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I am finally getting to the point where I can mount my 9" South Bend lathe on something in the shop.? It is a horizontal drive workshop model probably from the late 1930s.? I would like to have it on some kind of a base with storage as my shop space is small.? Elsewhere I have come across people who have mounted theirs on a tool chest base from Harbor Freight or Home Depot or similar base cabinet.? I'm thinking that I would not use casters but mount the cabinet base to the floor and add an additional top to the cabinet.? Harbor Freight and Home Depot both have tool cabinets 22" to 24" or so deep or a little more while most similar cabinets are 18" deep.
Do any of you have experience with this kind of tool cabinet used as a base for a lathe?? I'd like to get one in the $500 to $600 range, otherwise instead of spending more I will just build a bench to put the lathe on, but the idea of a cabinet full of drawers appeals to me.
Thanks for suggestions!
Jim in Western Wisconsin
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I've been thinking of doing the same.
Remember, the depth front to back of my existing base is right at 30" deep.? I might be able to spare a inch or so if I let the counter shaft pulley extend out past the back of the cabinet.? I recall dad had it mounted on a mobile industrial cart we had when I was around 10-12 years old, 55 years ago!? It's been transferred to two different benches since then.? It's been on the current one for almost fifty years now.? I'm ready for a change, too.? I do have a couple of tool cabinets bought from HF in recent years that would work, they are being used for other things.? So that means I would have to purchase another one to mount the lathe on.? I would suggest putting down two layers of 3/4" plywood to set the lathe on. Ken?
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The idea of having it on casters has merit but not for rigidity.
If I didn't have a bench already the tool chest idea would be top
of the list. You can never have too much storage.
I think that if you don't want the casters, then at least
adjustable feet would be desirable. A well built cabinet should be
at least as sturdy as the cabinets from SB. You know the ones with
the loops for feet.
The only concern is getting one deep enough from front to back. I
have seen photos where people added on a little shelf to the back
side in order to get it deep enough to mount the
counter-shaft.drive.
One option would be to see if you can find a counter top that is
deep enough. A scratch and dent section of the stores sometimes
will have something at a reasonable price. A scratch and dent door
would make a decent top if it is smooth. Probably wouldn't matter
much if you have a chip tray. I didn't so I have some old cookie
sheets with side walls that serve as a chip tray.
Storage and lights are always a plus.
On 1/28/23 14:51, Jim Erdman via
groups.io wrote:
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Show quoted text
I am finally getting to the point where I can mount my 9" South
Bend lathe on something in the shop.? It is a horizontal drive
workshop model probably from the late 1930s.? I would like to have
it on some kind of a base with storage as my shop space is small.?
Elsewhere I have come across people who have mounted theirs on a
tool chest base from Harbor Freight or Home Depot or similar base
cabinet.? I'm thinking that I would not use casters but mount the
cabinet base to the floor and add an additional top to the
cabinet.? Harbor Freight and Home Depot both have tool cabinets
22" to 24" or so deep or a little more while most similar cabinets
are 18" deep.
Do any of you have experience with this kind of tool cabinet used
as a base for a lathe?? I'd like to get one in the $500 to $600
range, otherwise instead of spending more I will just build a
bench to put the lathe on, but the idea of a cabinet full of
drawers appeals to me.
Thanks for suggestions!
Jim in Western Wisconsin
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You know, at one time there were lots of steel government desks being replaced that had nowhere to go, so they were being given away.? If you can find one, maybe the dimensions would match what you are trying to accomplish.
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I recently purchased a bench from Home Despot that has both levelers and castors.? It has two full length drawers that seem to be of pretty good quality.? The top is butcher board.? It is the typical finger jointed butcher board with some sort of varnish on.? I have had it for a couple months now and I am quite happy with it.
Dave
I am finally getting to the point where I can mount my 9" South Bend lathe on something in the shop.? It is a horizontal drive workshop model probably from the late 1930s.? I would like to have it on some kind of a base with storage as my shop space is small.? Elsewhere I have come across people who have mounted theirs on a tool chest base from Harbor Freight or Home Depot or similar base cabinet.? I'm thinking that I would not use casters but mount the cabinet base to the floor and add an additional top to the cabinet.? Harbor Freight and Home Depot both have tool cabinets 22" to 24" or so deep or a little more while most similar cabinets are 18" deep.
Do any of you have experience with this kind of tool cabinet used as a base for a lathe?? I'd like to get one in the $500 to $600 range, otherwise instead of spending more I will just build a bench to put the lathe on, but the idea of a cabinet full of drawers appeals to me.
Thanks for suggestions!
Jim in Western Wisconsin
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Thanks for the replies.? The depth needed for the lathe and drive is a concern, and I am thinking of a wider (deeper) top to give room for it all.? If the wider top was fastened to both the cabinet and wall it wouldn't have to stick out far in front.???Jeff, I could get one of those old heavy desks just for hauling it home, but I like the idea of lots more drawers in the newer tool cabinets. And Dave, I think that I looked at that bench at Home Depot and it looks interesting but again, more drawers appeals to me.? I need to do more measuring and figuring I guess.
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I have three of them, two the wooden-topped ones, Yukon brand, that are 22" deep by 46" long. the other is a US General, 18" deep x 42" wide. They were advertised as 44", but the handle that bolts on is the difference in length. The US General branded one I have is obsolete, as they're now 22" deep, and none of their current production accessories will fit mine. I've been trying to find one I can afford that is 56" long, as the 42" cabinet is both too short and too narrow for my Atlas TH42 lathe, which is what I actually bought it for. :( My only real problem otherwise is that the wheels that come with them all are in pairs of 2 that swivel, and 2 that don't, which makes it hard to get them up against a wall, and with an unlevel floor, as in my shop, they'll never give you a level workspace. I'm planning on putting outrigger legs on them that I can adjust to level the tops. After I get swivel wheels on all four corners! ;)??
The US General boxes are rated for heavier loads in their drawers, but they have a 5/8" tall wall around the perimeter of the top, which is thin sheet metal. I've got some 1/2 slices of recycled baltic birch plywood that I've planned on putting on mine, but I built (cobbled together from various scraps and a cabinet that followed us home from Germany) with the Alas on it now. I'm currently considering using it for a pair of Unimat lathes, one in lathe mode, one set up as a milling machine.? Fortunately, my Heavy 10L came with one of the tube and box stands, as none of these things are rated for a 1000+ pound lathe. The Atlas is only about 267 pounds, but the counter shaft widens it's footprint to nearly 2 feet at the headstock end. If yours is a 9" bench lathe, it shouldn't be too heavy, I wouldn't think.?
I've also got one of the old GI metal desks. Mine has 3 drawers in the lift side, the usual pen/pencil draw in the middle, and a typewriter stand in the right side... 30"x60" top, IIRC, and nice and solid. Not a great deal of usable storage space, though. Trying to fit all this, and an bunch of other crap/junk/junque in the shop has been interesting. Having wheels on as much of it as possible is an absolute necessity right now. ;)
Bill in OKC
William R. Meyers, MSgt, USAF(Ret.)
Aphorisms to live by: Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.? SEMPER GUMBY!
On Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 03:41:45 PM CST, Jim Erdman via groups.io <jiminwis@...> wrote:
I am finally getting to the point where I can mount my 9" South Bend lathe on something in the shop.? It is a horizontal drive workshop model probably from the late 1930s.? I would like to have it on some kind of a base with storage as my shop space is small.? Elsewhere I have come across people who have mounted theirs on a tool chest base from Harbor Freight or Home Depot or similar base cabinet.? I'm thinking that I would not use casters but mount the cabinet base to the floor and add an additional top to the cabinet.? Harbor Freight and Home Depot both have tool cabinets 22" to 24" or so deep or a little more while most similar cabinets are 18" deep.
Do any of you have experience with this kind of tool cabinet used as a base for a lathe?? I'd like to get one in the $500 to $600 range, otherwise instead of spending more I will just build a bench to put the lathe on, but the idea of a cabinet full of drawers appeals to me.
Thanks for suggestions!
Jim in Western Wisconsin
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??? ??? I decided to consolidate 3 of my rollaway tool boxes
& bought the largest that HF had at the time the 56x22 top
& lower with the 7 drawer side? box .I had read a bunch of the
reviews & it was real well documented that the drawer latches
will break? . I had 2 broken within a week & there's probably
4-5 more these days but that's ok I knew going into it that would
happen . About a month in one of the slides lost the plastic part
that spaces the bearings . I contacted the store manager & he
said to bring it in , I said bring the drawer in & he said no
bring in the whole thing .
Well that didn't happen . since then 2 more slides have had their
balls drop , I guess it happens with age .? I've just learned to
open those drawers carefully & not to leave them open . When I
was building my kitchen cabinets for my new place I noticed that
one of the vendors I was looking at for drawer slides makes them
for tool boxes . I just have to find my notes & order some . I
don't move my tool box , so I had all these issues with a
stationary box . Still it was way more bang for my buck than any
others I looked at .Some of the reviews said that the wheels start
to fall apart with use & moving the boxes around , That I
cannot attest to . I looked at some of the boxes that Home Depot
sells , the drawers are super shallow it would have probably taken
5 drawers just for my opened & box wrenches . Another thing is
the bottom of the HD boxes are open so it's real easy for critters
to get in yer drawers .
YMMV
animal
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Show quoted text
On 1/30/2023 7:03 PM, Bill in OKC too via groups.io wrote:
I have three of them, two the
wooden-topped ones, Yukon brand, that are 22" deep by
46" long. the other is a US General, 18" deep x 42"
wide. They were advertised as 44", but the handle that
bolts on is the difference in length. The US General
branded one I have is obsolete, as they're now 22"
deep, and none of their current production accessories
will fit mine. I've been trying to find one I can
afford that is 56" long, as the 42" cabinet is both
too short and too narrow for my Atlas TH42 lathe,
which is what I actually bought it for. :( My only
real problem otherwise is that the wheels that come
with them all are in pairs of 2 that swivel, and 2
that don't, which makes it hard to get them up against
a wall, and with an unlevel floor, as in my shop,
they'll never give you a level workspace. I'm planning
on putting outrigger legs on them that I can adjust to
level the tops. After I get swivel wheels on all four
corners! ;)??
The US General boxes are rated for
heavier loads in their drawers, but they have a 5/8"
tall wall around the perimeter of the top, which is
thin sheet metal. I've got some 1/2 slices of recycled
baltic birch plywood that I've planned on putting on
mine, but I built (cobbled together from various
scraps and a cabinet that followed us home from
Germany) with the Alas on it now. I'm currently
considering using it for a pair of Unimat lathes, one
in lathe mode, one set up as a milling machine.?
Fortunately, my Heavy 10L came with one of the tube
and box stands, as none of these things are rated for
a 1000+ pound lathe. The Atlas is only about 267
pounds, but the counter shaft widens it's footprint to
nearly 2 feet at the headstock end. If yours is a 9"
bench lathe, it shouldn't be too heavy, I wouldn't
think.?
I've also got one of
the old GI metal desks. Mine has 3 drawers in the lift
side, the usual pen/pencil draw in the middle, and a
typewriter stand in the right side... 30"x60" top,
IIRC, and nice and solid. Not a great deal of usable
storage space, though. Trying to fit all this, and an
bunch of other crap/junk/junque in the shop has been
interesting. Having wheels on as much of it as
possible is an absolute necessity right now. ;)
Bill in OKC
William R. Meyers, MSgt, USAF(Ret.)
Aphorisms to live by:
Good judgement comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad judgement.?
SEMPER GUMBY!
Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome.
Physics doesn't care about your
schedule.
The only reason I know anything
is because I've done it wrong enough times
to START to know better
On Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 03:41:45 PM CST, Jim
Erdman via groups.io <jiminwis@...>
wrote:
I
am finally getting to the point where I can mount my 9"
South Bend lathe on something in the shop.? It is a
horizontal drive workshop model probably from the late
1930s.? I would like to have it on some kind of a base
with storage as my shop space is small.? Elsewhere I
have come across people who have mounted theirs on a
tool chest base from Harbor Freight or Home Depot or
similar base cabinet.? I'm thinking that I would not use
casters but mount the cabinet base to the floor and add
an additional top to the cabinet.? Harbor Freight and
Home Depot both have tool cabinets 22" to 24" or so deep
or a little more while most similar cabinets are 18"
deep.
Do any of you have experience with this kind of tool
cabinet used as a base for a lathe?? I'd like to get one
in the $500 to $600 range, otherwise instead of spending
more I will just build a bench to put the lathe on, but
the idea of a cabinet full of drawers appeals to me.
Thanks for suggestions!
Jim in Western Wisconsin
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My SB9A, when I bought it, came with a maple top. It is 36x60x3”. It weighs around 200lbs. Mounting something like this on a 22x48 toolbox would probably work excellent. ?Btw, I have the original receipt for the bench top, from 1947. It cost $38! That was big money back then.
 
As for leveling legs, I made these for my SB13. They are simply made out of hockey pucks glued to 3” steel discs, welded to a bolt. Great for leveling and vibration dampening. I found the steel discs on eBay, cheap.?
Lastly, I like shallow drawers. They allow you to lay tools out so you can find them easily. Wrench trays work great. Sockets on rails lay down do you can see what you have. AXA tool holders fit perfectly, they are not hanging on a wall getting dirty.?
 
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I bought a wooden countertop from Home Depot made of acacia, IIRC. Cost me around $150? for the 8' top I bought. Got used for the kitchen sink area, and before I could go buy another, the price of lumber went through the roof. Just looked, and a hevea wood (rubber tree) countertop is about $80 for a 4-footer, Birch is $209 for the same size. In April, 2020, I'd ordered 2 60" maple butcherblocks, about $220 apiece from Amazon, and they shipped them just barely wrapped. Got beat to heck by UPS, and I sent them back. Now they're about $300 each. One of these days I'll be able to buy another chunk of butcherblock, but it's probably not going to be this year. I was attempting to laminate some pieces of 1/2 baltic birch plywood that I'd scavenged from work several years ago, and that may yet happen, but I've only got enough for the one workbench. And right now, my shop is too cold for the glue to dry. Freezing wouldn't be a problem, though! The US General bench is where the Unimats are going, IIRC. I think the birch ply is too short for the Yukon benches.?
In a couple of years, I might have the financial situation kicked around enough to not have to be such a cheap bastrich all the time. In the mean time, I'm going to try to work with what I have or can scavenge.? ;)?
Bill in OKC
William R. Meyers, MSgt, USAF(Ret.)
Aphorisms to live by: Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.? SEMPER GUMBY!
On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 09:07:35 AM CST, Rick <vwrick@...> wrote:
My SB9A, when I bought it, came with a maple top. It is 36x60x3”. It weighs around 200lbs. Mounting something like this on a 22x48 toolbox would probably work excellent. ?Btw, I have the original receipt for the bench top, from 1947. It cost $38! That was big money back then.
 
As for leveling legs, I made these for my SB13. They are simply made out of hockey pucks glued to 3” steel discs, welded to a bolt. Great for leveling and vibration dampening. I found the steel discs on eBay, cheap.?
Lastly, I like shallow drawers. They allow you to lay tools out so you can find them easily. Wrench trays work great. Sockets on rails lay down do you can see what you have. AXA tool holders fit perfectly, they are not hanging on a wall getting dirty.?
 
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On Mon, Jan 30, 2023 at 11:36 PM, mike allen wrote:
I don't move my tool box , so I had all these issues with a stationary box . Still it was way more bang for my buck than any others I looked at .Some of the reviews said that the wheels start to fall apart with use & moving the boxes around , That I cannot attest to .
I have found that the rating of wheels is not what a normal person would expect.? I have purchased wheels that say they are rated for 300 pounds, but might not last more than a few months with 100 pounds if rolled around.? Therefore I think their ratings are a "static" rating, not a sign of durability when used for rolling.
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??? ??? You may want to check at a " Habitat for Humanity " store
& see what they have . A solid core door on top of a tool box
would be fine . My 9A has been on a Solid core door on a bench I
made for it for many many years now . I also like the fact that
their white , real easy to find the screw that hold's the insert
on? that's scared of the light .
??? ??? animal
On 1/31/2023 8:00 AM, Bill in OKC too
via groups.io wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
I bought a wooden
countertop from Home Depot made of acacia, IIRC. Cost me
around $150? for the 8' top I bought. Got used for the
kitchen sink area, and before I could go buy another, the
price of lumber went through the roof. Just looked, and a
hevea wood (rubber tree) countertop is about $80 for a
4-footer, Birch is $209 for the same size. In April, 2020,
I'd ordered 2 60" maple butcherblocks, about $220 apiece
from Amazon, and they shipped them just barely wrapped. Got
beat to heck by UPS, and I sent them back. Now they're about
$300 each. One of these days I'll be able to buy another
chunk of butcherblock, but it's probably not going to be
this year. I was attempting to laminate some pieces of 1/2
baltic birch plywood that I'd scavenged from work several
years ago, and that may yet happen, but I've only got enough
for the one workbench. And right now, my shop is too cold
for the glue to dry. Freezing wouldn't be a problem, though!
The US General bench is where the Unimats are going, IIRC. I
think the birch ply is too short for the Yukon benches.?
In a couple of years, I
might have the financial situation kicked around enough to
not have to be such a cheap bastrich all the time. In the
mean time, I'm going to try to work with what I have or can
scavenge.? ;)?
Bill in OKC
William R. Meyers, MSgt, USAF(Ret.)
Aphorisms
to live by:
Good judgement comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad judgement.?
SEMPER GUMBY!
Improvise,
Adapt, and Overcome.
Physics
doesn't care about your schedule.
The
only reason I know anything is because I've done
it wrong enough times to START to know better
On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 09:07:35 AM CST, Rick
<vwrick@...> wrote:
My SB9A, when I bought it, came with a maple top. It
is 36x60x3”. It weighs around 200lbs. Mounting
something like this on a 22x48 toolbox would probably
work excellent. ?Btw, I have the original receipt for
the bench top, from 1947. It cost $38! That was big
money back then.
As for leveling legs, I made these for my SB13. They
are simply made out of hockey pucks glued to 3” steel
discs, welded to a bolt. Great for leveling and
vibration dampening. I found the steel discs on eBay,
cheap.?
Lastly, I like shallow drawers. They allow you to lay
tools out so you can find them easily. Wrench trays
work great. Sockets on rails lay down do you can see
what you have. AXA tool holders fit perfectly, they
are not hanging on a wall getting dirty.?
|
??? ??? I think your on to something there . One guy said he had
his tool box mounted in his van/truck & the wheels failed in
that application also . I think I probably would have removed teh
casters before I put the box in the rig though . You read stuff
like this & it makes you over think buying a set of casters
for a project your workin on . I know it does for me .
??? ??? animal
On 1/31/2023 9:25 AM, Jeff Chadima
wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Mon, Jan 30, 2023 at 11:36 PM, mike allen wrote:
I don't move my tool box , so I had all these issues
with a stationary box . Still it was way more bang for my buck
than any others I looked at .Some of the reviews said that the
wheels start to fall apart with use & moving the boxes
around , That I cannot attest to .
I have found that the rating of wheels is not what a normal person
would expect.? I have purchased wheels that say they are rated for
300 pounds, but might not last more than a few months with 100
pounds if rolled around.? Therefore I think their ratings are a
"static" rating, not a sign of durability when used for rolling.
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Rubber and plastic wheels have a tendency to get flat if not
rolled around very often. Some are better than others but they are
all probably over rated weight wise. I like to go bigger as they
roll easier on my not so smooth floor and they are rated higher
too.
For heavy things that I want to roll when needed but will
probably sit in one spot for a long time, I like steel casters.
Cost more up front but shouldn't need replacing. In theory at
least.
Stuart
On 1/31/23 13:12, mike allen wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
??? ??? I think your on to something there . One guy said he
had his tool box mounted in his van/truck & the wheels
failed in that application also . I think I probably would have
removed teh casters before I put the box in the rig though . You
read stuff like this & it makes you over think buying a set
of casters for a project your workin on . I know it does for me
.
??? ??? animal
On 1/31/2023 9:25 AM, Jeff Chadima
wrote:
On Mon, Jan 30, 2023 at 11:36 PM, mike allen wrote:
I don't move my tool box , so I had all these issues
with a stationary box . Still it was way more bang for my buck
than any others I looked at .Some of the reviews said that the
wheels start to fall apart with use & moving the boxes
around , That I cannot attest to .
I have found that the rating of wheels is not what a normal
person would expect.? I have purchased wheels that say they are
rated for 300 pounds, but might not last more than a few months
with 100 pounds if rolled around.? Therefore I think their
ratings are a "static" rating, not a sign of durability when
used for rolling.
|
Bill in OKC too