  The chest on the right is only temporary.  Change gears and some other stuff are in there but it is a pain to drag it out to get it open.

The 'chip pan' is a tinfoil baking sheet from the dollar store.

Craig


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## francist (Jun 14, 2019)

I like the feel of a wooden bench, especially with a heavy top. 2-1/2" thick aged Douglas fir on a trestle base that can knock down if needed. Didn't want to fuss with drawers myself, so went the tool box route. I didn't want to lose the functionality of the top of the box though, so in addition to the drawers sliding, I put the whole chest on heavy duty full extension slides. I also put a full-width strip of 1/4" plate across the front, kind of like a dashboard, that is handy for small lathes that don't have a lot of real estate to attach indicator stands to.

-frank


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## hman (Jun 14, 2019)

I really like your "dashboard"!!!!


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## Jim Dobson (Jun 14, 2019)

An old kitchen bench for me.


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## projectnut (Jun 15, 2019)

I Guess this is technically a "bench top" lathe.  It's an older Seneca Falls 10"x60" machine.


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## ratranger (Jun 15, 2019)

I'm using a husky box.  It was on sale a few weeks ago for $150.  Add in some 1x1 box tubing and bolts to reinforce/level and I'm happy with it.  It sits lower than the HF boxes, so I left the casters on and added a leveling frame.


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## C-Bag (Jun 15, 2019)

So many great ideas. I too like the idea of the HF end cabs(I've been wanting a couple for a year but with the price going up all the time I've gone a different route). I think I'd have to put a mid box in between them as the drawers are small and it surprising how quickly you run of of space. I love the idea of a drop in the middle for removable chip pan and Frank's dashboard. On the local CL there was several Craftman workbenches with built in drawers for cheap and that's the route I went for my 9x20. Good storage, cheap and sturdy but probably too short for OP's. Good thing is the bottom drawer is deep and can hold the different chucks.


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## mickri (Jun 15, 2019)

Get an old steel desk.  They can sometimes be found for free to just to haul them away.  Both counties where I live (Fresno and Tulare) have old metal desks in their surplus sales for $30 to $60.  An old wood desk would also work.   I have an old wood desk (free to haul it away) that I put wheels on that I use as a movable work bench in my garage/shop.  Lots of storage with different size drawers.  You can also add movable shelves in the footwell for more storage.


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## Mickatroid (Jun 15, 2019)

I just cast a rebar reinforced 60mm thick concrete top for a 36" tool trolley.  I figured for a lathe it needed rigidity to make levelling possible. Now  to buy the lathe 



The rebar is in a bow-tie shape to increase strength against twisting. I cast it in cheap melamine.


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## hman (Jun 15, 2019)

It's not only solid, but also massive enough to give some nice vibration damping!  Nicely finished edges, too.  Do you plan to drill the concrete for the lathe mounting bolts?


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## BROCKWOOD (Jun 15, 2019)

Mine is a byproduct of times past. It is a restaurant kitchen table that was retired once stainless steel became mandatory. You can still find the stainless version at local auctions when a restaurant closes down. I don't have a spec sheet, but 600 lbs seems to work on mine!




Slid a toolbox down under on the 1 half & house the accessories under the other half.


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## Mickatroid (Jun 15, 2019)

hman said:


> Do you plan to drill the concrete for the lathe mounting bolts?



Thanks. It is held in from the bottom with a couple of concrete screws. I will drill the concrete for the lathe mounting bolts though I will probably epoxy in threaded studs rather than through bolt. Much less messy inside the cabinet and I'd have a layer of foam rubber in the sandwich, which I hope will further reduce vibrations, which would simply compress.

The edges were bevelled with a flap disk. They work well on moderately green concrete.


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