Hi,

I'm new woodturning. It's actually something I've been wanting to do for a
long time but have never really had the opportunity to try or the nerve to
just run out and buy a lathe. I've been turning for a couple of weeks now on
a Ridgid 1200 lathe (from Home Depot) that I borrowed from my
brother-in-law. I've only been able to do facework.....making a few bowls
and am pretty much working on trial and error. I've been doing lots of
reading. I haven't been able to turn between centers because I can't get
the centers to line up on this cheapy lathe. That Ridgid and it's
lightweight stand sure shakes and rattles a lot!

Anyway, Monday I ordered a Jet Mini from Woodcraft ($199) based on
information I've obtained from this newsgroup. Thanks! It's scheduled to
be delivered on Friday. I can't wait. I'm gonna be building a substantial
bench for it in the near future but need to be able to mount it to something
in the mean time. I've got a small stand constructed from 2"x2" angle iron
that I'd like to use temporarily until I can build a bench. The stand is 25
inches long by 14 inches wide. It's got a bottom shelf that I can place
bags of quickrete on for weight and stability and with a few layers of glued
together plywood and bolted down on top will be about the right height for
me.

My concern is length and width. Is it too small to even use as a temporary
stand? Jet states the overall dimensions of the Mini are 24-5/8 x 7-1/4 x
14. Is the Mini gonna bolt to this stand for temporary purposes? Is the
stated 24 5/8 overall length, the length of the base, or the distance
between the handwheels. What I really need to know is the distance between
the mounting bolt holes and/or rubber feet in the base? I realize that in a
couple of days, I'll have all the answers to these questions when the lathe
arrives, but I'd like to line another stand up if necessary because I know
when it gets here I'm gonna want to use it immediately.

Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Walker

P.S. I've found a guy in a local woodturning club that gives turning lessons
so I'm thinking about getting some formal instruction. Is that recommended?