In Part III of this article I detail the Baseboard.

The Baseboard is the Hub of the System and you need to think through all the things you want to achieve and also in the future, you also have to consider the fact that the Baseboard will extend well beyond the Lathe so you do not want it to be too Large and then again you do not want it to be so Small that you are limited to the use of the Jigs previously described.

I determined the Size of mine by looking at the Swing over the Bed, with the Baseboard in Place, and the Length of the Main Sled I would need, this worked out as below and I find I am not leaning over too much when operating the system.

The Baseboard is constructed from two 658mm x 658mm x 12mm [26" x 26" x ½"] thk. pieces of MDF with the Top Piece, as shown below, for attaching the various Guides and Pivots to, the Lower Board is also drilled the same, clamp the two together when drilling, so that you do not end up with any blind holes to fill up with wood dust.

The Screwed Inserts are M6 or ¼" to suit and are 12mm [½"] Long which happens to be the thickness of the Top Base Board. This type of Insert requires a 8mm Ø Hole, and you need to check the actual size for the particular type of Insert you choose to use.

One benefit of using this type of Insert is that if any should ever get damaged they are easily replaced, so order a few extra for reserve, you can also add additional fixings at any time to suit your requirements as the present themselves.

The Bottom Board is shown below, I attached a Block of MDF equal in length to that of the Baseboard and with a Width that would fit snuggly between the Lathe Bed [Ways] through the middle of the assembly I fixed an M12 Bolt and used the same design of Clamping Plate and M12 Lever as used with the Boring Bar Trap  although a simple Nut would be more than adequate.

The Locating Block is not on the Centre of the Baseboard but towards the rear of the Baseboard as this fitted in with the position of the Lathe relevant to the nearest obstruction and I did not see the necessity to extend further back for any of the Jigs and Fixtures I would be using.

This Block has to be accurately located so that the Baseboard Sits square to the Lathe Bed [Ways] and you should follow the often given advise of "Measure Twice and  Drill only Once" I used four Wood Screws and a Thin Coating of Gorilla Glue to fix the Baseboard to the Block.

The center Locking Bolt is fixed into a recessed hole, as shown, and as this inner Nut will not be accessible once the Baseboard is finished I used Super Glue on the Thread and Nut, finally filling the recess with Two Part Epoxy.

Now you can Glue the Top Board to the Bottom Board, again I used Gorilla Glue but any suitable Wood Glue should be more than acceptable.

Instead of using Clamps during the Gluing Process I just bolted the two boards together using the Nut Inserts and suitable Set Screws in every other Hole, only because I did not have sufficient Screws for each and every Hole.

To finish the Baseboard and to "Harden" it up I used Wood Hardener, the type you use for Rotten Wood, and after letting this Dry I gave it a coat of Varnish.

In Part IV of this article I detail the various Fixed and Adjustable Pivot Points I currently have, plus some Photos of the complete set up on the Lathe.

Part I of this Article.
Part II of this Article.
Part IV of this Article.