Lathe work area setup

[Wes Ramsey]

Finished the project I was working on and am getting ready to go to the Florida Symposium tommorrow so I did some cleanup and tool a few pictures:
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First image is right side of workbench behind me when turning - spindle tools.
Second shows the movable cart with bowl gouges, you can see the TS extension table which folds down.
The third is the other side of the cart with hollowing tools, you can see the power strip on the shelf below the lathe bed.
The last is the workbench showing the other tool rack and drawers. Only the top drawer is that organized. There are anti-fatigue mats between the lathe and the workbench.

I know most people do not have as much room around their lathe. I have wire racks behind the workbench that hold blanks and a plastic shelf unit that holds finishing supplies. My micro-motor tool and wood burner are on a separate workbench where I can sit.

Thom,

Is that a glass top I see on your desk? Makes good sense for finishing as you can easily scrape off drips and such. I found a large plate of glass in our attic last week left by the previous owners. Hadn't occurred to me to re-purpose it to a desk top before, but it just did. Thanks!

[John Keeton]

Wes, for whatever it may be worth to you, the following thread includes some pics, and in a post by me, a PDF file that has the plans for tool racks. Hope it gives you some ideas.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...your-tool-rack

[Thom Sturgill]

Thom,

Is that a glass top I see on your desk? Makes good sense for finishing as you can easily scrape off drips and such. I found a large plate of glass in our attic last week left by the previous owners. Hadn't occurred to me to re-purpose it to a desk top before, but it just did. Thanks!

No, its a piece of tempered hardboard that I can easily replace. LOL, I think glass would shatter the first time I threw a tool onto the bench.

I do have a glass turntable (lazy susan) that I use when spraying small items off the lathe. Same idea, I take a razor to it and scape off the build up occasionally.

[Stan Smith]

I was just going to write a long description, but a pic is better, IMO. I like the magnetic bars. Mine racks are simple and rustic. I had to add to them because the EWT chisels are aluminium.

Stans tool rack.jpg

[Lee Reep]

Lee,Couldn't edit last post so here goes. How long have you been storing a lot of your lathe accessories in a tool storage cart? Do you like doing it that way or would you prefer some other method? Reason I ask is that I've recently switched from a 10-shelf bookcase type unit as one part of my lathe tool accessory storage to the red Harbor Freight 5-drawer tool cart. I liked the shelf deal because you turn around and everything is there in plain site and you just grab what you need. Easy and convenient but dust does settle and needs cleaning from time to time. Jury still out for me because I've only been using this cart/drawer system for a couple weeks. Not quite as convenient but stuff does stay cleaner and can keep things organized by category a little better. Dave

Dave,

I like the cart pretty well. My problem is that with a small basement shop, something is always getting moved out of the way. My cart sits in front of the basement escape window, so I can roll it out to use it, and if I need to open the window, I can roll the cart out of the way.

My basement wall behind the lathe is blank (directly above the block of wood holding the tools. I'll eventually build a cabinet for that spot. Wall space is valuable in a shop, since you want to get things off the floor and out of the way if you can!

[James Combs]

Oops, posted in the wrong thread, went to look at the one John mention and got confused I guess.

[Rich Aldrich]

This is the lathe tool rack that I use. I also attached the PDF plan of this rack that I made using AutoCad. I have this rack on the wall beyond the tail stock so you dont reach across the lathe for tools.

[john snowdon]

Here is a takeoff of the design John mentions above. When I first started turning I built the rack as John posted. It works like a champ and hangs over my midi lathe. Trouble is, I became a bit of a tool junkie, bought a bigger lathe and only THEN found Doug Thompson and Dave at D-Way Tools and discovered what tools are supposed to be like. Once I finished all of the Christmas presents this year I looked at the shop and decided I was going to finally get everything organized, from my band saw accessories to lathe tools to clamps. I went back to the original tool rack plan, expanded the width to accommodate 20 tools and added a shelf below the rack. I did not round the top side pieces as I planned on adding smaller shelves to store sandpaper etc. Now I think I will add a 2nd shelf below the first for sandpaper, etc and add a plexi cover to keep chips from flying in. I also attached 2 magnetic bars to the lathe. The bar on the front is for oft needed parting and measuring tools, the bar on the side holds chuck keys, my release bar and a wrench to remove the chuck from the lathe.

My basement shop is fairly small (about 350 sq') and floor space is at a premium. Everything but the lathe is on wheels and is rolled away from the wall if more room is required. As I agree with Peter that reaching over a running lathe is not a good thing, I am building a small holder that lays flat on my jointer bed next to the lathe and will hold the 3 or 4 tools I am using for a project. Yes, the attached pictures show a very clean area. Sorry...I have no other area to do my finishing–plus I seem to have developed a sensitivity to saw dust–so I keep the shop pretty clean. I currently attach a hose from my 2.5hp dust collector to each machine as needed and am currently planning a shop wide system.

At any rate, this rack works well for me and may give you more ideas as you find what is right for you. Many thanks to Jeff Wright, Dan Forman and John Keaton for creating and posting the original plans. They definitely made it easy for me to get started.

Cheers,
John
Racks.jpgLathe rack loaded.jpgfrom entrance.jpg

[David Delo]

John, If Norman Rockwell was still alive, he would have put your pictures in the Saturday Evening Post. I considered myself somewhat of a clean freak also but after seeing your set-up, I'll have to rethink. Wonderful looking shop, thanks for sharing.

[john snowdon]

Hey, David.
It's amazing what 2 really good sinus infections will make you do! Especially when your job involves plane travel.

[David Delo]

Little bit late to the party with this but I was in the midst of revising my lathe area when first posted. So here is my lathe set-up revision number 752,386!!!!!

Hollowing rig, multi rest mounted on door. Air compressor, dust collector/cyclone & shop vac in the room behind the door. Red HF service has chucks & related items in top shelf with tilt lid. Extra jaws and various lathe related stuff in the small drawers with coring system and vacuuming system having their place in the larger 2 bottom drawers. Measuring, dividers & such, DC remotes on peg board behind the cart. Lathe tools on homemade plywood cart made from a kitchen remodel job that got me started in this dust making endeavor. Sharpening station and then a metal mobile shelf unit that has most of the sanding stuff along with other shop hand tools.
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[Peter Fabricius]

John S,
Nice layout and many beautiful toys, eh! TOOLS,
If you turned the tailstock end of the Nova closer to the wall by the tool rack you could reach them without reaching over the Lathe. Lots of turners have the lathe angled relative to the wall.
Just a thought.
Peter F.

[john snowdon]

Thanks, Peter! I've been thinking about turning the lathe 90 degrees so it sits perpendicular to the wall so I could access the tool rack easier and also have better dust collection behind it but I was thinking of putting the head stock toward the wall so I could get better access from the end of the lathe when turning. I'll also try your idea to angle it and see if I like one of them better. Thanks for the suggestion!

Stay warm up there! Going to -7 here again tonight...

John

[Marc Tuunanen]

Outstanding rack Me thinks. Thanks to all for the pics and drawings. Think I'll bulid a couple myself.

Cheers,
Marc

[Adam Petersen]

Here is my holder. A mix of things I had in the garage. Workmate atop a HF DC rolling base with a rack of 2" PVC pipe sections. I love that I can roll it around as needed.