Lathe stand to suit an ML7

[David TParticipant @davidt96864]

Afternoon all,

Does anyone have any experience using a "mechanic" style commercially-available workbench as a lathe stand? Something like this:

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/cwb1205p-5-drawer-workbench/

(not necessarily that one, just the first one I plucked from the internet. Also, no connection to the vendor etc etc)

My lathe (an ML7) is currently mounted on a wooyden bench that I built onto the wall of my workshop. It has served me well, but I am thinking about reorganising the workshop. A bench like the one above would allow me to move and re-mount the lathe with a minimum of fuss. And again in the future, should the need arise. The drawers would be useful too, of course.

Am I barking up the wrong tree? If one of these benches is viable, are there any brands I should look out for?

Thanks!

Edited By David T on 16/01/2018 16:20:58

[David TParticipant @davidt96864]

Are commercial workbenches any good?

[Brian WoodParticipant @brianwood45127]

David,

I built my machine benches using Dexion slotted angle and topped them off with flooring grade chipboard, paying due attention to sinking bolt heads etc into the underside of the sheet to let the Dexion support it and not just the bolt heads.

I've had benches like that for years, the present ones stand on and are bolted to concrete floors. It allows you full flexibility in design and coverage of the space you have.

Regards Brian

[Brian Baker 2Participant @brianbaker2]

Greetings David,

I am still using the Dexion stand that came with the first Myford I purchased in 1977. It now has its forth different Myford on top. Just like Brian W, I used a wooden top, in the form of a kitchen worktop, again with the bolts recessed. I had made a large tray for the lathe to stand in. It has survived two workshop rebuildings and a house move

It has survived moving in the workshop, and a house move. I would not swop it for a manufacturers model, lots more storage for a start.

One day I will paint it.

Regards

Brian B

Edited By Brian Baker 1 on 16/01/2018 16:48:50

Edited By Brian Baker 1 on 16/01/2018 16:49:14

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

Since Myford recommended levelling the lathe when new, and the principle has not changed, the answer has to be are you happy to mount the lathe to a bench, if that does not give you the facility to level it should you so desire – or require.

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

David I have a Warco BV 20 lathe, very similar size to a Myford, originally had it mounted on the stand that I purchased from Warco with the lathe, but reorganising the workshop realised that there was a lot of wasted space under the lathe. I bought a bench from Axminster with drawers and shelves underneath, very similar to the one you have shown from Machine Mart, mounted my lathe on it and I can say it was a great improvement. The main benefit that I got, apart from much improved storage, was it brought the lathe up to a much more comfortable height to work at. I am not that tall, used to be 5’11” before advancing years shrunk me, now no more backache from hunching over the lathe. If it just improves your comfort whilst working then it is well worth considering.

Dave W

[Pete RimmerParticipant @peterimmer30576]

Posted by David T on 16/01/2018 16:19:23:

Afternoon all,

Does anyone have any experience using a "mechanic" style commercially-available workbench as a lathe stand? Something like this:

**LINK**

(not necessarily that one, just the first one I plucked from the internet. Also, no connection to the vendor etc etc)

My lathe (an ML7) is currently mounted on a wooyden bench that I built onto the wall of my workshop. It has served me well, but I am thinking about reorganising the workshop. A bench like the one above would allow me to move and re-mount the lathe with a minimum of fuss. And again in the future, should the need arise. The drawers would be useful too, of course.

Am I barking up the wrong tree? If one of these benches is viable, are there any brands I should look out for?

Thanks!

Edited By David T on 16/01/2018 16:20:58

I don't know where you're located but there's a nice Shaublin cabinet still advertised here. I bet it would make a grand base for a ML7.

https://www.homeworkshop.org.uk/index.php?option=com_adsmanager&view=show_ad&adid=31683&catid=2

Edited By Pete Rimmer on 16/01/2018 20:18:01

[Simon CollierParticipant @simoncollier74340]

Coincidentally, I just finished upgrading my ML-7 stand yesterday. It is a recycled barbecue trolley with a bit of ply plus a bit of kitchen bench top. I added two extra legs and some bracing. The switch was from ebay and thanks to Warwick Allison for wiring it to the motor for me. You can tell it is just finished as it is so clean! It is all pretty rigid and flat, plenty good enough for a little lathe.

[Brian Baker 2Participant @brianbaker2]

Greetings,

I should have said that my Dexion/tray stand incorporates home made leveling mounting blocks.

Must take a picture.

Regards

Brian

[David TParticipant @davidt96864]

Morning all, thank you for your replies.

I am comfortable (happy, even) doing a bit of woodwork, so I can knock up a stand-alone bench if need be. I am trying to decide whether the cost of materials + the time required is worth it versus a store bought bench that's ready to go.

Naturally any bench will have to allow the lathe to be levelled and / or shimmed. My present bench is just over 3' high which is a comfortable height for me. I expect any bench I bought would be lower, so I'd need to use raising blocks anyway. Unfortunately I only have a small hatchback for transport, so any option I take either has to be delivered or dismantled / flatpacked.

On the other hand, I could just buy a bigger, floor-standing lathe………

[KMPParticipant @kmp]

Hi David T, I had my S7 mounted on one of the much cheaper MM benches for over 10 years without too many problems but recently changed it for a home made bench (see my photo album) as the top had started to bow. I would have to say that these stands are not made from thick enough steel really and are prone to be noisy and easily damaged. If you have any vibration they will rattle and the drawers open (or are prone to) with interrupted cuts etc. As standard the top will require some stabilisation if it is not to bow over time. I had a good look at the stand you linked to but decided at that price I could do much better myself. Luckily I had an unused roll cabinet and incorporated that for drawer space, it works really well. It was not however a cheap option. In the past I have used angle iron/Dexion benches with every success and would not hesitate to build another if required, but as I have the welding equipment I felt I should use it, adjustable feet are easily fabricated from 12mm or so round head coach bolts/nuts and a suitable mounting plate on the stand. The top if well supported can be anything you have really but I used two layers of 18mm ply again with every success. I did however, use the Myford adjustable raising blocks (or my version of them) and after regular checking found that things were very stable and rarely needed adjustment.

I'm sure you can produce something very suitable and leave a good deal for some extra tooling which is always useful.

Regards Keith

[Jon GibbsParticipant @jongibbs59756]

+1 for homemade levelling blocks. You'd be very fortunate to get it level enough to turn parallel without them.

Mine have M16 bolts bored to accept M8 or 5/16" bolts from underneath the lathe.

For an ML7 the key dimensions (Courtesy of Wiktoria Jablonska (Anna) from the Myford forum) the rising blocks are on 4 5/8" centres and lengthwise it is 22 1/4" between the holes.

HTH

Jon

[Trevor Drabble 1Participant @trevordrabble1]

David , Just to throw a curved ball into the thread , may I suggest a lathe stand , item number 505177 from Axminster Power Tools ?

Trevor .

[Niels AbildgaardParticipant @nielsabildgaard33719]

Sometime ago lathe mounting was discussed here**LINK**

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

Posted by David T on 17/01/2018 09:25:44:

Morning all, thank you for your replies.

I am comfortable (happy, even) doing a bit of woodwork, so I can knock up a stand-alone bench if need be. I am trying to decide whether the cost of materials + the time required is worth it versus a store bought bench that's ready to go.

Naturally any bench will have to allow the lathe to be levelled and / or shimmed. My present bench is just over 3' high which is a comfortable height for me. I expect any bench I bought would be lower, so I'd need to use raising blocks anyway. Unfortunately I only have a small hatchback for transport, so any option I take either has to be delivered or dismantled / flatpacked.

On the other hand, I could just buy a bigger, floor-standing lathe………

Without teaching my granny etc; I hope that you realise you can only properly set up a Myford if you have a stable base to level the lathe to. Because timber is a dynamic material, and moves with weather, heat, humidity, natural ongoing seasoning of the wood etc, it is not necessarily a static base to work with.

You could level the lathe so it turns parallel one week, and the weather etc effect on a timber base totally throw that out the next week.

It's a chance you need to be prepared to take if you go with a timber base.

All of the six Myfords I have owned have sat on the steel factory cabinets, and I have always levelled the stand first, then fitted the lathe to that base.

Setting up a Myford is not just 'levelling' it in the context of the base being in the horizontal plane, or the lathe itself the same, it has to incorporate a parallel turning test, which is well documented.

For all intents and purposes setting it up to turn parallel will quite possibly involve the adjusters twisting the lathe bed, if the bench goes with the adjustments, it will never achieve the aim of turning parallel, or for that matter necessarily staying that way.

[norm nortonParticipant @normnorton75434]

David

It is really useful to have a cabinet with drawers and storage space underneath.

I use one from Axminster under my Myford like this: **LINK**

Norm

[PeroParticipant @pero]

Most of the issues with timber can be overcome by the use of properly seasoned timber for construction with the finished cabinet thoroughly painted inside and out. A good idea anyway if any ply, MDF or chipboard is used in the construction.

By following this process my Myford has been sitting happily, and sufficiently accurately for my purposes, on such a bench for over thirty years.

A steel bench will also expand and contract with temperature and not necessarily at the same rate as the lathe mounted upon it. The effect can be even worse if part of the bench is exposed to the sun through a window. The same applies to the lathe irrespective of the bench (timber or steel) it is mounted on. In this case curtains may be the best answer and the sewing machine your best friend.

Pero

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

David, the bench featured by Norm Norton is the one I obtained and very stable with a superb thick ply top which was ideal to mount the lathe on. Was so impressed with it that I bought another to mount my small mill on, well pleased with my purchases.

Dave W

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Wow these benches are expensive. The tinny ones might be improved by gluing (contact adhesive all over) and screwing thick ply to the big metal faces to reduce vibration. Ditch the wibbly wobbly feet for a couple of bits of 4×2 and shim for level.

If you are into woodwork a couple of sheets of ( decent not OSB) 3/4" ply would make a better bench.

If you are near a Costco they do a nice heavy duty shelf unit for about £120. This provides the metal part below the cost of Dexion or angle iron. It is a custom pack of what is available in kit form elsewhere expensively in the UK but common in Bunnings (Au).

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

Posted by Pero on 17/01/2018 14:34:48:

Most of the issues with timber can be overcome by the use of properly seasoned timber for construction with the finished cabinet thoroughly painted inside and out. A good idea anyway if any ply, MDF or chipboard is used in the construction.

By following this process my Myford has been sitting happily, and sufficiently accurately for my purposes, on such a bench for over thirty years.

A steel bench will also expand and contract with temperature and not necessarily at the same rate as the lathe mounted upon it. The effect can be even worse if part of the bench is exposed to the sun through a window. The same applies to the lathe irrespective of the bench (timber or steel) it is mounted on. In this case curtains may be the best answer and the sewing machine your best friend.

Pero

Ah, but I did not suggest a steel bench, I suggested the steel cabinet stand that Myford lathes were originally supplied with

[peak4Participant @peak4]

Another curved ball for you, but it might save you a lot of dosh.

Have you considered a home made bench, but using a length of granite worktop off ebay, or similar as the top surface. Solid and stable if you get a decent thick length.

I've just knocked up a stand for a workshop Belfast sink out of 3×3 fence posts, using basic mortice and tenon joints; cheap and cheerful and very solid.

I cut a length of Granite to size to use as a splash-back, and somewhere to mount a hand-wash water heater.

To cut it I, used a normal woodworking hand circular saw, coupled up to an old Aquavac, but with a diamond dry cutting blade. The hole sizes are different, as the diamond blades are designed to be used with an angle grinder. It just needs a different adaptor bush making, and obviously you already have a working lathe to knock one up.

Drilling the mounting holes through was a bit more time consuming, but I just used an electric hand drill in a normal DIY type stand, but with the column reversed, so the drill was behind, rather than over the base. I could then clamp the base to the worktop, in the same manner as using a magnetic drill stand; a bit like using a Rotabroach on an RSJ.

All the best

Bill

[PeroParticipant @pero]

Hello David

Generally speaking there is no difference between a steel cabinet stand and a steel bench with respect to differential expansion resulting from changes in temperature.

I have a heavy duty cabinet under one of my mills which moves in all sorts of directions when exposed to changes in temperature or to a few minutes in the sun (an inherent problem with sheet metal) and have no doubt that the Myford version would do likewise. I very much doubt that any of these steel cabinets, Myford or otherwise, were calibrated to expand and contract at the same rate as the lathe or mill they support and hence remain perfectly stable, one reason for not over-tightening a lathe to the stand.

A steel framed bench with a plywood, MDF or granite is likely to offer the best stability, and the best option for under-bench storage, although I have no concerns with my all-timber bench.

Pero

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

Timber moves with humidity. It also soaks up oil over the decades. I left dad's one behind in Buckfastleigh tip Devon, with its woodworm…

RDG, who bought the Myford name, manufacture steel cabinets that are to the original design and fit the ML7 and Super 7 lathes perfectly. The only issue is that they aren't making cabinets for the long bed lathes at the moment, Might be worth chatting to them if that's needed.

Basically, a steel cabinet under an ML7 will out perform a wood one unless one is prone to lighting a barbecue in the cabinet (even then). And the RDG/Myford ones have the vague advantage of being sized exactly for the lathes that are sitting on them. The prices are not outrageous compared with that that I paid 10 years ago for a second-hand one 200 miles away…

Disclaimer:- I have no connection with the lads from Mytholmroyd other than having been a customer and having a friend in Crag Vale 45 years ago.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

My experience with the mighty Drummond Flagellator has been to avoid mounting the lathe on a bench or cabinet that uses a top made of a single piece of sheetmetal or even thin steel plate say 6mm or even 8mm thick. It sags. It bows. It flexes. It vibrates. It drums and makes a heck of noise.

The bench top needs to have sturdy cross members underneath it to bolt the lathe to. Those cross members need to be made from stout angle iron or square tube or the like and be solidly connected to the main angle or tube frame of the bench. The more solid you can make it, the quieter and smoother the lathe will run, and the smoother it will cut.

Leveling blocks are entirely optional. You can simply slide U-shaped shims under the lathe mounting points to get it to turn parallel as per the Myford manual.

That's what I've found, anyhow. The Flagellator's original bench I inherited was a rectangle of 8mm steel plate with four stout legs of 2" angle iron welded directly to it at each corner. Weighed a ton and seemed solid. But the top was sagged in the middle from the weight of the mighty Flagellator and it ran very noisy. When adjusting the countershaft belt tension, with countershaft stand bolted to the bench top, all that would happen would be the bench top would bow and the belt get no tighter! I made a stout framework under the bench top out of 75mm steel channel braced to extra legs that then bolted to the garage floor. Much quieter and smoother operation resulted. the beast was tamed.

Edited By Hopper on 18/01/2018 03:21:02

[David TParticipant @davidt96864]

Thank you all you the, erm….. broad range of opinions!

The experiences expressed regarding the store-bought benches are food for thought.

Trevor Drabble's suggestion of the Axminster lathe stand is certainly interesting; it is significantly cheaper than the Myford stand. They have neglected to state what gauge the steel is though, which is unfortunate.

KMP's fabricated stand is beautiful, and I suspect is much more rigid than any of the commercial benches. If I only I had the ability to weld!

With regards to timber vs metal, I am not convinced that a sheet metal stand (at least without serious reinforcement) is any more rigid or stable than a wooden one. Peak4's granite top sounds like the most stable option, irrespective of what bench is beneath it. I fear that working with granite is beyond my capabilities though. What type of bits do you drill granite with?

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