Lathe Bed Extension

[poolhound]

My Nova Comet II is 16.5 between centers which is pretty good for these small midi lathes but once you add chucks and centers etc plus factor waste, the workable length reduces down quite a bit. As I already have a few projects that would need to be longer I decided to home brew a bed extension. Made from a few bits of scrap this seems to work quite well and adds 12" which should now accommodate anything I can think of for now.

[Bill in Buena Park]

Looks good Jon. Is the lathe bolted to the bench? Also, are those knot holes on the underside of the bed rails? If so, I'd be cautious about cranking down too hard on a workpiece when your on the extension, watch for any flexing in the wood. You might also consider putting board at the upper back end, like you have a the bottom, to prevent any movement between the rails back there.

[poolhound]

Looks good Jon. Is the lathe bolted to the bench? Also, are those knot holes on the underside of the bed rails? If so, I'd be cautious about cranking down too hard on a workpiece when your on the extension, watch for any flexing in the wood. You might also consider putting board at the upper back end, like you have a the bottom, to prevent any movement between the rails back there.

Yes the lathe is bolted to the bench. I did this last week along with adding about 110 lbs of bricks into a low shelf to help with vibration when truing up large blanks. Those holes are not knots they were in the scrap I used and did not seem to alter the integrity any. Its a good point and I will keep an eye on it. Good point about putting another board at the back. This is definitely a version 1.0 and I will see how it works and consider changes if I need to upgrade to a 2.0.

[atgcpaul]

I'd also consider using a plywood brace to secure both of those uprights to each other so there's no racking from either an imbalanced load or when you apply pressure with your chisels.

[onedash]

I don't want to sound negative here but that looks like a safety hazard. Every time you clamp it down you will be crushing the wood fibers.