Lathe Set ups

Drew Watson

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Location
Salt Spring Island, BC Canada
I have been cleaning and re vamping the shop since the canoe and have been toying with changing the lathe set up as I am facing a concrete wall right now with a stoarge shelf above me. Trying to figure out how to make it more functional. So I thought I would ask everyone's advice and tips on what to do and how everyone else have their's set up.
 
If you can put it in front of a window to get natural light, that would be a bonus, IMHO (Stu who works in a Dungeon with no widnows). You would have to armor the window of course :rolleyes: :D
 
Yea I had thought of that Stu as I have a large window in the shop but I can see putting a chunk of something through it. I am still looking for chunks of a couple of bowls that did a Houdini on me when they let go. I am thinking of turning it and sticking it out from the wall so that I can get more space around it. Right now it becomes a chiup collection spot that is hard to get at to clean. I also want to build some drawers under the bed to keep chucks, plates and tools at a closer hand ( that will not fill up with chips. I also have to set up some form of dust collection to try to collect the chips and curlies right off the lathe. I have ideas just trying to picture them in the head ( if you know what I mean)
 
Drew, I don't really have any wall space to put my lathe against, so it's about three feet or so away from the wall, oriented so I'm standing with my back to the wall (actually, to the built-in cabinets) when I'm turning. The back of the lathe is facing the center of the shop, so the lathe is accessible from both sides. Granted, there's a DC scoop and some other accumulated stuff on the back side of the lathe, but when I need to, I can get to that side pretty easily. I seldom go to the back side when I'm turning, but it makes cleanup a lot easier.
 
I have a piece of plywood under my lathe that slopes from the wall the lathe is against, towards the front where I stand, this makes clean up much easier, but, I lose that area under the lathe for anything but deep storage.

Next spring, I'm planing on a bit of a reshuffle of the Dungeon, one thing I'm seriously looking at is putting the bandsaw where the lathe is now, and having the lathe sharpening station beside the bandsaw, then the lathe would be mobile (it has those funky cool lock down casters on it) and I could move it into position when I want to use the lathe, or push it into a corner when I don't want to use it. I also want to modify the lathe stand, as my original design, though sturdy and stout, the one leg is always in my way. :doh:
It would not be a major mod to the lathe stand, but it would be a good one.

Next up, the back bench on the SawStop is not what I expected, it will be going too, I will shorten the rails on the SawStop and turn it 90 degrees so it runs the length of the shop and then build a stand alone workbench, not sure which style yet, but I'm leaning towards Christopher Schwarz's version of the Roubo bench, all be it a bit shorter than his (my shop is not that wide).

My point is I really do understand your desire to get the lathe out from the wall and make it easier to use and to clean up :D :thumb:

Is your lathe mobile right now?
 
I put mine against the wall and find for me that is best. It is on a short shelf but then I am not turning the bowls and stuff you guys are so maybe that is why I am not concerned. Originally in the garage my lathes were in the middle of the bay, at least this way I have a chance at corraling some of the shavings and dust.
 
If I do move mine out more to the center of the Dungeon, I will also be putting a rail system with a curtain around it, to handle the mess, and contain the dust. I'll have a mount on the back of my lathe stand for a DC hook up too.

Honestly the lathe has to be the messiest tool in the shop, well maybe a hand held router comes close! :D
 
I've got one lathe against the wall and the other standing alone with the drill press and CMS on the other side. I like the one standing alone because I can get to all sides of it if needed. Think dropped sandpaper, chuck keys, etc. The problem is that it throws curlies all over the shop. I mean all over, so I need to come up with a curtain or some sort of barrier to contain it. If you do put it against the wall, I would suggest pulling it out a bit more from the wall so you can get behind it to clean or pick up something you dropped it needed.
 
My lathe is mounted on a base, with cabinet space under with drawers for tool storage, the whole thing is mounted on casters so I can move it to a comfort position. and easy cleanup.

In front of window would be an ideal placement. Shouldn't really worry about chunks breaking glass as "Explosive" Oops usually is result of catches and as such happen tangent to the tool, which is in front or above, seldom behind... In the schools where I taught, in every shop, the lathes were in front of windows, advantage of natural lighting was the main reason. If still worried of flying projectiles... some wire grid in front of the glass will make a good catcher. Several years ago I tossed out a dead fridge from my basement shop area, But being frugle to a fault I saved the wire shelves, I use them to put small projects on while the finish dries. You could place one of such in front of the glass. although I still feel un-necessary. Worse concern would be the spatter of spinning finishes and stains dirtying up the panes of glass. and build up of dust on the window sill.
 
Drew,
I have two lathes and have the set up in an "L" shape with the small one against the back wall of my shop and the larger one perpendicular to it and sitting in the middle of the room.
I probably waste a lot of space in my shop, but I don't like to be too crowded... I have a 12x24 building with a 24" wide work bench across one end... there are two other work benches that are butted up perpendicular to the long one that forms a "U" shape. The little workbench is under a window and another longer free standing bench holds my drill press and belt sander. The little lathe is at the end of that and the large lathe sits about half the distance from the long work bench. The rest of the shop has my wood storage, tool storage, band saw, table saw and chop saw. That end is crowded. The main work area has about a 6x8 open area that I can move around in from work bench to work bench to lathes....
 
Thanks for all the input guys. So I am not alone with the lathe backed against a wall. I have the curtain idea in place right now behind me as I was throwing curlies all over the shop area and the oak ones were making a mess of my table saw top and the jointer top. Just a sheet of poly hanging from the ceiling ( wrapped in 1x2 and top and bottom) but it works great. I was thinking of doing the sides but the chips don't go that way and it would restrict the access to the grinder and band saw. No Stu I don't have the fancy wheels, my lathe is not mobile ( yet), though adding wheels would bring the lateh up by a couple of inches and make it at the proper height for me. I use the underside of the lathe for storage of wood at present (in rubber maid containers). I initially designed the shop for flat work and have lots of my tools on mobile bases and now that I am spending more time doing the turning I am finding I need to re-organize the entire shop to make the lathe flow better. What I need is a bigger shop but that isn't in the works for a couple of more years. One thing I will do with the new shop is have proper wood stoarage. Since I have gotten into turning I have accumulated so much rough blocks of wood I am feeling like I am working in a wood shed. Oh most of the japanese cherry dried too quick ( due to the heat wave from the summer) and a fair amount has split. I tried every thing and way to stop it as this was an experiment to me and the only woods that didn't split were the ones in the rubber maids though they did get a bit moldy. I need to learn a lot more about the staorage of the wood. Any good books out there on that?
 
I wouldn't call my arrangement a "set-up". My lathe is in front of a concrete wall.
Most of my tools are in or on an old cabinet next to my left hand. Not neat but they are handy. Some are kept on a shelf to my right.
No DC system, just a broom.
No other real options with my limited space.
 
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