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Big Box

DanH

Legacy Member
Mentor
One goal for this year is to get all my heavy shop equipment on wheels, because we hope to move to an airport community eventually. I have two lathes. The big one is already mobile, but the faithful Smithy has been on an old wooden bench for the last 25 years.

Before his own retirement, my friend Bill ran a metals scrapyard. We have Maxwell-Gunter here. The government throws away all kinds of neat stuff, some of which would show up at the yard....in this case, two huge (24 x 30 x12) aluminum drawers on nice ball bearing slides. So, a long delayed project...a roll around bench for the lathe, with drawers to store away all the tooling.

Call it old school homebuilder disease, but a bargain tickles my snarfels, if you know what I mean. I was walking through Home Depot, and noticed a 46" roll around box which had gotten dropped off a truck or something. Although bent up, all the drawers worked just fine. Mr. Manager sir, would you like to hear an offer? Took it home, stripped it down to just case and drawers, and hammered out some damaged sheet metal.

Drew up a steel tube frame, mostly 2" 16ga square, a fast, easy format to fabricate. Goal was stiffness, but it wasn't possible to use diagonals, so a doubled tube run across the bottom, and cross members in the top to support the lathe. As my buddy David says, if it's stiff enough, it will probably be strong enough. Needs to be, because when loaded with lathe, lathe accessories, and tooling, it's gonna weigh a lot.

About a week, part time. Wrapped it up yesterday. Today I'm off to the airport to retrieve my engine crane, so I can transfer the lathe. Let's hope I don't need to build another tug to move it around the shop ;)
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After years of admiring your airplane and craftsman ship, now I have to drool over your workshop projects too!?

This just solidifies it, I want to be Dan when I grow up...

Great inspiration though. I would have never thought to build a bargain box into another, more functional, box. I guess metal is metal though. Looks like something else I'll store in the memory bank to do someday.
 
Excellent! But....you need a couple more bench grinders.....and good to see your retirement isn't being squandered.... :D
 
A man never has enough bench grinders...or drill presses, or drawers, or hammers, for that matter.

Got in a few photos from friends in the last 24 hours. See, I'm not the only tool crazy around here, but obviously my shop is too small. Bet there are a lot more of you out there.

Don't pay any attention to Sam. For those who don't keep track, he seems to turn out a car or airplane or something about every six months, and they're all very, very nice. I suspect he also has more than one grinder ;)
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Another idea

This is a timely thread. I’ve been kicking around another ‘shop tip’ idea in my head. I haven’t gotten to it yet, but here’s the concept:

Mount a square tube 2-1/2” x 2-1/2” x 1/4 wall thickness to the bench on each end and perhaps a few along the front side. Then mount your vises, a smattering of different bench grinders (I also own several), perhaps a miter box saw and whatever else you might want to a piece of 2” x 2” x whatever wall thickness you want. Then you can slide the stuff in and out of the bench as you want to use it, yet store it out of the way. As a bonus, the sizes I listed also would allow you mount your tools in a pickup truck receiver hitch for use elsewhere.
 
This is a timely thread. I’ve been kicking around another ‘shop tip’ idea in my head. I haven’t gotten to it yet, but here’s the concept:

Perfectly workable. It's a standard for service truck and van equipment, typically a good size vice on a square tube which extends out a side door. Go for it!
 
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