I've been asked several times to do remote demos for one occasion or another. Craft shows, other craft hobby clubs, etc. etc. I actually bought a midi lathe, a Delta 46-460, for that purpose. Well, I fell into a deal on the Delta and I told myself that's why I was buying it. That's been probably at least 3 years ago and I'd just never figured out a good way to transport it and make it quick and easy to set up. The other day I saw a portable miter saw stand and wondered if that would work. Decided to give it a go and bought the "Bauer" version from Harbor Freight. The Bauer line is harbor freight's "middle" quality line of tools. Never thought I would say this but they're not a bad value. Anyway, here is what I came up with, haven't seen a setup like this before but if it's already been done please forgive.

 

 

Here is the lathe mounted and ready to turn. I wouldn't want to try and turn a full size bowl with this setup but it should be just fine for demoing things like tops,  honey dippers, ornaments and finials etc. The stock legs were just too long and made the lathe way too high. I didn't want to cut them off so I bought a length of 1 1/2" EMT conduit and made new legs out of that. I'll paint them black and I found some rubber tips that fit just right for the bottoms. The lathe will slide to either end and lock down and that helps with the weight when loading, setting up,  or folding it for transport. I won't say setting it up is a piece of cake but it's certainly manageable. A serendipitous bonus is the slides are long enough to provide a mount for a safety shield or tool tray. 

 

 

Here is the stand folded down and ready for transport. One nice thing is the stand is designed to store vertically and have a pretty small footprint when not set up for use. The band clamp is just there for insurance as I just don't fully trust the cam locks on the slides when it's in a vertical position. 

Looks like you put a lot of thought into this and it shows.  That's a lot of weight to move and your answer looks quite suited to the job.  Nicely done Steve.

That is a great solution for a perpetual problem.

Impressive!!!!

I think I remember when you bought that lathe, though I thought it was alonger ago than 3 years. Isn't that the one with the switch wired backwards? Anyway, you came up with a cool solution to making it mobile.

Edited September 30, 2025Sep 30 by Fred W. Hargis Jr

Now that's the cat's meow!!

     Well, poo. I thought I had posted on this forum about my use of a miter saw stand for other tools, must have been while I was on my sabbatical 🙂 

 

     When I first got my benchtop planer I set it up using two folding tables as infeed and outfeed tables, it took me over an hour to get things set up kinda level ( outside ). I looked at the HF miter saw stand I have and switched the planer to the one set of brackets that came with it. What a difference, because the in/out feed rollers are already indexed to the bed, setup is a breeze. I looked for but could not get extra brackets for the HF stand. I found a "Toughbuilt"  stand that I could get extra brackets easily and inexpensively on Amazon. The stand is 124" end to end when both supports are extended, and there are 4 supports on the stand ( 2 per side ). I can easily process 8' boards by myself. The stand also doubles as an in/out feed support for my table saw.  This works so well I ordered a second stand.

     I used the stand with my scroll saw to setup a demo ( each week ) at the farmers market when I was selling. 

     I now now enough brackets that I have most of my benchtop tools mounted to their own set of brackets, switching tools is a snap. Tools currently set up are:

miter saw

scroll saws (3)

benchtop planer

router table

benchtop bandsaw

14" metal cutting saw

belt sander 

assembly/sanding table

Current storage is underneath and pushed behind the stand with accessories / blades in totes

 

     Also, if you turned the lathe around so the motor (most of the weight ) is closer to the wheels and slide the lathe as far to that side as possible you can make it easier to lift and maneuver. Sliding the weight back and forth can make setting up and taking down the legs easier as well.

Great idea!   

4 hours ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

I think I remember when you bought that lathe, though I thought it was alonger ago than 3 years. Isn't that the one with the switch wired backwards? Anyway, you came up with a cool solution to making it mobile.

 LOL, looked it up almost nine years. Time flies.

3 hours ago, Steve Krumanaker said:

 Time flies.

Sorry.  The correct phrase is - 

 

Time's fun when you're having flies!  

                                                      - Kermit D. Frog