Member postings for Brian John

If the bench is too low then sit down ! Is there some reason that you have to stand up to use a lathe ?

The most that could be cut off the top is 2 inches. There is a horizontal beam on the ends at that point as you can see in the photos. It is welded on and cannot be moved.

There is need for any backing. This whole system is rock solid and it does not move, wobble or wiggle in any way at all. All other so called ''workbenches'' sold at the hardware stores would move all over the place when nudged with one hand !

The top will be 18mm, 7 layer plywood which will also be screwed to 19mm pine boards to increase stiffness and strength ie. a total of 37mm thickness.

I am hoping to look at the Masters Hardware version today ; perhaps it is lower in height.

I have measured the diagonals and they are equal in all respects. I have called Bunnings and they said to bring it all back in and they will have a look at it and exchange it if necessary. I may do that on Friday.

I should have mentioned that I have a Sieg C2 lathe which takes 5/16'' or 8mm cutting tools.

There are a few different parting tools available on ebay and I would like some opinions as to which is the most useful.

The first one is the standard parting tool and is part of a set (fourth from the right) which I will be buying anyway but it does look a bit fragile. The blade types look like they would give a much neater finish.

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Okay, so here it is with the lowered height : work surface is 98 cm high. The frames are still not quite square which really puzzles me. The only way this could happen is if the side beams were different lengths but they are not. Anyway, that does not affect anything and I do not think the cross beams on the ends of the frames will interfere with the operation of the lathe.

Edited By Brian John on 24/06/2014 06:07:33

My initial idea was to use a slab of thick plywood across two very strong saw horses which are capable of supporting 400 KG. I thought that this might be too low but I am reconsidering as I could always sit at the lathe in a chair. Nothings says that you have to stand at the lathe.

I am not cutting anything off ; I did think about it but I fear that it might compromise the structural integrity of the frames. Not being an engineer, I am not keen to find out.

Yes, the bench uprights will protrude above the surface of the workbench if I lower the side frames to the next set of holes. But at this point I do not see any other solution.

If it is a problem then why don't the lathe manufacturers build the tail stock to take a tang on the arbor ?

I am a bit worried that this work bench will be too high at 130mm ? Is there some best height for these ? You can see from the photos that the side bars are set in the top holes ; the 18mm plywood is to be screwed onto the pine which is resting on the top in the photo. If I lower the height by moving the side bars down to the next set of holes, will the ends interfere with the operation of the lathe ? I do not think so but I am not sure.

Edited By Brian John on 23/06/2014 06:12:55

What is the tang used for ? I thought it was to stop the arbor from turning but, as has been pointed out above, the friction of the taper does that.

Are all arbors threaded in the end to take a tang ? Is there one common thread for this ?

Edited By Brian John on 22/06/2014 04:45:28

Wow, that must be for a big lathe ! 

What is it ? Even at that thickness, it still bends.

Edited By Brian John on 22/06/2014 04:42:53

It is a lot easier to cut and fit timber ; you can ask the hardware store to cut it to size. It is not so easy to buy and cut metal.

Edited By Brian John on 21/06/2014 18:26:57

Those frames from Masters look the same as the ''Rack It'' frames from Bunnings. I bought the Bunnings frames yesterday. They have gone together very well ; everything is very solid and square and there is no wobble at all.

HINT : make sure you have the diagonal bracing on the ends facing in opposite directions otherwise it will not be square. It took me a while to work out my mistake !

Edited By Brian John on 21/06/2014 05:13:42

But given a choice between 1-13mm and 1-16mm, why not choose the latter ?

The tail stock centre which came with the lathe is 78mm long over all.

Might this  this 1-13mm drill chuck be more suitable ?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/390861218123?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Edited By Brian John on 20/06/2014 13:55:35

So just putting planks of 19mm pine under the plywood is not going to do much unless they are screwed and glued to the plywood ?

No, I was worried about the opposite ie. that the arbor will be too long. As you pointed out on 14/6/2014 above, most of the arbors will be too long for the Sieg C2 lathe. But in view of what you have said, I think too long an arbor is better than too short.

I think I will go with the arbor without the tang ; the second one on my original posting. That way I can also use it on a milling attachment should I purchase one in the future.

Edited By Brian John on 20/06/2014 10:48:01

Edited By Brian John on 20/06/2014 10:49:39

Okay, I must admit that I am a bit confused here as I have not had a chance to use my lathe yet. I am currently building the workbench for it now.

1. Please explain the use of the drawbar and how it works ?

2. How do you get the drill chuck out of the tailstock when you are finished ? I should image that it would be jammed in there very tightly !

3. Are the drill chucks and live/dead centres only held in place by the friction of the taper and nothing else ?

Sorry for what seem like some very dumb questions.

John : I have been using the Estapol (gloss) one pack polyurethane for a few months now. I have been preparing wooden plinths for model steam engines, boilers etc. I usually brush on two or three coats, sanding lightly between coats as you suggested but I always finish off with one or two coats of polyurethane gloss spray as it is gives a much neater finish than hand brushing....well better than my hand brushing anyway !

Why do you glue the two sheets of plywood together when you screw them as well ? I would have thought that screwing them together would be enough.

I am currently painting the plywood with numerous coats of gloss estapol.....in between showers of rain. It is always raining here !

I might put some 19mm thick planks of pine timber under the plywood to give it extra support.