Lathe mod - Replacement Base (Chip Tray)
Replacement Base (Chip Tray) for a Mini-Lathe
My new/used mini-lathe was missing a chip tray, so I built one that also serves as a sturdy base.
[Note modification made on Dec. 31, 2012 (see end of page).]
[2013-03-04: Added photo showing "stand."]
My Harbor Freight Model 33684 Mini Lathe mounted on base
I purchased a wheeled stand with drawers - very useful.
When I purchased my mini-lathe (used for $260 in early 2012), a few things needed to be corrected:
no chip tray
3-jaw chuck missing inside jaws
speed control knob missing
tailstock hand-wheel broken
change gears missing
It did include a dead center and drill chuck for the tailstock and the rear splash guard (removed in the photo above).
In short, there were some easily corrected minor deficiencies, but the biggest immediate concern was the lack of a chip tray, as this made for an unstable lathe. I thought about purchasing a chip tray (or some of the other alternatives mentioned on other sites), but in the end I decided to just build one to my requirements.
The result is shown in the picture. In brief, it is a plywood base "trimmed" with pine on all four sides. A removable plywood backsplash is mounted to the rear. It's a bit difficult to see in the picture, but there is a shallow groove running along the front of the base; this serves to catch any cutting fluids, and also serves to keep tools or small parts from roiling off the front. The base is further stabilized by two heavy wood strips running along the bottom (front to back) - these are also slightly tapered so that the base tilts down toward the front, so that any fluids will run to the front.
The whole thing was finished off with several coats of gray latex enamel, and a final topcoat of clear urethane.
I'm quite pleased with the result, which is light but sturdy. The wood strips along the bottom make it easy to get a grip if I want to move it. The lathe is bolted to the base from below; the lathe actually sits on pieces of 1/4" neoprene gasket, which acts as a vibration damper.
My long term thinking was that the base as shown would form two sides of a box, and that I could build the rest of the box later as a way to completely enclose the lathe for storage, if need be. I've put off the that part for the time being, but as can be seen from the photo, I made sure when fastening the lathe to the base that everything fit within the area of the base.
As noted previously, the backsplash is removable to simplify access to the rear of the lathe, as well as removal of the compound rest.
Not part of the build plans, but seen at the top center of the picture above, is a LED lamp I added later. It's made from a goose-neck LED lamp I picked up on sale at a local department store. I remove the flat base it came with, and replaced it with a wood base slotted to slide along the backsplash. With the combination of the sliding and the gooseneck, I can direct the lamp wherever I need it. (Since modifying the lamp, I have seen LED "clamp lights" which I think would also work nicely).
Comment added 2013-03-04: Some time after I built the base, I purchased a set of tool drawers with casters (see photo at top of page). Although this places the lathe a bit higher than I would like, it is otherwise very useful. The drawers have ball-bearing sliders, and conveniently hold lathe tools, extra chuck, and other items. The top is solid butcher block and is very sturdy. As a bonus, the stand came with a power strip mounted on the side which I use to plug in the lathe, LED light, and other items. I purchased this tool drawer used for about $100 - well worth it.
If you would like to build this yourself, drawings and build instructions can be found here:
In PDF format:
The original LibreOffice Draw file:
Modification made on Dec. 31, 2012:
On this date I replaced the screws holding on the backsplash with wooden brackets. This was done to enable easier removal of the backsplash; the brackets are screwed to the backsplash, and fit over the rear of the tray so the backsplash can simply be slipped on and off.
