I learned to turn on an antique Walker-Turner lathe dating from about 1935.  This lathe was lent to me by a good friend while I was searching for a modern lathe.  With a 1/4 HP motor and an exposed belt-drive system, it was a bit ungainly and underpowered by today's standards, but as a learning tool served me quite well.  I clamped it to a woodworking bench and used it to learn fundamental turning techniques.  You might notice that my shop is quite crowded.  This condition persists today.

Walker-Turner Lathe (c1935) clamped to my workbench.

Reprint from the "Driver Series 700 Line" section of a 1934 Walker-Turner Catalog.  Note the price!

To view an Adobe .pdf file containing the Walker-Turner 1934 Catalog, click on the following link.  Important Note: This file is in about 11MBytes long!  If you are using a dial-up Internet service, please have several cups of coffee handy...   Walker-Turner 1934 Catalog

My current lathe is a Nova 3000 made in New Zealand by Teknatool International.  It is equipped with a 1HP Leeson variable speed motor that is reversible.  The lathe is designed to turn pieces that are up to 16" in diameter over the ways.  The Nova is also equipped with an outboard turning attachment that allows me to turn pieces in excess of 29" in diameter.  On occassion I have detached the last bed segment and moved it to the end of the bench to allow the turning of spindles up 48" long.  The Nova 3000 is equipped with a headstock that can be rotated up to 90° away from the bed.  This capability is useful when turning hollow forms and for outboard turning.

View of Nova 3000 on custom stand with tool rack behind lathe.

I built a custom stand for the Nova 3000 around a single piece of 150 year old white oak that one of my friends rescued from a pile of lumber "...out behind the barn...".  With 11 1/2" x 2 3/8" x 6' dimensions, it provides a heavy, stable base for the lathe to rest upon.  I used a traditional A-frame construction approach to build the stand and equipped it with some drawers and doors to finish it off.  The panels are not designed to be elegant: they are constructed out of MDF.  The lower section of the stand is filled with many bags of sand to add mass to the assembly.

Stand for the Nova lathe.  The stand is constructed using pegged mortise and tenon joinery.  The only structural metal fasteners that I used in it are the screws holding the handles and latches in place, some lag screws holding the large oak base to the frame and screws that attach the MDF to the frame.