Steel table is finished and Warco WM250 unboxing

I unbox the warco wm250 lathe and talk about the table I have built to mount it. I also cover some of the pitfalls I encountered while building it.

[@anthonynewton5055]

What height did you make your lathe table and how tall are you? There seem to be many opinions on lathe height. but many state your elbow should be inline with the lathe center. Any ideas?
If you did it again would you change the height. Whilst on the subject, how high is your milling table.
Thanks.
Tony

[@CavemanAston]

Hi Anthony, I started with the table at 1 metre tall as that was the length the steel box section came in and seemed reasonable. However I have put adjustable feet on the bottom which lifted it and it was far too tall. So When the lathe arrived I knelt next to the unboxed lathe while still on its pallet and estimated a comfortable working height approx hip height while knelt and then measured how tall my hips are when standing. The Lathe table is 880mm high which I think is just about right and is very close to the workbench that you can buy to pair with the lathe so I am confident I am close.
The mill table is 1 metre high (Including feet) however the table of the mill overhangs the workbench next to it so it has to have clearance otherwise 880 ish mm would be just right again.
I am around 1800mm tall.
I hope that helps you out. let me know if you want to know anything else. good luck.

[@anthonynewton5055]

Hi, thanks for your reply.
I have ordered a new lathe and need to make a table.
Please could you tell me the measurements of the 3 holes in relation to the drip tray.
According to the Warco website, their custom stand is:
Length 1000mm
Width 380mm
Height 780mm
However, the lathe is:
Length 1250m
Width 600mm
Height 560mm
It seems odd that a custom stand is a different size!
The stands width at 380mm sounds a bit narrow for something weighing 125Kg resting on top.
I know the lip of the drip tray is lower than the base of the drip tray as you had to route a groove to allow it to sit flat.
Ideally I want to know the maximum footprint of the lathe, and maybe use a kitchen worktop for the top. if the Warco measurements of Length and depth are correct (125mm x 600mm) where are the 3 holes in relation to this?
Hope all of this makes sense!
Tony

[@CavemanAston]

@@anthonynewton5055 Sorry for taking so long to get back to you. Congratulations on making the new purchase.
Assuming you mean the WM250 the table is 1100mm * 420mm and the whole table has a inner boarder of 20mm. The mounting points for the lathe are about 210mm from the front most edge and the holes are about 110mm, 230mm and 1005mm from the right hand edge (Gearbox end). The drain hole is 330 back and 700mm from the gearbox end.
These are best measurements as its hard to get great readings around the table now its built.
I would reccomend building a table based around the catch pan that comes with the lathe if you cant wait that long. I would have made a few changes if I had waited till it arrived. Mainly around best places for supports.
The stand is smaller because the lathe overhangs the table. however the supports are slightly in from the outer most edge which is how they get away with it. eg the gearbox is beyond the support and the end of carridge overhangs the mounting hole slightly.
The lathe is narrower than I expected but it makes sense when you see the clearances around the back.
The dimensions they provide are about right (slightly over) if a box was constructed around the whole device when assembled so if you can fit that size on a bench you will be fine.
I usually find the team are helpful and im sure they can provide some actual drawings of the table so you can get building with confidence rather than trusting my best efforts of measuring.
Happy to help out if you need anything else answering.

[@anthonynewton5055]

Hi, thanks for taking the time and effort to find the dimensions and write the email.
I have actually ordered a WM250V which is 1350mm wide as opposed to the WM250 at 1250mm, however the stand fits both!
What I don't want to do is build the stand out of box section and find one of the holes (Probably the right hole of the 2 under the gearbox) falls half way through the box section wall.
Am I correct in thinking you would build the frame 20mm shorter than the tray in length and width which would allow 10mm all the way around the outer and allow the lip to rest over the edge? However in the case of the 250V, I would have 175mm overhang at each end which would look a bit odd!
Its a shame they don't have a pdf manual with dimensions.
I might give Warco a ring and ask them for the size of the 250V tray.
Thanks again.
Tony

[@anthonynewton5055]

Hi, I forgot to ask one more question, which is the overhang of the drip tray. Your lathe is mounted more to the front than the rear, so how far does the center line of the mounting holes have to be away from the wall to allow for the drip tray?
Tony