Anyone use a mitersaw stand as thier stand for a midi-lathe?

[George Farra]

Hi All

I've been swamped at work and havent gotten around to building a stand for my Rikon 70-220VSR. I have a Ryobi mitersaw stand that is 63" long and 27" wide when measured at the bottom of the legs. The lathe measures 37" wide and 9" deep. Using 2 layers of 3/4" plywood I can easily mount the lathe to this stand.

It is too tall for me at 37", but I could cut the legs down so the total height of the stand is 22" tall. The legs would still be splayed out measuring 17-18 inches at the bottom. What do ya think, is that enough depth at the bottom to keep things stable while turning? Would modifying this stand do the trick?? It would definately get me up and running faster.

Thoughts & Thanks

George

[cody michael]

My harbor frieght lathe came with a stamped steel stand, and it is very light weight, I had to reinforce it with plywood in a few spots. I wish it was heavier and tougher. But it works, I'm assuming your stand is quite similar to what I have

[Len Mullin]

George, this is a very hard question to give a good answer to, we don't know how sturdy the stand is, or, how well it's made. As for the splayed legs, I would think that as long as the legs are splayed wider than the lathe and has cross members, you should be fine that way. But, seeing as how I can't examine the stand myself, I'll be darned if I'd tell you it was safe to use or not.
Len

[Thomas Canfield]

Beside the height issue there is also the stability and mass issue. I do not think that a miter saw stand has the rigidity for a lathe doing more than spindle work or small projects that are well balanced. Miter saw stands seem to be built more for mobility than stability.

[George Farra]

Thanks Everyone,

I'm just going to stick to my original plan and build a solid base with some storage. 2x4 and MDF will definitely create a heavier base for the lathe.

Thanks

George