Building a Sturdy Lathe Stand

In this Instructable I will be showing you how I made a sturdy lathe stand for my Myford ML7 metal lathe!

Before you go through the rest of the steps for this project, you should definitely watch the video that I have posted below. The video will show you plenty of clips of me building the table from start to finish. Also, if you enjoy the video you should definitely hit the like button or even consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Most importantly don't forget to follow me here on my Instructables page so that you can see all of my future projects! Let's get started with this project!

Keep in mind this stand is built specifically to fit my Myford ML7 lathe but with some minor adjustments you could make this to fit many other lathe models or you could even use this design to make a very sturdy work bench.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbfUaeUp7RY&t=306s

Supplies

Parts List:

- Steel Angle 2" X 2" X 0.188" (4 pieces 34" in length)

- Steel Angle 1.5" X 1.5" X 0.188" (2 pieces 15" in length)

- Steel Square Tube 1.5" X 1.5" X 0.12" (4 pieces 44" in length)

- Steel Square Tube 1.5" X 1.5" X 0.12" (4 pieces 15" in length)

- Steel Flat Bar 0.188" X 2" (1 piece 12" in length)

- Steel Flat Bar 1.5" X 2" (2 pieces 6" in length)

- Steel Sheet 11 Ga. (44" X 18")

- Hex Bolt 1/2" 20 NF X 1" Long (X4)

- Hex Bolt 5/16" X 3 1/2" Long (X4)

- Leveling Feet: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B08PBQHF75/ref=pp...

Optional:

- 90 degree Welding Clamp: https://www.princessauto.com/en/90-welding-angle-c...

Step 1: Welding the Top and Bottom Supports

I created a 3D model of my lathe stand in Fusion 360 before starting this project. This allowed me to visualize the finished stand and make any necessary revisions before purchasing any material. The Myford ML7 manual provided me with information on recommended table height (34") as well as provided all of the dimensions for the mounting holes.

The first thing that I did was weld up two rectangles using the 1.5" square tubing. I do not have a welding table so I purchased this 90 degree welding clamp to ensure all of my tubing would be lined up nice and straight. This heavy duty clamp saved me a lot of time and securely held the steel while welding. The finished dimensions of the rectangles are 44" by 18". The table top will be fastened to one of these rectangles. So in order to ensure that it sits flat I flattened out the welds on just one side of one of the rectangles.

Step 2: Welding on the Legs

The next step was to weld on the 2" angle for the legs. Before doing this I had to slightly round off the outer edges of the square tubing. This is because the steel angle has a small inside radius. Once that was done I clamped down the the table top and legs, made sure everything was perfectly square and then tacked them together.

The lower support needs to be welded on 4" from the ground. I did this simply by clamping on a piece of tubing to the inside edge of each leg and then dropping the second rectangle down on top. This way I knew that it was sitting perfectly flat. I then tacked it into place and double checked to make sure everything was square before welding it solid.

Step 3: Leveling Feet/Upper Supports

Okay so even though my table is perfectly square, the floor that it will be sitting on may not be perfectly flat. So I will be attaching these leveling feet that I found on Amazon. They were pretty expensive but seem to be strong and high quality.

I cut the flat bar into 2" squares and then drilled and tapped holes in the centers to match the thread of the adjustable feet. The squares could then be welded to the bottom of the table legs.

The final step before painting is to weld on the upper supports (1.5" angle) which the lathe feet will be fastened too. This part requires precise measurement. Drilling these holes or welding these supports just a few millimeters off will cause the mounting holes on your lathe to not line up with the mounting holes on your table.

Once the upper supports were welded into place I clamped the table top down and drilled up through the bottom so that all of the mounting holes were lined up perfectly.

Step 4: Making the Raising Blocks

The next step was to make the raising blocks. The raising blocks consist of jacking screws and can be used to remove any twist in the lathe bed. If your lathe isn't perfectly level it can result in a taper on any turning. I followed a video by Steve Jordan where he explains how important it is to test your lathe for bed twist. He also demonstrates in great detail how to adjust and align the bed to remove any turning tapers. Definitely check out his video if you would like to learn more on this.

I am making my own raising blocks rather than purchasing a set. The design is quite simple. I will be using the 1.5" x 2" flat bar to make them. I started by drilling two holes in in each piece to align with the lathes mounting holes. I then threaded the holes to house 1/2" x 1" fine thread bolts. These bolts need to be drilled out through the center so that the mounting bolts can pass through. (5/16" x 3.5") I temporarily had my lathe set up on a small workbench held down by wood screws and drilled through the center of the bolts using a 5/16" drill bit. I then used a facing tool to flatten out the top of each bolt. I chamfered the edge of the threaded holes in the raising blocks so that the bolts would tighten down all of the way.

Step 5: Paint and Clear Coat

Before applying any paint the steel will need to be cleaned off. To do this I wiped everything down with dupli-color grease and wax remover.

I went with a tremclad black semi-gloss paint for main table frame. I started out using a brush but ended up finding it much quicker to use a roller!

I decided to try clear coating the table top and raising blocks using flood pentrol. I poured a good amount onto the steel table top and used a foam brush to spread it out evenly. It was really easy to apply and I really like the finished look of it. We will see how well it holds up over the years.

Step 6: Final Steps

So at this point I could put everything together, level out the table and then lift the lathe into place. I also ended up making a bracket for the on/off switch.

And that's about it! I'm really happy with how the table turned out. Many lathes are housed on top of drip trays although I am not running a coolant system which is why I am ok with using the flat top. But if I am using a lot of cutting oil I will probably just slide a smaller tray beneath my lathe for easy clean up. Anyways, I am excited to start making parts with this lathe! Thank you for reading!