# Howdy



## SomeGuy (Nov 13, 2021)

KW Area, just picked up a used Craftex CX-701 and working my way into this machining world. No previous experience with machining but have done welding and other building/tinkering/fixing for years self taught, so shouldn't be too much of a stretch. In the middle of building a stand for the lathe and re-doing some shelving to make space for it. Then need to find a mill 

First big project I'm planning is to build a fairly hefty RC skid steer vehicle of some sort....long term goal is to build a full size buggy of some sort.


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## YYCHM (Nov 13, 2021)

Welcome from Calgary.  What does KW stand for?


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## SomeGuy (Nov 13, 2021)

YYCHM said:


> Welcome from Calgary.  What does KW stand for?


Kitchener-Waterloo area


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## YYCHM (Nov 13, 2021)

We like pictures of projects here, so post a few more times and then show us what you're building.


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## 140mower (Nov 13, 2021)

Welcome aboard, you'll find that there's plenty of us here to help enable your metal addictions. And pictures.....we love pictures of what you are up to in the shop.


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## DPittman (Nov 13, 2021)

Welcome to a great hobby and forum.


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## SomeGuy (Nov 13, 2021)

I suppose I can share some pics...

1. The lathe when I went to pick it up, a bit messy but working.
2. Got it home...
3. Came with a DRO already, kinda nice....also had a milling attachment, small rotary table, QCTP with a half dozen holders, and a bit of other tooling beyond the standard stuff.
4. Tearing it down and cleaning it up
5. Mostly back together and mostly clean, still have a bit of work to do but was enough to get started on the next thing.
6. Starting to buld a new stand (welder is a Miller Multimatic 215, cart I built myself)
7. Basic frame, built out of 2" 0.125 wall tubing, leveling feet are 1" bolts which I'll put 1/4" plate on the bottom still.
8. Inset a couple intermediate tool boxes for tooling.
9. 1/4" 22x58" plate steel for the top....this is where I left off.

Still need to do some grinding, painting, affix the top, make some removable casters for the stand so I can move this thing when necessary. Then on to the shelving (not pictured) on the other side of my garage that needs to get rebuilt so I can fit the lathe somewhere permanent. Basically going to build some metal shelving 8-9 feet tall, but only with shelves starting around 6 feet up, so the lathe can go underneath.


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## trlvn (Nov 13, 2021)

Welcome from Oakville!

Craig


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## 6.5 Fan (Nov 14, 2021)

Welcome from SK. You did a good job on the cleanup of the lathe.


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## Canadium (Nov 14, 2021)

Welcome from Hamilton ON!


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## Susquatch (Nov 14, 2021)

Welcome from Farm country south of Chatham.

I get to KW once a week or so. My wife visits her Mother who is in a long term care home up by the university. If you ever need help, give me a shout or PM me.

Nice job on the cleanup and the bench. If I were you, I'd start trying to figure out how to put a screen up between your lathe and the boxes behind it, and a drop skirt of some kind over the drawers under it.

In the real world (not the fancy marketing photos we all see), cuttings and cutting oil end up going everywhere when you use a lathe. You will need a way to protect things and make it easier to clean up.

All of us want to use that space under a lathe and we all want the tools handy too. But it's not as easy as just putting them there. Some jobs on harder steel make teeny tiny steel springs that get into everything! Also, everything in line with spinning work gets cutting oil flung onto it. It's just the way it is.

Best to think about all that now before you have a mess to clean up later. Just a heads up.... Ask me how I know..... You will thank me later.


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## Susquatch (Nov 14, 2021)

Don't forget to use a precision level on that lathe when you mount it.


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## gmihovics (Nov 14, 2021)

Welcome from London, Ontario. My office is in kw and I go in twice a week normally so if you ever need anything let me know.


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## SomeGuy (Nov 14, 2021)

Susquatch said:


> Welcome from Farm country south of Chatham.
> 
> I get to KW once a week or so. My wife visits her Mother who is in a long term care home up by the university. If you ever need help, give me a shout or PM me.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the advice. I'm planning on needing something behind the lathe, though it does have its own splash shield thing. Towards the front, I doubt much will get in the drawers, they close pretty well and are slightly inset from the actual front edge, so anything should fall to the ground. I fully expect to have to move anything I keep underneath frequently to sweep up. We'll see how it goes though, the two tubes open in the front are sized to accept a slip fit tube so I can attach "accessories" that way. See the folding metal work bench in the welding pic and how the vise is inserted there. If I need to, I'll do a quick frame and some lighter gauge sheet metal that can slip in to seal it all up.



6.5 Fan said:


> Welcome from SK. You did a good job on the cleanup of the lathe.


Thanks!



gmihovics said:


> Welcome from London, Ontario. My office is in kw and I go in twice a week normally so if you ever need anything let me know.


Appreciate it!


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## SomeGuy (Nov 19, 2021)

Added removable casters (they will come off when it's in position but gives me an option to move it around if I need to), stand painted, tool boxes screwed in, and lathe put on top and bolted down.


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## DPittman (Nov 19, 2021)

Looks great.


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## Susquatch (Nov 19, 2021)

Bet you are a happy guy!


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## PeterT (Nov 19, 2021)

Nice job on the stand. Another consideration is utilizing the lower volume for the clunky lathe accessories: chucks, face plate, steady rest, arbors, tooling... things that don't fit in your drawers. As long as you have toe room to get close to the machine which kind of appears you do. I've seen people use simple slide/track doors on the front to keep debris out. I'm not the shelf altitude is necessarily great for lifting heavy things out from. You & your back should decide LOL. But your gear probably wont be too heavy on that size lathe. if machine vibration is an issue rattling things, you can probably incorporate a rubberized mat surface. Anyways, food for thought.


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## Tecnico (Nov 28, 2021)

Hi Someguy, I just saw your post, welcome from another new guy!

Nice stand you built for your lathe.  The drawers are great for small tooling etc., the casters are a great addition too it's something I did as well.  I just put up a few photos of mine in my first post in this section.

One thing I'd suggest is some kind of tray under the lathe to help contain chips and oil either from cutting oil or from the machine itself.  If your Craftex is anything like my Myford it'll leak some oil.   ...Or maybe the Myford is just living up to the stereotype of it's origins. 

D


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## SomeGuy (Jan 3, 2022)

Just to finish off the journey here...I removed my old wooden shelving and built new bolt together (sides to shelf pieces) out of 1.5"x0.100 steel with plywood inserts that I could fit the lathe underneath. I also built a small chest for under the lathe to put heavier tools and got the DRO/Electrical done and mounted.


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## Susquatch (Jan 3, 2022)

Beautiful! I love it!


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## deleted_user (Jan 6, 2022)

SomeGuy said:


> Added removable casters (they will come off when it's in position but gives me an option to move it around if I need to), stand painted, tool boxes screwed in, and lathe put on top and bolted down.



I love your lathe stand. I think we erred in keeping our Craftex CT041 on the original stands. They have little real storage and they're a PITA to attach whenever you move the damn thing. 

I'll see if my brother wants to make something similar to yours.


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## SomeGuy (Jan 6, 2022)

TorontoBuilder said:


> I love your lathe stand. I think we erred in keeping our Craftex CT041 on the original stands. They have little real storage and they're a PITA to attach whenever you move the damn thing.
> 
> I'll see if my brother wants to make something similar to yours.



Yup, this is useful storage and easy to move around. I just put a normal floor jack under the low cross bar on each side one at a time, lift it up, attach the casters, screw the feet in a bit, and set it back down on the casters. . Also weight wise, the Craftex stands look to be around 75-100lbs depending on model of lathe. My stand is conservatively around 300lbs (including empty tool boxes but not any of the contents) and so adds a fair bit of mass to the overall picture.


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## Tomc938 (Jan 11, 2022)

Awesome stand for your lathe!  Great idea building the frame and setting in the tool box drawers.  Makes for such a professional looking finish.  Way to think outside the box!

Gives me an idea.


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## deleted_user (Jan 11, 2022)

Tomc938 said:


> Awesome stand for your lathe!  Great idea building the frame and setting in the tool box drawers.  Makes for such a professional looking finish.  Way to think outside the box!
> 
> Gives me an idea.  )


The tool boxes at on sale for 98 bucks at home depot right now.


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## deleted_user (Jan 11, 2022)

TorontoBuilder said:


> The tool boxes at on sale for 98 bucks at home depot right now.



They already had me at "free delivery" but now I am thinking I need to double my order.


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## SomeGuy (Jan 11, 2022)

TorontoBuilder said:


> The tool boxes at on sale for 98 bucks at home depot right now.



Well shucks, that's $40/each cheaper than I paid...good deal!


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## ThirtyOneDriver (Jan 11, 2022)

I'm digging your lathe "bench" - I had imagined a similar setup for my own (and a separate one for the mill) - is that 2"x2" or bigger?  (skim reader, may have missed it)

- Johnathan (Cambridge)


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## SomeGuy (Jan 11, 2022)

ThirtyOneDriver said:


> I'm digging your lathe "bench" - I had imagined a similar setup for my own (and a separate one for the mill) - is that 2"x2" or bigger?  (skim reader, may have missed it)
> 
> - Johnathan (Cambridge)



Yeah, main structure is 2x2x0.125 square tube.

I'm in the same area as you, saw your intro post, welcome aboard...could be handy to have another newb machinist around here lol


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## Susquatch (Jan 12, 2022)

SomeGuy said:


> Yeah, main structure is 2x2x0.125 square tube.
> 
> I'm in the same area as you, saw your intro post, welcome aboard...could be handy to have another newb machinist around here lol



There seems to be a number of members in the KWC area - both young (brain is well oiled) and well worn (experienced). I get up there every so often too. My mother in law is in a home in Waterloo and I'm not allowed in so my wife visits while I sit outside in the car bored to death. I'd love an excuse for a side trip to help out with anything any of you might need. I'm old but still strong and I've forgotten more than most people ever knew. 

That might sound backwards, but words can be deceiving. Unfortunately, my looks give me away every time!


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## SomeGuy (Jan 12, 2022)

Susquatch said:


> There seems to be a number of members in the KWC area - both young (brain is well oiled) and well worn (experienced). I get up there every so often too. My mother in law is in a home in Waterloo and I'm not allowed in so my wife visits while I sit outside in the car bored to death. I'd love an excuse for a side trip to help out with anything any of you might need. I'm old but still strong and I've forgotten more than most people ever knew.
> 
> That might sound backwards, but words can be deceiving. Unfortunately, my looks give me away every time!



Definitely went covid gets back under control it would be cool to meet a few people in the area.


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## SomeGuy (Jan 12, 2022)

LoL that should have said "Definitely when..." oops


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## Susquatch (Jan 12, 2022)

SomeGuy said:


> LoL that should have said "Definitely when..." oops



No worries. We are all used to that here. If it doesn't quite sound right, we all usually figure it out. Either that or have some fun with it. Search on "wench" for a good laugh. Just one of hundreds like it but it is the first that came to my mind. 

But here is another tip. Within limits, you can edit and fix your post if you notice the error soon enough.


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## SomeGuy (Jan 12, 2022)

Susquatch said:


> No worries. We are all used to that here. If it doesn't quite sound right, we all usually figure it out. Either that or have some fun with it. Search on "wench" for a good laugh. Just one of hundreds like it but it is the first that came to my mind.
> 
> But here is another tip. Within limits, you can edit and fix your post if you notice the error soon enough.


Yup, just wish the edit would stick around longer than it does.


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## YYCHM (Jan 12, 2022)

SomeGuy said:


> Yup, just wish the edit would stick around longer than it does.



Premium membership will get you full edit any time you want including your post titles.


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## deleted_user (Jan 12, 2022)

Hey guy,

How high did you make the top surface of your lathe stand?  I want to copy your design for my wood lathe stand


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## SomeGuy (Jan 12, 2022)

TorontoBuilder said:


> Hey guy,
> 
> How high did you make the top surface of your lathe stand?  I want to copy your design for my wood lathe stand


It's 34" tall with the adjuster legs all the way in, goes to 36" roughly with them out (they're 3" bolts, so keeping at least an inch of thread engagement). I'm 5'9, call it 5'10 with my work boots on and I will probably always use it with the legs as short as they can go while staying level. If you're a bit shorter, I'd aim for 32", if you're a bit taller the height I did is great.


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## deleted_user (Jan 12, 2022)

SomeGuy said:


> It's 34" tall with the adjuster legs all the way in, goes to 36" roughly with them out (they're 3" bolts, so keeping at least an inch of thread engagement). I'm 5'9, call it 5'10 with my work boots on and I will probably always use it with the legs as short as they can go while staying level. If you're a bit shorter, I'd aim for 32", if you're a bit taller the height I did is great.



I'm 5'10" and my wood lathe chuck centerline is 15" off the table. With a wood lathe you want the chuck just slightly below your elbow height. That puts the height at 26" or so for good working height.

Our metal lathe is on 3" high stands and those are on risers made from 2 1/2" square tubing. about 34 or 35" high I think. If I want to be able to use this for a metal lathe in future I guess I have a trade off, maybe make a platform under the table that slides out and has anti-fatigue mat on it.. Or compromise with a lower metal lathe in future.

Based on the drawers being 10" tall I thought your stand was a little shorter than it is.


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## SomeGuy (Jan 12, 2022)

TorontoBuilder said:


> I'm 5'10" and my wood lathe chuck centerline is 15" off the table. With a wood lathe you want the chuck just slightly below your elbow height. That puts the height at 26" or so for good working height.
> 
> Our metal lathe is on 3" high stands and those are on risers made from 2 1/2" square tubing. about 34 or 35" high I think. If I want to be able to use this for a metal lathe in future I guess I have a trade off, maybe make a platform under the table that slides out and has anti-fatigue mat on it.. Or compromise with a lower metal lathe in future.
> 
> Based on the drawers being 10" tall I thought your stand was a little shorter than it is.



Or just make some taller feet...the bolts I used to do that are 1" diameter, plenty of material to go another few inches longer stick out without much/any loss in ridgidity. Or if you want, do a shorter threaded section and weld a chunk of tube on the bottom a few inches taller down the road. Then you can just raise it up if/when you put a metal lathe on top of it. Basically, design in the adjustability so you can easily raise it up later.

And yeah, my pictures seem to be deceptive...someone elsewhere thought it was one of those little 7x14 mini lathes on top. I used the wide angle lens on my camera for a lot of the pictures, so it distorts what it actually looks like.


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## Susquatch (Jan 13, 2022)

SomeGuy said:


> Or just make some taller feet...the bolts I used to do that are 1" diameter, plenty of material to go another few inches longer stick out without much/any loss in ridgidity. Or if you want, do a shorter threaded section and weld a chunk of tube on the bottom a few inches taller down the road. Then you can just raise it up if/when you put a metal lathe on top of it.



I'd recommend that you put BIG lock nuts on those Big Bolts. Even with all that weight sitting on them, the thread fit will provide for more vibration and loss of rigidity than you might think. A lock nut will compress the thread fit such that the bolts cannot move.


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## deleted_user (Jan 13, 2022)

I've never been a fan of adding long skinny bolts a beefier leg. It makes the stand look odd.  I only want enough additional length to level the stand.

I think I'd weld up a larger diameter telescoping tube extension to be able to raise the height if desired.


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## Susquatch (Jan 13, 2022)

TorontoBuilder said:


> I've never been a fan of adding long skinny bolts a beefier leg. It makes the stand look odd.  I only want enough additional length to level the stand.
> 
> I think I'd weld up a larger diameter telescoping tube extension to be able to raise the height if desired.



I fundamentally agree. But that depends on how long and how skinny. A short one inch bolt as described by the OP earlier is a pretty beefy foot. Nothing at all like the 1/2" or smaller Bolts normally used.


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## LenVW (Jan 13, 2022)

Hey another KW hobby machinist !!
Our numbers are growing.

I am just off Homer Watson Blvd. and Huron Street.
I still work part-time, but I have been finally milling some metal at home.


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## SomeGuy (Jan 13, 2022)

TorontoBuilder said:


> I've never been a fan of adding long skinny bolts a beefier leg. It makes the stand look odd.  I only want enough additional length to level the stand.
> 
> I think I'd weld up a larger diameter telescoping tube extension to be able to raise the height if desired.



I agree, it would probably look a little funny. You could sleeve the bolt/leg to make it look less funny but still just support on the bolt itself.

I've done telescoping steel tube, even if you use receiver hitch tubing there's too much slop, you'd have to weld/bolt on the extensions if you went that route.


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## deleted_user (Jan 13, 2022)

SomeGuy said:


> I agree, it would probably look a little funny. You could sleeve the bolt/leg to make it look less funny but still just support on the bolt itself.
> 
> I've done telescoping steel tube, even if you use receiver hitch tubing there's too much slop, you'd have to weld/bolt on the extensions if you went that route.



I'd weld my own... I am fussy that way, and I need to practice welding every chance I get. 

I also need to weld up custom telescoping tubes for my 2x72 grinder build.


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