Table for mini lathe

[skeptonomicon]

I am considering purchasing a Sherline mini lathe. I have seen many recommendations that these should be bolted to a solid table. Any suggestions as to what a solid table is? Should I purchase a flat metal pre-made surface, and weld it into a table? Should I just get a solid metal plate and bolt the lathe to the plate and the plate to a wooden table?

 

[Jim F]

South Bend recommended that their bench top models be bolted to a wood bench 2" thick at min.
Mine is on a bench with 2 2x12 for the top and cast iron legs.

 

[BROCKWOOD]

Lots of options really. Table needs absorb vibrations, so mass (even that of wood) is a plus.

 

[mickri]

Welcome to the forum. Lots of really knowledgeable people on here that will help you. Don't be afraid to ask any question no matter how simple it may be. Your are joining a large friendly group. And we love pictures.

Need more info about your shop layout. How much $$$ is in your budget? Do you need storage for the tooling that you will acquire? Etc. Tell us about your self and what you intend to make on your lathe.

 

[mikey]

All lathes benefit from being solidly mounted but if you do that with a Sherline you are missing out on one of the key benefits of this lathe - you can't pick it up and put it away until you need it again. A Sherline long bed lathe weighs about 35# soaking wet and the short bed one is even less so they are easy to pick up and move.

My long bed lathe has been mounted to a 3/4" thick Melamine Plywood for 35 years and it has remained solid and level for all that time. There are 3 pairs of rubber feet under the plywood so it stays level and solid on whatever it sits on. I can grab it from its storage site and move it to my Workmate surface to use it, then put it back when I'm done. No muss, no fuss, just convenience. Same thing with my Sherline 5400 mill. It gets moved so I can use it and then stored away so it is safe.

If you plan to leave your machines set up in a permanent location then by all means, attach it to a table. I prefer the plywood because it doesn't move like a big table would. A piece of extruded aluminum would move even less so that's also a good option.

 

[Aaron_W]

Agree with Mikey, but that shouldn't be surprising since I followed his advice and mounted mine on a heavy piece of plywood (I think it is 3/4") with rubber feet. I guess you could bolt it directly to the table, but not sure it would actually gain anything like a larger lathe would. It is quite solid on the piece of wood.

Sherline recommends a piece of laminated pressed wood shelving, but I chose a larger size for the wood base on mine that provides a reasonable working area around the machines. Flat surfaces tend to accumulate "stuff" so using the theory of painting yellow "keep clear" lines around machinery, the wooden base has a similar function for me helping to prevent encroachment into the working space.

Of course now that I have it on top of a tool box this is not as much of an issue as when it was used on a large table.

 

[NortonDommi]

I gave an Atlas 10" to a friend. When I got it it was badly twisted. It was mounted onto a 4" thick slab of fabric reinforced Phenolic which was left over from making engine bed blocks in a ship. Straightened right out over a few days of gentle tightening down and did not need any further adjustment! In small sizes the weight is not too bad. Most plastics suppliers have it but probably overkill.

 

[skeptonomicon]

Thanks for all the advice. I have very limited space, and might have to use other tools, bench grinder, saws and such, so the idea of mounting to a board sounds good. That way I can swap out the tools as needed, and can still use the table/bench for other projects as well. This lathe will be my first foray into metal working, and only used for small parts, probably mostly aluminum and brass.

 

[mikey]

This lathe will be my first foray into metal working, and only used for small parts, probably mostly aluminum and brass.

Your lathe will turn just about all common materials found in a hobby shop - steels, stainless, titanium, aluminum, brass, plastics and so on. It will turn 1-1/4" over the cross slide and over a foot long on the long bed lathe. It is a real lathe, albeit on the small side. However, it is capable of real work with the right tools and is a fine introduction to machining.

Welcome to HM!

 

[skeptonomicon]

It will turn 1-1/4" over the cross slide and over a foot long on the long bed lathe. It is a real lathe, albeit on the small side.

I am actually very concerned with the diameter of parts. When you say 1-1/4, is that the radius, so a 2.5" dia part? I assume I will have to add some riser blocks for larger parts. I have been leaning towards sherline because I want something that is usable out of the box so I can concentrate on learning how to build parts rather than how to build a lathe, but I am also looking at other offerings with more bed clearance.