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Looking for an old workbench to mount a lathe too, Tulsa, OK area.

rivett608

Diamond
Joined
Oct 25, 2002
Location
Kansas City, Mo.
Hi All, I am helping out a young antique tool collector who is going to be setting up his first old lathe, (I'm sure there will be more as we know how addictive these things are) it is a Rivett 504. The perfect bench would be a set of steel or cast iron legs with a maple top 5' to 6' long in nicely used condition. He is down in Tulsa so anything in the region would be great.

Anyone know of any good deals out there? Thanks.
 
If you don't find a purpose built lathe bench one alternative may be a stand for an obsolete or worn out industrial sewing machine table .
Perhaps there is someone in that area that deals in used sewing machines or a place like HGR that might have something that could be adapted with a repaired or replaced top .
Here are a couple of examples of what I'm thinking about .
There are many variations many being height adjustable to some degree although you may need to add some blocking under the feet for height.
At one time many were being just put out for scrap machine and all. so even if you could find the right one with a scrap machine it might not be that expensive.
Like so many other things prices have gone up a lot since I last has anything to do with them .
P.S. I can't seem to get the links to save the way I would like them to,
Jim
 

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A friend of mine found a massive shop desk that was missing the drawers. Has no immediate plans for it other than using it for a heavy duty work bench. He offered it to me to mount my 9" South Bend lathe to it which I may do. You may look for a old teachers school desk, which I'm sure this was one sometime ago, in some of the junk shops in the Tulsa area. Just another thought.
 
"If you don't find a purpose built lathe bench one alternative may be a stand for an obsolete or worn out industrial sewing machine table ."

It's a nice idea, but the problem with finding a sewing machine table, is that most of them have a huge hole cut out of their centers, leaving very little table left. And, unless you find a REALLY old one, made from butcher block maple (uncommon, now), they are made from plywood (reasonably OK), or horrible particle board (NOT OK) and horribly warped and sagged. Maybe you might get lucky, and find something from the turn of the century, with a maple top and cast iron legs, but you'd best believe it's unlikely - If you think that old metalworking machines are sadly depleted, the amount of old factory sewing equipment that was junked is right up there, and then some.
 
I didn't mean to come off sounding so negative about the sewing stand idea, but it can be a real wild goose chase trying to find one like I think you want.
Another possibility, is to buy some reproduction workbench legs (actually quite a lot of them out there), and add a piece of butcher block countertop - If you finished it right, it might actually have a reasonably vintage look :
 
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About 35 years ago. I bought an industrial sewing machine table at auction. I saw that the legs were strong and adjustable in height, ideal to make a lathe bench. I would have made a new wood top for it. But I ran out of room in my shop and sold it to a friend whose wife wanted an industrial sewing machine bench, oddly enough. She was serious about sewing, it seemed.

Before that, I had made a very solid lathe bench out of rectangular steel tubing. I made the top out of solid oak trailer flooring that cost about $1 a square foot. Any trailer and truck repair place should have stacks of shiplap thick laminated wood for repairing stake bed trucks and semi trailers, though it will cost more now and real oak may be scarce.

Larry
 
So much depends on if you are trying to find something inexpensive to do the job that you have the means to adapt for your needs or can afford to pay more for something nicer looking and ready to use.
There used to be used office and commercial equipment places with in an hour of my place that had any manner of factory and office tables and drawer and filing cabinets and fairly low cost that could be adapted for shop use if you happened to be there at the right time.
Perhaps there are some used butcher or restaurant kitchen dealers that would have some wooden table top pieces as well.
Its surprising what turns up going off the beaten path and away from the high end antique shops when one of them has a piece that's outside their normal inventory that has been sitting there for a while.
Jim
 
I think part of the thinking here is generational, us old guys remember when those maple top sewing machine tables had little value and were stacked up outside, I sure do. We also remember when all workbench tops were maple, real wood and heavy with iron or steel legs. I think the thing for him to do is find a place that the normal machinehead guy like us hasn't thought of. I mean our local used office furniture place is gone. I think it is going to take some driving down allys in old industrial areas, if those even exist anymore. Maybe even hit scrap yards or building salvage places.

Gone are the good old days.
 
I will be going down to my local ancient furniture restoration and antique store today to look at some antique church seat boards that might work. After that I’ll do some driving round the old industrial part of town which has some nice ally ways. May not hit the scrapyard as I think it’s more heavy stuff for shipping to an electric arc furnace.

Douglas
 
Craigslist?
Workbenches are listed all the time here here in Philly. Also, the old-school stamped metal bench legs and stretchers shouldn't be too hard to find.
I once made a very sturdy lathe bench using pieces of very thick used countertops (mdf&laminate).
 
Craigslist?
Workbenches are listed all the time here here in Philly. Also, the old-school stamped metal bench legs and stretchers shouldn't be too hard to find.
I once made a very sturdy lathe bench using pieces of very thick used countertops (mdf&laminate).
I’ve looked, there’s one here but it’s 9ft long and $350. To big and to expensive. Very cool looking though.
 
I know very little about Tulsa but I tried a couple of searches for potential places that you might check out since you never know what you might find there.
Not a bench but a nice looking set of drawers for a tool cabinet at currently about 1/10th what I paid for some 30 years ago.
Going back to an earlier post those Reece button hole and several other less common types of machine used in sewing plants often had fairly complete tops with only a couple of holes or a slot through them for the round drive belt to pass through with machine resting on the top rather than being recessed .
Jim
 
I’ve looked, there’s one here but it’s 9ft long and $350. To big and to expensive. Very cool looking though.
Nine feet long is NOT too big for a workbench especially once the lathe is on it, and with the price of materials ALONE today if it is a good bench, you will be hard pressed to make it for that even IF your time is "free".
 
"Going back to an earlier post those Reece button hole and several other less common types of machine used in sewing plants often had fairly complete tops with only a couple of holes or a slot through them for the round drive belt to pass through with machine resting on the top rather than being recessed."

I agree with you, Jim - There are indeed some older sewing machine stands that would be suitable - absolutely. But they are getting real hard to find now. Just finding a stand with what they call "H" legs (straight up and down) is hard - Most of the stands have had those "K" legs for many years now.
I was thinking that if the OP became overly focused on finding one, it might be quite a while before he could set up his lathe - Most of that industry in the US has been long gone now.
There are still some dealers in used sewing equipment, and I suppose he could call around - But for the really nice old stuff, a very slim chance, I'm afraid.
As rivett608 said , "Gone are the good old days"

I'm going to shut up now ........
 
Nine feet long is NOT too big for a workbench especially once the lathe is on it, and with the price of materials ALONE today if it is a good bench, you will be hard pressed to make it for that even IF your time is "free".
Oh i quite agree, but it its too big for my garage that's the problem, and its wayyyy to nice to section into one 6ft section and a 3ft offcut.
 
So, here's one of the old church seat boards. Its about 8 foot long and an inch thick, not including the nice trim piece running along the front. I know in the picture it looks pretty bad, but its in a lot better shape in person. I can get two for $60, the hard part is finding legs. Any ideas? I'll try some places around town, and maybe even scout around the perimeter of the scrapyard. The problem is, I'm a young guy so 90% of the time people think I'm there to steal something.


EDIT: Image to large to upload.
 
I am unfamiliar with the weight/size of the lathe the OP wants the bench for. I've used cast iron industrial sewing machine legs for a couple of work-benches. These are light-weight legs, and were made to be be assembled in any number of units (mounting a row of industrial sewing machine heads with a common top surface). I found two sets of legs by the same manufacturer in the streets, set out for junk pickup. One set in Brooklyn in the 60's, one set in Westchester County in the 80's.

These legs are on the light side, and rely on tie-rods on the bottom (which also served as a foot clutch treadle pivot), and a cast iron panel which the user's knees would be pointing at.

I've seen heavier duty industrial sewing machine legs made of pressed steel. These legs had no aesthetics to them, simple utilitarian design.

The last set of cast iron sewing machine legs went to my nephew as part of a jeweler's work bench. Custom wood top with 'scooped area' to enable a person to sit up close to the bench, drawer for tools, and high back with cubbys, shelves and pegboard for tools. I also added a bracket and hook for a Foredom flex shaft. It made a great bench and my nephew uses it in his apartment. That being said, I'd be hesitant to use those same legs for something like a small metalworking lathe, thinking they were a bit too light.

My own method of addressing needs for a number of benches and stands is to make them myself. I fabricate what's needed using steel and welded fabrication. Using light structural steel (angle, hollow square tube, flat bar, pipe), I've made quite a few benches and stands. I make what I call "bench bucks"- fabricated steel frames which have two legs and horizontal members to support the top and shelves. The beauty of designing/fabricating bench bucks and similar is I can build exactly what's needed in terms of dimensions, as well as features (such as framing members to mount a motor and jackshaft). I often include 'foot pad plates' on the bottoms of each leg and drill them for levelling/vibration isolator pads. I am also spoiled by having friends with sawmills. I use full-dimension rough sawn lumber for some projects. Getting rough sawn is a lot cheaper than going to a big-box homeowner's type store. One friend has a drying shed and planer, and also saws some hardwood. I get rough sawn 2" x 12" planks and have them planed for top material. I run the planks thru my jointer and dowel/edge glue them for the tops. I glue/screw battens to the underside of the tops and this makes a really solid top. The tops get carriage bolted to the bench bucks, and the result is a solid bench that does not sway or wobble.

Trying to find an old workbench or something adaptable (such as an old heavy desk) could wind up taking a long time. Another style of desk is made of pressed steel and is sometimes known as a 'tanker desk'. These were popular into maybe the 60's. For a time, these tanker desks were junked, but now have been 'discovered'. A tanker desk will have a sheet-metal top surfaced with a composite matting (sort of like floor covering). A tanker desk could be given a top made of 3/4" plywood. I'd use carriage bolts and fender washers to mount the plywood on top of the tanker desk. Glue and screw on a second course of plywood if hiding the carriage bolts is desired. A couple of coats of finish to seal the plywood against oil and the tanker desk could become a good lathe bench. The plywood top would allow mounting of a jackshaft and motor. A lip could be glued/screwed to three sides of the top to contain tools and chips. I've used scrap 3/4 concrete form plywood for this sort of project. 3/4" form plywood (at least 35 years ago when I was working on hydroelectric construction project sites) was a lot better plywood than the CDX stuff. Scrap from making concrete forms was often tossed into a skip box for disposal, so the price was right.
 
I am unfamiliar with the weight/size of the lathe the OP wants the bench for. I've used cast iron industrial sewing machine legs for a couple of work-benches. These are light-weight legs, and were made to be be assembled in any number of units (mounting a row of industrial sewing machine heads with a common top surface). I found two sets of legs by the same manufacturer in the streets, set out for junk pickup. One set in Brooklyn in the 60's, one set in Westchester County in the 80's.

These legs are on the light side, and rely on tie-rods on the bottom (which also served as a foot clutch treadle pivot), and a cast iron panel which the user's knees would be pointing at.

I've seen heavier duty industrial sewing machine legs made of pressed steel. These legs had no aesthetics to them, simple utilitarian design.

The last set of cast iron sewing machine legs went to my nephew as part of a jeweler's work bench. Custom wood top with 'scooped area' to enable a person to sit up close to the bench, drawer for tools, and high back with cubbys, shelves and pegboard for tools. I also added a bracket and hook for a Foredom flex shaft. It made a great bench and my nephew uses it in his apartment. That being said, I'd be hesitant to use those same legs for something like a small metalworking lathe, thinking they were a bit too light.

My own method of addressing needs for a number of benches and stands is to make them myself. I fabricate what's needed using steel and welded fabrication. Using light structural steel (angle, hollow square tube, flat bar, pipe), I've made quite a few benches and stands. I make what I call "bench bucks"- fabricated steel frames which have two legs and horizontal members to support the top and shelves. The beauty of designing/fabricating bench bucks and similar is I can build exactly what's needed in terms of dimensions, as well as features (such as framing members to mount a motor and jackshaft). I often include 'foot pad plates' on the bottoms of each leg and drill them for levelling/vibration isolator pads. I am also spoiled by having friends with sawmills. I use full-dimension rough sawn lumber for some projects. Getting rough sawn is a lot cheaper than going to a big-box homeowner's type store. One friend has a drying shed and planer, and also saws some hardwood. I get rough sawn 2" x 12" planks and have them planed for top material. I run the planks thru my jointer and dowel/edge glue them for the tops. I glue/screw battens to the underside of the tops and this makes a really solid top. The tops get carriage bolted to the bench bucks, and the result is a solid bench that does not sway or wobble.

Trying to find an old workbench or something adaptable (such as an old heavy desk) could wind up taking a long time. Another style of desk is made of pressed steel and is sometimes known as a 'tanker desk'. These were popular into maybe the 60's. For a time, these tanker desks were junked, but now have been 'discovered'. A tanker desk will have a sheet-metal top surfaced with a composite matting (sort of like floor covering). A tanker desk could be given a top made of 3/4" plywood. I'd use carriage bolts and fender washers to mount the plywood on top of the tanker desk. Glue and screw on a second course of plywood if hiding the carriage bolts is desired. A couple of coats of finish to seal the plywood against oil and the tanker desk could become a good lathe bench. The plywood top would allow mounting of a jackshaft and motor. A lip could be glued/screwed to three sides of the top to contain tools and chips. I've used scrap 3/4 concrete form plywood for this sort of project. 3/4" form plywood (at least 35 years ago when I was working on hydroelectric construction project sites) was a lot better plywood than the CDX stuff. Scrap from making concrete forms was often tossed into a skip box for disposal, so the price was right.
The lathe in question is Rivett 504 and associated motor and belting, total weight will be around 130 lbs I think. Lathe alone is 90 lbs. I'll make some inquiries about old sewing machine tables/legs, I know one sitting in a garden center near my house.
 
Oh i quite agree, but it its too big for my garage that's the problem, and its wayyyy to nice to section into one 6ft section and a 3ft offcut.
Make your garage a little bigger??? It's only wood and a little concrete. That extra 3 feet of bench will be used to put like EVERYTHING else a lathe needs to be fully functional let alone the mating parts the lathe is trying to form the workpiece to.
 








 
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