Great little machines. I used to mow with a Massey Ferguson 1531 with a 6ft deck. That's 31hp on a 2000pto. Mowed like a dream but was too heavy.

Now I have a JD 657 stander and can mow 2+ acres in less than an hour!

I still drool when I use it!!!

Where ya been buddy?

You OK?

Leave them where they are?????

The top is going to expand and contract as the RH in your shop changes with the seasons. The steel won't. Not a good combination. If you think you need to reinforce the top it would be better to add some cleats dovetailed into the bottom. Pin them in place only in the center.

IMHO plywood, MDF, or Melamine make a more stable top.

John

How about turning one out of wood?

I mentioned a while back I was going to be moving about 500 miles to a new home. I have a fair number of large power tools and I decided to do it with PODS. In the end I chose the company Packrat instead because they were almost half as expensive and their shipping containers had a much higher weight limit. 6000 instead of 4000 pounds.

I should have taken more pictures but when the move came it came on really short notice. But basically I built a ramp and rolled everything in on the mobile bases. The deck of a pod is only about 5-6" so this is pretty easy with a 4' ramp.

I had 2 containers one for the home stuff and the bandsaw and the other one held mostly stationary power tools and few bulky houshold items.

Took over 60 harbor frieght ratchet straps but everything made it safe and in one piece.



Its hard to tell but there is a Sawstop ICS, a floor model drill press, a floor model hollow chisel mortiser, a 15" floor model planer, a 3hp grizz cyclone, an 8 inch joiner, a rubo workbench and some smaller tools plus some house hold stuff all in their. Much easier than a traditional moving truck and the entire process was very professionally handled by packrat. I would use them again in a heartbeat.... but I HATE moving.

ratchet strap city-




Hope this helps someone else down the road.

How small is small? There a three laths for sale in the shop-n-trade. You may want to ask the same question in the woodturning section. What do you intend on turning (diameter and length)? Where would you store it between sessions? The cast iron beds are fairly hefty.

18mm Baltic Birch would be a good plywood to use

Not answering your question, and if this is for more like shop work and not field work, but just a thought here, why slider? They take up room in the back (except for a model made by Hitachi), and if you don't need the extra depth of cut all the time, consider a 12" fixed compound miter saw. I have a Bosch, and the depth of cut I get handles 99% of what I have ever cut on it. Stays in alignment, less to go wrong. Check the specs on current models and see if a 12" fits your needs, it just might, cheaper too. If you have a table saw with a crosscut panel (or a sharp hand saw) I always thought sliders were more appropriate for construction trades.

Did not Norm have one of those?
Ag