Project Update: The Tale of the Lathe (and Other Things)

In continuing the Tortuga Early Instruments Semi-Annual Cleanup program, all of the tools I listed on Craigslist went their merry ways (thank goodness). Sold were:

2 - No. 4 Hand Planes
2 - No. 220 Block Planes
1 - Spokeshave
1 - Drawknife
1 - Egg Beater Hand Drill
1 - Antique Marking Tool
1 - Big, Ugly 39 1/4" Harder Fright (it that shall not be named) Lathe

Whew. All of the tools went within 48 hours. What a blessing Craigslist can be.

My initial plan for the "new" lathe was to mount it to a board that I could clamp on and take off the assembly table for storage when not in use. As I considered the space from which the previous lathe was extracted, I realized I really did have room for a decent stand, especially since it only needed to be a couple of feet wide. I had some spare 2x4s and procured some maple veneered plywood from a local lumberyard, so I went to work.

As you can see, I decided early on to build out a shelf near to bottom of the stand that would provide stability as well as a little more storage space. As I cut the plywood up for the top, I discovered the lamination was failing. I guess that's why they called them "seconds" at the store. I just thought it was because they were fast. I ended up having to reglue the top and one of the shelves. I used the go-bar setup and it looked something like this:

After swearing off of poverty mentality and dropping the Cheapest Guy Alive moniker, I still succumbed to bargain basement thinking. Dammit. Fortunately, the fixes were quick and easy and I had the pieces glued up in no time. And the end product isn't too shabby at all.

Now, it's really time I got back to work. Next up: Steam Test #2.

Until next time...