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Bench/stand for metal working lathe

28K views 75 replies 15 participants last post by  Kentuk55 
#1 ·
New lathe needs a place to hang out

After conspiring for some four years I finally saved up my pennies for the Grizzly G0602 metal cutting lathe.

Product Engineering Lathe Gas Machine


Had fun rigging it into my basement and began the process of disassembly, inspection and cleaning all the cosmoline off of it.

Wood Gas Auto part Machine Machine tool


These Chinese lathes are priced low enough for hobbyist to afford, but require a bit of TLC, as there are lots of burrs that need filing and grit to clean up in order to get everything moving smoothly.

With the lathe weighing in at over 400 lbs. it's also helpful to get ~1/3 of the weight off of it.

Gas Auto part Machine Wood Engineering


Now I need to make a stand for it….

Design requirements are:

inexpensive, sturdy, heavy enough to dampen vibrations and add rigidity to the lathe.

Here's what I came up with:

Table Furniture Wood Rectangle Outdoor table


And after some research, I have a little surprise for the top
 

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#2 ·
New lathe needs a place to hang out

After conspiring for some four years I finally saved up my pennies for the Grizzly G0602 metal cutting lathe.

Product Engineering Lathe Gas Machine


Had fun rigging it into my basement and began the process of disassembly, inspection and cleaning all the cosmoline off of it.

Wood Gas Auto part Machine Machine tool


These Chinese lathes are priced low enough for hobbyist to afford, but require a bit of TLC, as there are lots of burrs that need filing and grit to clean up in order to get everything moving smoothly.

With the lathe weighing in at over 400 lbs. it's also helpful to get ~1/3 of the weight off of it.

Gas Auto part Machine Wood Engineering


Now I need to make a stand for it….

Design requirements are:

inexpensive, sturdy, heavy enough to dampen vibrations and add rigidity to the lathe.

Here's what I came up with:

Table Furniture Wood Rectangle Outdoor table


And after some research, I have a little surprise for the top
I know what the surprise is….
 

Attachments

#3 ·
New lathe needs a place to hang out

After conspiring for some four years I finally saved up my pennies for the Grizzly G0602 metal cutting lathe.

Product Engineering Lathe Gas Machine


Had fun rigging it into my basement and began the process of disassembly, inspection and cleaning all the cosmoline off of it.

Wood Gas Auto part Machine Machine tool


These Chinese lathes are priced low enough for hobbyist to afford, but require a bit of TLC, as there are lots of burrs that need filing and grit to clean up in order to get everything moving smoothly.

With the lathe weighing in at over 400 lbs. it's also helpful to get ~1/3 of the weight off of it.

Gas Auto part Machine Wood Engineering


Now I need to make a stand for it….

Design requirements are:

inexpensive, sturdy, heavy enough to dampen vibrations and add rigidity to the lathe.

Here's what I came up with:

Table Furniture Wood Rectangle Outdoor table


And after some research, I have a little surprise for the top
Good for you bud. Looks like fun. Always wanted one.
 

Attachments

#4 ·
New lathe needs a place to hang out

After conspiring for some four years I finally saved up my pennies for the Grizzly G0602 metal cutting lathe.

Product Engineering Lathe Gas Machine


Had fun rigging it into my basement and began the process of disassembly, inspection and cleaning all the cosmoline off of it.

Wood Gas Auto part Machine Machine tool


These Chinese lathes are priced low enough for hobbyist to afford, but require a bit of TLC, as there are lots of burrs that need filing and grit to clean up in order to get everything moving smoothly.

With the lathe weighing in at over 400 lbs. it's also helpful to get ~1/3 of the weight off of it.

Gas Auto part Machine Wood Engineering


Now I need to make a stand for it….

Design requirements are:

inexpensive, sturdy, heavy enough to dampen vibrations and add rigidity to the lathe.

Here's what I came up with:

Table Furniture Wood Rectangle Outdoor table


And after some research, I have a little surprise for the top
My guess for the top is a metal catch pan?? Looks like a great tool!!
 

Attachments

#5 ·
New lathe needs a place to hang out

After conspiring for some four years I finally saved up my pennies for the Grizzly G0602 metal cutting lathe.

Product Engineering Lathe Gas Machine


Had fun rigging it into my basement and began the process of disassembly, inspection and cleaning all the cosmoline off of it.

Wood Gas Auto part Machine Machine tool


These Chinese lathes are priced low enough for hobbyist to afford, but require a bit of TLC, as there are lots of burrs that need filing and grit to clean up in order to get everything moving smoothly.

With the lathe weighing in at over 400 lbs. it's also helpful to get ~1/3 of the weight off of it.

Gas Auto part Machine Wood Engineering


Now I need to make a stand for it….

Design requirements are:

inexpensive, sturdy, heavy enough to dampen vibrations and add rigidity to the lathe.

Here's what I came up with:

Table Furniture Wood Rectangle Outdoor table


And after some research, I have a little surprise for the top
Randy is a fart smeller…. uh… make that smart feller :^p
 

Attachments

#6 ·
New lathe needs a place to hang out

After conspiring for some four years I finally saved up my pennies for the Grizzly G0602 metal cutting lathe.

Product Engineering Lathe Gas Machine


Had fun rigging it into my basement and began the process of disassembly, inspection and cleaning all the cosmoline off of it.

Wood Gas Auto part Machine Machine tool


These Chinese lathes are priced low enough for hobbyist to afford, but require a bit of TLC, as there are lots of burrs that need filing and grit to clean up in order to get everything moving smoothly.

With the lathe weighing in at over 400 lbs. it's also helpful to get ~1/3 of the weight off of it.

Gas Auto part Machine Wood Engineering


Now I need to make a stand for it….

Design requirements are:

inexpensive, sturdy, heavy enough to dampen vibrations and add rigidity to the lathe.

Here's what I came up with:

Table Furniture Wood Rectangle Outdoor table


And after some research, I have a little surprise for the top
Here's a couple pics of the fun I had rigging…. just me (O.K. my wife stood by to call 911) and my blue ox, some chains and 2.5 hours…

@ 430 lbs. I had visions of a runaway crate sliding down the bulkhead ramps and breaking some legs, so I didn't want any helpers or bystanders to worry about.

Tire Wheel Vehicle Automotive tire Tread


Wood Floor Hardwood Gas Flooring
 

Attachments

#7 ·
New lathe needs a place to hang out

After conspiring for some four years I finally saved up my pennies for the Grizzly G0602 metal cutting lathe.

Product Engineering Lathe Gas Machine


Had fun rigging it into my basement and began the process of disassembly, inspection and cleaning all the cosmoline off of it.

Wood Gas Auto part Machine Machine tool


These Chinese lathes are priced low enough for hobbyist to afford, but require a bit of TLC, as there are lots of burrs that need filing and grit to clean up in order to get everything moving smoothly.

With the lathe weighing in at over 400 lbs. it's also helpful to get ~1/3 of the weight off of it.

Gas Auto part Machine Wood Engineering


Now I need to make a stand for it….

Design requirements are:

inexpensive, sturdy, heavy enough to dampen vibrations and add rigidity to the lathe.

Here's what I came up with:

Table Furniture Wood Rectangle Outdoor table


And after some research, I have a little surprise for the top
Ahhh…. rigging & bulkhead doors….
Brings back fond memories!!!
"Work like an Egyptian"....
Wood Hardwood Gas Machine Technology
 

Attachments

#8 ·
New lathe needs a place to hang out

After conspiring for some four years I finally saved up my pennies for the Grizzly G0602 metal cutting lathe.

Product Engineering Lathe Gas Machine


Had fun rigging it into my basement and began the process of disassembly, inspection and cleaning all the cosmoline off of it.

Wood Gas Auto part Machine Machine tool


These Chinese lathes are priced low enough for hobbyist to afford, but require a bit of TLC, as there are lots of burrs that need filing and grit to clean up in order to get everything moving smoothly.

With the lathe weighing in at over 400 lbs. it's also helpful to get ~1/3 of the weight off of it.

Gas Auto part Machine Wood Engineering


Now I need to make a stand for it….

Design requirements are:

inexpensive, sturdy, heavy enough to dampen vibrations and add rigidity to the lathe.

Here's what I came up with:

Table Furniture Wood Rectangle Outdoor table


And after some research, I have a little surprise for the top
As Archimedes would say… "Give me a lever and I'll move the world"... or sander, or lathe, or TS :^p
 

Attachments

#9 ·
New lathe needs a place to hang out

After conspiring for some four years I finally saved up my pennies for the Grizzly G0602 metal cutting lathe.

Product Engineering Lathe Gas Machine


Had fun rigging it into my basement and began the process of disassembly, inspection and cleaning all the cosmoline off of it.

Wood Gas Auto part Machine Machine tool


These Chinese lathes are priced low enough for hobbyist to afford, but require a bit of TLC, as there are lots of burrs that need filing and grit to clean up in order to get everything moving smoothly.

With the lathe weighing in at over 400 lbs. it's also helpful to get ~1/3 of the weight off of it.

Gas Auto part Machine Wood Engineering


Now I need to make a stand for it….

Design requirements are:

inexpensive, sturdy, heavy enough to dampen vibrations and add rigidity to the lathe.

Here's what I came up with:

Table Furniture Wood Rectangle Outdoor table


And after some research, I have a little surprise for the top
You can move anything. That's a fine looking lathe
 

Attachments

#10 ·
Joinery decisions and cutting the framing members

The top needs a 1×10 perimeter frame…. I was going to try using a Lock Miter bit I have, but couldn't get a tight fit and the end grain locking tab kept braking. So I decided to glue and screw a simple but joint…

Wood Engineering Machine Scale model Art


to support the frame, I cut a shelves on the outer sides of the post tops. I cut the cheeks on the band saw and for the shoulders I set the depths stop on my SCMS and used the fence stop to get identical parts.

Wood Hardwood Gas Wood stain Machine tool


Wood Machine tool Hardwood Gas Machine


A little paring with a 3" timber framing chisel used like a slick

Hand tool Wood Tool Wood stain Handheld power drill


All cleaned up and spiffy….

Packing materials Shipping box Package delivery Wood Rectangle
 

Attachments

#11 ·
Joinery decisions and cutting the framing members

The top needs a 1×10 perimeter frame…. I was going to try using a Lock Miter bit I have, but couldn't get a tight fit and the end grain locking tab kept braking. So I decided to glue and screw a simple but joint…

Wood Engineering Machine Scale model Art


to support the frame, I cut a shelves on the outer sides of the post tops. I cut the cheeks on the band saw and for the shoulders I set the depths stop on my SCMS and used the fence stop to get identical parts.

Wood Hardwood Gas Wood stain Machine tool


Wood Machine tool Hardwood Gas Machine


A little paring with a 3" timber framing chisel used like a slick

Hand tool Wood Tool Wood stain Handheld power drill


All cleaned up and spiffy….

Packing materials Shipping box Package delivery Wood Rectangle
Next up are lap joints for the stretchers… time to set up the dado blade.

Saw Wood Composite material Automotive exterior Gas


Setting up stop blocks on the fence helped for repeatable cuts… I cut the top and the bottom

Saw Wood Machine tool Gas Machine


And then using shims to make the step cuts to clear the middle.

Here they are…

Brown Rectangle Wood Beige Floor
(one little boo-boo)

Rectangle Wood Textile Flooring Floor
 

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#21 ·
more progress

Breaking down panels with my cordless saw and a T square… I cut them oversized so I can get a precision cut on the TS with the new sled.

Jeans Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain


I decided to dado the stretchers to mount the bottom shelf instead of using ledgers or just letting the plywood rest on top of the strethers.

Wood Wood stain Floor Flooring Plank


Plywood fits nice and snug…

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Plank Varnish


All done with the dado blade now, so I decided to clean up the Fusion blade before putting it back on.

Liquid Fluid Plastic bottle Paint Gas
 

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#22 ·
more progress

Breaking down panels with my cordless saw and a T square… I cut them oversized so I can get a precision cut on the TS with the new sled.

Jeans Wood Flooring Floor Wood stain


I decided to dado the stretchers to mount the bottom shelf instead of using ledgers or just letting the plywood rest on top of the strethers.

Wood Wood stain Floor Flooring Plank


Plywood fits nice and snug…

Wood Wood stain Hardwood Plank Varnish


All done with the dado blade now, so I decided to clean up the Fusion blade before putting it back on.

Liquid Fluid Plastic bottle Paint Gas
missed a couple pics…

put a matching dado in the post for the bottom panel…. lines up nicely with the stretcher dado

Wood Publication Floor Wood stain Plank


But unfortunately, it took a couple tries and I made Swiss cheese out of one of my post bottoms…. there's only supposed to be two dados here…. not four :^o

Wood Rectangle Floor Wood stain Flooring


I have enough 4×4 left to cut a new post, but I may opt to mend this one by splicing in some matching blocks
 

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#25 ·
She's got legs...

I decided that I would mend my errant dados instead of replacing the leg, as it would be trying to repeat the setups exactly and match the other legs. Here's pic of one repair….

Wood Wooden block Hardwood Wood stain Rectangle


And here're the legs assembled.

Wood Engineering Machine Hardwood Workbench
Yeah, fixin' was the way to go….
Duplicating the leg would have been problematic.
Nice job on fixing the opps!!!

Still awaiting the surprise….
 

Attachments

#30 ·
Ledgers and mid-span support

Today's progress…..

Ledgers and mid-span member to support the 3/4" plywood (over which goes the surprise)

Wood Floor Flooring Hardwood Wood stain


Ready to pull off the bench and flip it over next….

I'm debating finishes. I'm committed to not spend money on this project and have a couple options on the shelf…

One is a Hunter Green stain

Wood Camera lens Camera accessory Cameras & optics Reflex camera


Over which I'd put a couple coats of poly

Another is 2-in-1 Pecan poly shades

Tin Drink Paint Wood Wood stain


Neither are great options…. But both are free.
 

Attachments

#31 ·
Ledgers and mid-span support

Today's progress…..

Ledgers and mid-span member to support the 3/4" plywood (over which goes the surprise)

Wood Floor Flooring Hardwood Wood stain


Ready to pull off the bench and flip it over next….

I'm debating finishes. I'm committed to not spend money on this project and have a couple options on the shelf…

One is a Hunter Green stain

Wood Camera lens Camera accessory Cameras & optics Reflex camera


Over which I'd put a couple coats of poly

Another is 2-in-1 Pecan poly shades

Tin Drink Paint Wood Wood stain


Neither are great options…. But both are free.
Aaaa…. yeah….. neither finish looks to be primo.
Looks like a choice between the lesser of two evils!
Tough call…. but I'll leave it to you.
You're the one that has to live with it…
Well, until you decide to re-finish it!!! ;^)

Will the surprise be about 5" thick???
If so, that going to be immovable!!!
 

Attachments

#35 ·
Short stretchers and sanding

Decided to add short stretchers to cap the plywood shelf ends…

Wood Flooring Rectangle Wood stain Floor


Table Wood Rectangle Desk Wood stain


Since these where an after thought, I just used pocket screws..

Wood Rectangle Wood stain Flooring Composite material


But joints look nice and tight after a little sanding…

Wood Composite material Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain


Thinking about over driving the screws and filling the holes after the finish is applied
 

Attachments

#36 ·
Short stretchers and sanding

Decided to add short stretchers to cap the plywood shelf ends…

Wood Flooring Rectangle Wood stain Floor


Table Wood Rectangle Desk Wood stain


Since these where an after thought, I just used pocket screws..

Wood Rectangle Wood stain Flooring Composite material


But joints look nice and tight after a little sanding…

Wood Composite material Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain


Thinking about over driving the screws and filling the holes after the finish is applied
Good call!
Looks much better… is it rabbeted(?) for support???

Have you decide on which "less than appealing" finish to apply?

Anxiously waiting…. for you to "fill" us in on the "surprise"....
 

Attachments

#39 ·
Sand, start finish and tool tray

Decided to keep cost minimal and use an unopened can of Pecan Poly Shades….. And only managed to spill half of it on the floor…..

Here's the first coat…. Nothing to brag about…

Musical instrument Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain


Glued up some scraps to make a tool tray for the tool kit that came with the lathe… Some metric wrenches, Allen keys, dead centers and a nice chuck for the tail stock…. I'll spiffy it up with some Kaizen foam when I'm done…

Wood Tool Musical instrument Art Hand tool


Hope to get a second coat of finish on today… And then spray some rattle can poly over the top for durability…
 

Attachments

#40 ·
Sand, start finish and tool tray

Decided to keep cost minimal and use an unopened can of Pecan Poly Shades….. And only managed to spill half of it on the floor…..

Here's the first coat…. Nothing to brag about…

Musical instrument Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain


Glued up some scraps to make a tool tray for the tool kit that came with the lathe… Some metric wrenches, Allen keys, dead centers and a nice chuck for the tail stock…. I'll spiffy it up with some Kaizen foam when I'm done…

Wood Tool Musical instrument Art Hand tool


Hope to get a second coat of finish on today… And then spray some rattle can poly over the top for durability…
Looks great from here…. The floor that is!!! ;^)

Ahhh…. Kaizen foam…. Jeff & 74 would be soooo proud!!!

Carry on….
With the build…. NOT the spill!!!
 

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#45 ·
Ready for the top

The finish is more or less a bust (I'm not showing the bad sides), but I need to move on….

Here it is with the tool tray mounted …

Wood Hardwood Rectangle Gas Musical instrument accessory


And if you haven't figured it out yet, here are the materials for the top…

Wood Gas Audio equipment Machine Hardwood


A rebar reinforced, 5" thick, poured concrete block, with vertical pipes for through bolting the lathe down….

Anybody got a 24" bull float I can borrow?
 

Attachments

#46 ·
Ready for the top

The finish is more or less a bust (I'm not showing the bad sides), but I need to move on….

Here it is with the tool tray mounted …

Wood Hardwood Rectangle Gas Musical instrument accessory


And if you haven't figured it out yet, here are the materials for the top…

Wood Gas Audio equipment Machine Hardwood


A rebar reinforced, 5" thick, poured concrete block, with vertical pipes for through bolting the lathe down….

Anybody got a 24" bull float I can borrow?
Estimated weight of the top alone is 320 lbs.

:^o
 

Attachments

#52 ·
Leveled the bench and poured concrete top

Trimmed the front leg bottoms and slipped in plastic shims to get the bench spot on level…

Brown Table Wood Drawer Desk


One of Matt's "maxims" is to never pour concrete without steel reinforcement (please don't ask me how I came to this conclusion)....

Wood Rectangle Floor Hardwood Flooring


Bolt holes have to align to the drip tray holes…

Table Triangle Wood Orange Rectangle


Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain Varnish


Baize Sports equipment Wood Rectangle Ball


Ready for business…

Wood Flooring Hardwood Stool Lumber


I forgot what a PITA hand mixing concrete is…..

Wood Rectangle Gas Composite material Plywood


Not perfect, but not too shabby either. I needed a little Portland cement to make a slurry to fill in the courser spots and float a nice smooth surface, but alas, all I had was the pre-mixed Quickcrete….

I didn't want to drop $30 on a bull float, so I had to use my brick trowel.

Wood Rectangle Natural material Wood stain Hardwood


Bolt holes are nice and flush…

Ball Road surface Asphalt Circle Natural material


I used four 80 lb bags of Quickcrete and half of a 60 lb bag, so not counting the water, the top is 350 lbs. that should dampen some vibrations.
 

Attachments

#53 ·
Leveled the bench and poured concrete top

Trimmed the front leg bottoms and slipped in plastic shims to get the bench spot on level…

Brown Table Wood Drawer Desk


One of Matt's "maxims" is to never pour concrete without steel reinforcement (please don't ask me how I came to this conclusion)....

Wood Rectangle Floor Hardwood Flooring


Bolt holes have to align to the drip tray holes…

Table Triangle Wood Orange Rectangle


Wood Rectangle Hardwood Wood stain Varnish


Baize Sports equipment Wood Rectangle Ball


Ready for business…

Wood Flooring Hardwood Stool Lumber


I forgot what a PITA hand mixing concrete is…..

Wood Rectangle Gas Composite material Plywood


Not perfect, but not too shabby either. I needed a little Portland cement to make a slurry to fill in the courser spots and float a nice smooth surface, but alas, all I had was the pre-mixed Quickcrete….

I didn't want to drop $30 on a bull float, so I had to use my brick trowel.

Wood Rectangle Natural material Wood stain Hardwood


Bolt holes are nice and flush…

Ball Road surface Asphalt Circle Natural material


I used four 80 lb bags of Quickcrete and half of a 60 lb bag, so not counting the water, the top is 350 lbs. that should dampen some vibrations.
Ps…. I'm beat!
 

Attachments

#60 ·
Skim coat to make up for my "iffy" flat work

Every time I do mason work, I finish up with a fresh respect for professional masons who do the work very well. There's more science to it than one might think and it takes a lot of practice to get the techniques right.

My second observation is that whenever I do a project that doesn't turn out so well, I always find that there are good YouTube videos out there that would have helped me a lot, had I watched them BEFORE I started, as I made the classic novice error of mixing the concrete too soupy and wound up with a puddle that couldn't be properly floated.

So being none to impressed with the coarse, slightly unlevel finish of my concrete poor, now that it's pretty well cured, I decided to try doing a skim coat.

I found a half bag of ConPro Oneshot in my shed, but when I tested it in a corner, it crumbled when dry….. Home Depot, here I come. They have a product by Henry called Uni Pro that gets good reviews,and best of all, I didn't have to buy a huge bag…. I chose the little 3 lb. box fox $6.

This time I prepped the surface by putting a "curb" on 3 sides. Mixing was easy, but this stuff sets up really fast, so you have to think it through and even do a dry run….. Just like with a big clamped glue up.

Wood Wood stain Gas Hardwood Rectangle


I used my Sheetrock tools, which worked well…

Gas Wood Electric blue Monoplane Tool


I was just a little short of mix, but it's very close. I'll evaluate it when dry and may hit it again, as it was easy enough.

Wood Floor Wood stain Hardwood Plumbing fixture
 

Attachments

#61 ·
Skim coat to make up for my "iffy" flat work

Every time I do mason work, I finish up with a fresh respect for professional masons who do the work very well. There's more science to it than one might think and it takes a lot of practice to get the techniques right.

My second observation is that whenever I do a project that doesn't turn out so well, I always find that there are good YouTube videos out there that would have helped me a lot, had I watched them BEFORE I started, as I made the classic novice error of mixing the concrete too soupy and wound up with a puddle that couldn't be properly floated.

So being none to impressed with the coarse, slightly unlevel finish of my concrete poor, now that it's pretty well cured, I decided to try doing a skim coat.

I found a half bag of ConPro Oneshot in my shed, but when I tested it in a corner, it crumbled when dry….. Home Depot, here I come. They have a product by Henry called Uni Pro that gets good reviews,and best of all, I didn't have to buy a huge bag…. I chose the little 3 lb. box fox $6.

This time I prepped the surface by putting a "curb" on 3 sides. Mixing was easy, but this stuff sets up really fast, so you have to think it through and even do a dry run….. Just like with a big clamped glue up.

Wood Wood stain Gas Hardwood Rectangle


I used my Sheetrock tools, which worked well…

Gas Wood Electric blue Monoplane Tool


I was just a little short of mix, but it's very close. I'll evaluate it when dry and may hit it again, as it was easy enough.

Wood Floor Wood stain Hardwood Plumbing fixture
Looking better. I guess the most important thing is that the lathe sits on there without wobbling.
 

Attachments

#67 ·
Houston, the Eagle has landed

My friends son (later 20s and a great guy) is pretty buff and stopped by to help lift the lathe….

Wood Gas Rectangle Machine Art


Mounting holes lined up perfectly.

Now to bolt it down and see if I can put Humpty Dumpty back together again….

That pretty much wraps up the build… I'll post some pics and list it as a project when I'm up and running and again when I have Kaizen foam in the tool area.

Thanks for tuning in.
 

Attachments

#68 ·
Houston, the Eagle has landed

My friends son (later 20s and a great guy) is pretty buff and stopped by to help lift the lathe….

Wood Gas Rectangle Machine Art


Mounting holes lined up perfectly.

Now to bolt it down and see if I can put Humpty Dumpty back together again….

That pretty much wraps up the build… I'll post some pics and list it as a project when I'm up and running and again when I have Kaizen foam in the tool area.

Thanks for tuning in.
Looks great Matt.
 

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