One thing, you can never have too many drawers. That’s why I put the flat file next to my lathe. And why there’s two mid tool boxes under my RF30. With that tool box you should have just about enough storage
There is never "enough" storage.
Re. The wood lathe. I'll come around to the metal lathe (HF) later. I have a Craftsman wood lathe that looks very similar to what you picture. Being Craftsman, it's a little smaller, and older (1936), and shorter. . . The stand is similar, wooden planks and steel legs. One must keep in mind that a 2X8 from the late '30s-early '40s is no comparison to a 2X8 from 1980. Actually, the other way around. . . I wouldn't dare replace the old wood with new. You may be facing a situation where a previous owner did.
What I did do was true up the frame to my satisfaction. Meaning plumb and level with a carpenter's level, not a machinist's level. Then attached two diagonal tensioning wires on the back of the stand. Just stainless "lashing" wire, but enough for a lightweight machine. A simple toggle mechanism to tension them, and drawing up both against each other. They are attached to the base bolts of the lathe and lower shelf bolts opposite, and provide secure stability. Not much for shelf space below, but I need to (one day) redo the jack legged motor. One day. . . A couple of drawers are jerry rigged to the bottom of the upper plank. Wife uses it (well did, until I got her a Shop Smith) to make pens. I use it occasionally to make molds/patterns from wood. It was a "junkyard" purchase way back when I had
no lathe, wood or metal. There was (in 1936) a retrofit kit that gave some primitive metal working capability. I don't have such a kit, and heaven forbid I find one these days.
Re. The Horrible Fright 9X20, or whatever size it's called this week. I have a Grizzly equivilent (G-1550). An older Taiwan made version, with a spindle nose of 1-1/2 X 8. I think the newer version (G-4000) has M39 X 4. Otherwise, pretty much identical. I had the HF version alongside the Griz for a while. But couldn't do what I had in mind and eventually passed it along to a friend. The HF machine was a little more of a "kit" than the Griz, but did function out of the box. To my skill level, any way.
The cabinet you pictured above looks quite capable. I do question the stability of such a box, but just a photo doesn't do justice to how stable it is. If you
had space, I would have recommended a surplus GSA desk. I don't know the style or any background. All I know is that I have a couple. No wood, it's an all steel frame. Pop used to get them cheap as war surplus when I was a child. These days, a little more dificult to find. They are built like a tank. And heavy, a two man moving job.
My Griz is mounted to a base from Grizzly. Purchased before the advent of large tool boxes from HF and Lowe's, it was made for the machine. Everything lined up proper. I did have to extend the legs 4 or 5 inches. I'm tall, 6ft 3in. . . Used the same source for an Atlas horizontal mill. I have an old Craftsman tool chest, and it's full of heavy stuff. Like pipe dies and a power pony. But even the ca. 1970 tool box struck me as too light for machine mounting. Even a 6 X 12 was too heavy.
I have used a number of cabinet bases from W W Grainger for commercial use. They are strong, but Grainger is proud of them. I think their stuff is plated with gold. Sway bracing is an issue. The HF machine isn't so touchy to level in the supports, but movement is a problem.
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