Rotating tool stand

[sooty]

Hi I was googling for a rotating tool stand the other day and it led me to this site,
CanadianScroller had this picture in his thread



which is exactly what I am looking for I need to fit a Thicknesser on one side and a Jointer/Planer on the other as my workshop is really small 10 feet x 8 feet.
Does anyone know where I can get free plans for building this stand?

[Gill]

That photo makes me nervous! The cabinet is mounted on castors which don't appear to have a locking mechanism, so it can move freely as you attempt to feed the planer on top. Also, the stability of the planer relies on a couple of wood screws in each direction and I wouldn't like to put my faith in them.

If that's the route you decide to go down, please take great care.

Gill

[sooty]

That photo makes me nervous! The cabinet is mounted on castors which don't appear to have a locking mechanism, so it can move freely as you attempt to feed the planer on top. Also, the stability of the planer relies on a couple of wood screws in each direction and I wouldn't like to put my faith in them.

Gill thanks for your quick reply.
I agree entirely with you, if I were to make it I would put locking castors with locking mechanism on each wheel and I would fit bolts to the undersides of the shelf which would do a better job than the woodscrews, but as an idea it is brilliant!
Just need to know how to make the canteliever shelf?

[CanadianScroller]

I am not sure which magazine carried plans for benches like that. I will have to look through my collection and get back to you.

[Gill]

Looking at how the shelf has been lipped all around, I would hazard a guess that it is a torsion box which rotates on a metal rod that has been passed through its center. I wouldn't like to guess the dimensions of the rod, although to support something as solid as a planer it would have to be rather substantial. The shelf itself would need to have a substantial filling blocks to allow the planer to be clamped securely.

I'm surprised the cabinet appears to have been made out of pine. I'd have thought something more durable such as maple would wear better because the weight on the rod will compress its wooden housing. If the rod could be embedded into some some sort of bearing housing, it would perform much better but that's getting into the realms of engineering .

I definitely agree with you that the restraining lugs should be underneath the shelf, not above it. A better solution would be to cut a slot underneath the shelf and fit four simple turn catches which could hold the shelf steady from underneath.

The cabinet in the photo seems to be remarkably clean and I suspect it's probably being shown before its first use. I'd like to see a photo of it after its twentieth use...

Gill