lathe bed on a buget

as long as it works, it’s a good deal. In the old days, all the beds were wood, so it should work today as well. enjoy your turning.

Great way to problem solve and the money stayed in your pocket. :)

-- Lee - Northern idaho~"If the women don't find you handsome, at least they ought to find you handy"~ Red Green

Nicely done!

I guess my JET 1442 really isn’t limited at all!!! Thanks for the inspiration.

-- Randy-- I may not be good...but I am slow! If good things come to those who wait.... Why is procrastination a bad thing?

way to go

-- Jeffery Mullen

Wow that’s a really good idea looks like it should work good and you can make it any length you want. Russ

Wood was a major component of a lot of old equipment. I personally love a good blend of wood and iron in a tool. The entire bed of my home made lathe is wood a pair of 3×6 ash timbers to be exact.

-- A tube of calk and a gallon of paint will make a carpenter what he ain't

Necessity is the mother of invention. Good job.

-- Dewayne in Bainbridge, Ga. - - No one can make you mad. Only you decide when you get mad - -

I don’t want to be negative, but I do see a few safety concerns that I’d feel better having voiced. Take a look at the metal bed and notice the vertical reinforcement/web extending down from the horizontal surface. The vertical part is what gives it the rigidity and strength and is missing in the wooden construction (further note that my math says that steel is something like 20x stiffer than maple, though I expected the difference to be even more). Also, the T-nuts seem to be being used backwards (in a blind hole rather than mounted on the ‘back’ side of a through hole). As the ‘way’ is tightened into the T-nuts it is actually pulling them out of the base. I believe this would be a good place to use a threaded insert that is designed for use in a blind hole (the ones with external barbs, threads, etc). With this in mind, I would be wary of anything but light duty and already well balanced work.

Like I said, I don’t want to be negative here, but with thoughts of safety it doesn’t do much good to keep it to myself. Cheers and wishes of all the best.