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DIY stand for Nova Galaxi

Kim Metzger

Kim Metzger

Joined
Aug 28, 2014
Messages
44
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Location
Ajijic, Mexico
Website
tinyurl.com
I'm trying to buy a used Galaxi in the US. It looks like folks with lathes for sale usually stipulate that they won't do shipping. I was thinking maybe someone would ship their lathe if I didn't need the cast iron legs. Several years ago I bought the Nova DVR XP and made my own stand based on Ernie Conover's plan. Would a stand like this work for the Galaxi? https://web.archive.org/web/20140327133545/http://www.teknatool.com/projects/NOVA-BASE.PDF
 
Well Kim, my first thought was that if I was selling a Galaxi I wouldn't want the buyer to leave the legs behind. But I see that you are in Mexico, so I get why you'd want to minimize shipping.

Looking at your diagram I don't doubt that the stand would hold the weight of the lathe, but I don't think it would have enough mass to be a good platform for turning. Can you make something out of cast iron or steel?
 
You might have to pay “full price” for the used Galaxi and tell the owner to take the legs to the scrap yard, maybe send you a check for the scrap amount?

A stand similar to what you linked to could work. “Sheeting” the outside with ~ 1/2” ply would create a torsion box construction which would be very stiff but too light. It would need to be weighted down with 300-400 lbs of something, and the closer up to the lathe bed the weight is the better. Making a stand out of metal will still benefit from torsion box construction. I did it on the HF 34706 lathe and it made a world of difference. Not as good as the cast iron legs, but I understand why you want to do this. I would guess the cast legs are about 100 lbs each.

I own a Galaxi. One of the big benifits of the design is the pivoting headstock, and the best way to maximize that feature is with the Nova outrigger tool rest support. Design the stand so one can still be used.
 
Well, if you are a furniture maker, that stand would be fairly easy to make, though I never liked splayed legs. My first lathe was put on a table made from glue laminated beams, and would have supported any lathe I have ever owned. I do tend to make things very heavy duty. In your case, I think I would make a heavy duty work bench and bolt the lathe down to it. That saw horse type frame would be a good start idea for making a dedicated lathe stand. You will want leveling feet on the legs. Like Doug said, adding plywood sheeting on the back and ends will give you shear walls on 3 sides.

robo hippy
 
I recall those plans for the Nova stand. IIRC, it met with generally positive comments on the forum, maybe 8-10 years ago, in threads on making your own stand. The advantage of the 'splayed' legs is that they increase stability without requiring added material or mass.
 
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