Sit-or-Stand Lathe

As most of the MWA membership is aware, we have available for class use a lathe stand that can be used in either the normal standing position or a sitting position, including wheelchairs.  Designed to carry midi-sized lathes, the prototype design has been found to work well in both configurations with adequate stability, good balance and sufficient wheel chair accessibility while requiring only a single person to convert the stand plus lathe between standing and sitting configurations.  Detailed drawings of the design (converted to professional Fusion 360 CAD by Tom Kingdom of our MWA club) and complete instructions for the fabrication process are now available in a .pdf document at the bottom of this post.

There are no doubt a large number of variations in the design and component details that could be implemented while achieving a similar result,  and anyone skilled in the art of mechanical design and welding could apply their own chosen variations.   But we have chosen to reproduce the drawings for the lathe stand subassemblies and components actually used as precisely as we could in order to give a baseline starting point to anyone wanting to build a stand  for their own use or for the use of some other AAW chapter, with some assurance it would work properly. 

My estimate of my total materials and parts cost, from bulk steel to spray paint is somewhere between $300 and $350, with all the metal parts fabrication and welding done using my own equipment.  If the required metal cut-off saws, large drill bits, grinders and welding units are not available, then the costs could be considerably higher to get the parts fabricated and subassemblies welded.  Contact information for both Tom and myself is contained in the linked document above for anyone with questions.  — Mark K. Debe, Stillwater, MN