I’ve hunted for a good affordable lathe for a good while. When I found this 1935 Walker Turner L900 flat bed patternmakers lathe i nearly burst a gasket with joy. It had alot of accessories to get me turning, all it needed was some love. And love is what I gave it. The only thing missing was the motor. I managed to find a restored Walker Turner 1/3 HP for it. Perfect.

As you can see my shop is fresh and I have masonry walls, so storage for small things is a problem till I hang some shelves and french cleats. So I decided I need a place for all my accessories and tools, hence what you see.

The cabinet, turnstile and lightshelf are all made of poplar, which I really love now, btw. The grain contrast is really beautiful in poplar and it really pops when a finish is applied.
The turnstile is a bit whimsical but I love it, the dowled shelves are for holding stuff and not dust. I recessed the top of the shelves and lathe support board so stuff dont roll off.
The turstile knob was the last piece and the first thing turned on the lathe. The light shelf I designed on the fly, the geometry of the antique lamp I wanted to use demanded it to be at the lathes center. So be it, So I used the center to base the arc of the shelf supports.
I’m really new at turning and look forward to making some more chips fly.
Thanks for looking!
Chris

I saw a drawing table like this a few years ago but couldnt afford it, So I decided to make my own.
I did it all from memory and stayed within nominal dimensions, worked out well.

I made a few changes such as using dowels to construct it and a beautiful 1” fir plywood for the top,
which is special to me becuase of it’s age and source. The rest of it is cabinet grade baltic birch with a few pieces of pine for latteral supports. very few mechanical connections, only a few where the most stress is like the hinge ledge. I used to be an illustration major and I’ve been drawing things since I could hold a pencil. So a nice table was always on my bucket list.

I mainly use it to redraw some older scroll saw patterns and a place to throw all the bills and mail.
I have yet to put a finish on it which will be a clear poly and may laminate the top with a matte black formica.
Thanks for looking!
Chris

I made 3 of these jewelry boxes. One was for my daughter in law and one was sent to a friend. The last is still in the shop waiting to be finished.
I enjoy fretwork and have many, many more projects to accomplish.