Kev Posted August 15, 2023 Share Posted August 15, 2023 Even though I'm having some issues with Sketchup, I wanted to draw this one out while it was fresh in my head so we could have some conversations and maybe some better ideas. Dimensions aren't shown but, this is to scale. One of the things that I noticed during our turnings the other day is that my lathe corner didn't work as well as I had hoped. The major deficiency was a place to set tools when switching from tool to tool. This cabinet will live under the lathe and be pulled out when turning. It would become an additional work surface and place to store the tools being used on that project. It will be on 4" lockable casters. It's 45" long, 18" deep, and about 28" tall with the wheels. My thought was to have the top able to tilt up at a fairly steep angle when the cabinet is in use. Obviously, I would need to add some tool holding to the top which would definitely make the cabinet a little shorter. And then, when I want to put it away, the top simply lies flat on the cabinet and stores under the lathe. Additionally, the top wide "drawer" would actually be a pull out tray to store other things while working at the lathe. Of course, the additional drawer space will be great for additional storage for lathe related things. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted August 16, 2023 Share Posted August 16, 2023 I don’t have a lathe but have several turning tools and most are roundish and have round handles. Wouldn’t the tilt top become a balancing act, trying to keep them in place? What’s the reasoning for the tilt top? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted August 16, 2023 Author Share Posted August 16, 2023 2 minutes ago, Coop said: I don’t have a lathe but have several turning tools and most are roundish and have round handles. Wouldn’t the tilt top become a balancing act, trying to keep them in place? What’s the reasoning for the tilt top? There will be "tool holders" on it. It will be pulled out and directly to the right of the lathe to put these tools on when working at the lathe. When we were doing some turnings on Sunday, I ended up pulling the shop cart over there to set things on and just figured I could do a little better than that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye (Bryan) Posted August 16, 2023 Share Posted August 16, 2023 Under the lathe is a great place for storage, mobile is even better. I’m bot following your plans for the top, you mention additional work surface but also tool storage, so is the tool storage only accessible when tilted? In another thread about you lathe, I was going to mention a dust hood, to help with clean up while turning. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted August 16, 2023 Author Share Posted August 16, 2023 Just now, Woodenskye (Bryan) said: Under the lathe is a great place for storage, mobile is even better. I’m bot following your plans for the top, you mention additional work surface but also tool storage, so is the tool storage only accessible when tilted? In another thread about you lathe, I was going to mention a dust hood, to help with clean up while turning. Yes.. The tool storage is only meant to be used when using the lathe. The rest of the time, those tools will live in the drawers... I've only got 28 total inches of height under the lathe so, even with wheels, this is just not a very tall cabinet. By tilting the top up when using the lathe, it makes those tools much more accessible. As well, the top "drawer" is actually a pull out tray which will act as another horizontal surface to set things on. So, turning tools on the tilt top in some sort of holders not yet designed and all the other odds and ends on the pull out tray. I have a DC drop over there already specifically put there for the lathe. I purposely designed this cabinet at 18" deep to allow for a stand and hood behind the lathe that can stay there when the cabinet is put away under the lathe as well as be easily movable when the lathe is in use. I hope I'm explaining what's in my head well enough to be understood? I've not seen a design like this anywhere but, I also don't watch a great deal of turning videos.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye (Bryan) Posted August 16, 2023 Share Posted August 16, 2023 It seems like the turners I watch, generally have a cart, a simple stand for tools or even PVC in some cases. I think yours is more practical since you aren’t doing just lathe work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted August 16, 2023 Author Share Posted August 16, 2023 8 minutes ago, Woodenskye (Bryan) said: It seems like the turners I watch, generally have a cart, a simple stand for tools or even PVC in some cases. I think yours is more practical since you aren’t doing just lathe work. This will be dedicated to the lathe but, I also need it out of the way when not in use.. It is possible that the pull out tray might come in handy when milling lumber for a project considering it's proximity to the planer.. That would purely be an added bonus though.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted August 16, 2023 Share Posted August 16, 2023 This is what I did for my lathe. It is a full size (16") over bed lathe. I don't have wall space for lathe tools, and reaching over a spinning piece of wood does not appeal to me. The pictures are self explanatory. It is a 24" bed, I haven't found a need for any longer. So the space to right is for the tools I am using on a project;. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted August 16, 2023 Author Share Posted August 16, 2023 Thanks @Bob! Ultimately, it's that "space to the right" of your machine that I'm after for this top portion. It looks to me like you just put tools in use there which is what I want. Great setup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted August 16, 2023 Share Posted August 16, 2023 54 minutes ago, Kev said: Thanks @Bob! Ultimately, it's that "space to the right" of your machine that I'm after for this top portion. It looks to me like you just put tools in use there which is what I want. Great setup! I wish I had more shop space, I would have made the cabinet a litte larger (longer). It can get pretty crowded if I get lazy and don't put tools away when I am turning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted August 17, 2023 Author Share Posted August 17, 2023 4 hours ago, Bob said: I wish I had more shop space, I would have made the cabinet a litte larger (longer). It can get pretty crowded if I get lazy and don't put tools away when I am turning. Agreed.. That's why I added as much as I did to this cabinet.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted December 14, 2023 Author Share Posted December 14, 2023 Coming back to this project finally now that I've had some time on the lathe and have a little better understanding of what I need and want. For starters, I think the cabinet I designed above would ultimately be too big and heavy. This would create a couple problems. When pulled out for use, it would block access to the bench area that I built that has a lot of drawer storage as well as my tool sharpening. If it's heavy and cumbersome, it probably won't get used as intended. One of the things that I've noticed from the last few turnings is that I end up pulling up my shop cart on the right side of me. This is where the tools get stored but, it get's cluttered in a hurry! The other thing that I've noticed is that my planer horizontal surfaces are also getting used which is to the left and behind the lathe.. So, I'm thinking 2 smaller cabinets on wheels that will be easier to roll out and place where I want/need them. Then, with a little bit of organization, perhaps it won't be a cluttered mess! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted December 14, 2023 Share Posted December 14, 2023 Good assessment. Plan twice and build once. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye (Bryan) Posted December 14, 2023 Share Posted December 14, 2023 Have you thought about buying a second shop cart, add a cabinet and maybe some tool holders. When turning it may still be a cluttered mess, but it wouldn’t tie up your other cart, probably easy to move. Only negative is it may take up valuable space when not in use. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted December 14, 2023 Author Share Posted December 14, 2023 21 minutes ago, Woodenskye (Bryan) said: Have you thought about buying a second shop cart, add a cabinet and maybe some tool holders. When turning it may still be a cluttered mess, but it wouldn’t tie up your other cart, probably easy to move. Only negative is it may take up valuable space when not in use. That's why I'm considering the 2 cabinets.. Both will be on wheels so, they'll have a home (same footprint as the large cabinet above) as well as the organization stuff needed. I'll just pull them out from under the lath when I want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted December 15, 2023 Share Posted December 15, 2023 I have a cabinet to the right of my lathe with drawer storage and added a shelf underneath for blanks etc and a tool rack behind on the wall for the tools. On my old set up I had a shelf between the lathe and the stand which worked but as you mentioned would fill up fast so this time I went with the wall rack. We'll see what I think after a while but I think it will work. Old set up New set up 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted December 15, 2023 Share Posted December 15, 2023 Paul, not having a lathe, I wouldn’t know but is having the tool rack behind and over the lathe, not a safety concern? Or is it a given that when you change tools, that you shut the machine down? Or maybe the tool rack is to your back? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted December 15, 2023 Author Share Posted December 15, 2023 2 hours ago, pkinneb said: I have a cabinet to the right of my lathe with drawer storage and added a shelf underneath for blanks etc and a tool rack behind on the wall for the tools. On my old set up I had a shelf between the lathe and the stand which worked but as you mentioned would fill up fast so this time I went with the wall rack. We'll see what I think after a while but I think it will work. Yea, you've pretty much gone where I'm thinking of going except for the tools behind the lathe and a little change to the left.. Between the cabinet, lights, and divider rack behind the lathe, there's just not a lot of room there. As well as @Coop pointed out, I do have a concern around leaning over a running lathe. Although I do understand that the you most likely have the lathe off when doing this. Like you, I have a custom cabinet to the right of the lathe, I'll post an updated picture tomorrow. The downside to my cabinet is that the horizontal surface is pretty filled up with sharpening equipment and because it's a corner cabinet, it's just a little too far from the actual working position of the lathe. I don't have anything other than the horizontal surfaces of my planer on the left. In fairness, I'm not sure if this "planer" space is being used because my shop cart (fill in for the space on the right) is full or if I genuinely want to place items there. Figuring out the left cabinet will be a work in progress through turning actual projects. The solution I'm considering is two smaller cabinets (2) on wheels that live under the lathe when not in use but, roll out to a comfortable working position when I'm working at the lathe. being smaller cabinets, I'll still have access to the corner cabinet on the right and won't be using my planer surfaces on the left. Currently, I'm envisioning the frequently grabbed turning tools and abrasives living on the right cabinet and the less frequently grabbed lathe chucks and finishes living on the left cabinet. I'm liking the idea of stepping up to the lathe and being somewhat surrounded by an array of cabinets that all house different components to working at the lathe where I'm not walking a bunch to get what I need/want. I suppose long term, I'll also have to dial in the dust collection as well as figure out how to shoot video at this location. @pkinneb I love your set up! I'll bet you enjoy some serious time there! Looks like you went to a little smaller lathe getting it a little closer to your cabinet on the right? I envy that proximity! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted December 15, 2023 Share Posted December 15, 2023 1 hour ago, Coop said: Paul, not having a lathe, I wouldn’t know but is having the tool rack behind and over the lathe, not a safety concern? Or is it a given that when you change tools, that you shut the machine down? Or maybe the tool rack is to your back? At 6’1 with long arms not an issue as far as grabbing a tool. The lathe is purposely at an angle that way should/ when something flies off the lathe it will deflect to the left not straight back at me. I have tested this a couple times over the years with success 😊 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted December 23, 2023 Author Share Posted December 23, 2023 Now that the table is out of the shop, I got back onto this project.. I knew the basic sizes for the 2 cabinets and got them put together after I delivered the table.. Just rabbits, glue, and screws.. It's shop furniture.. From there, I needed to jump into Sketchup and start thinking about drawer sizes and what I wanted where.. One cabinet will have 3 deeper drawers for chucks and larger accessories. The other cabinet will have 5 thinner drawers for smaller items like calipers, layout tools, etc.. Unfortunately, I needed this information before I could order the glides. I'll probably build the drawers and trim out the cabinets but, the glides won't be here until the 29th. These will both be on wheels so they can be rolled out when I'm using the lathe. I'll most likely add some more durable tops and some tool holding as well but, I'll tackle that when I get there. There's a lot of options out there and I feel like I've looked at them all but, until I do a lot more turning, I just don't know what I want and where I want it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted December 24, 2023 Share Posted December 24, 2023 What determined the height? No critiquing here, just curious. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted December 24, 2023 Author Share Posted December 24, 2023 1 minute ago, Coop said: What determined the height? No critiquing here, just curious. Had to fit under the lathe and have wheels.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted December 24, 2023 Share Posted December 24, 2023 Do you cut your rabbets on the ts or the router table? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted December 24, 2023 Author Share Posted December 24, 2023 12 minutes ago, Coop said: Do you cut your rabbets on the ts or the router table? Typically at the table saw but, I have cut them at the router table. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olie Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 (edited) Horizontal spaces sure get used up fast so how about adding a flip up top mounted to the sides of each cabinet for more space when pulled out for use? Could even attached a piece of plywood vertically to the side with slots to have height adjustability and they attached the flip up brackets to the height adjustable plywood to have more horizontal space that can be brought up to a more comfortable height. Hope I’m explaining that right. Edited December 27, 2023 by Olie 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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