Thinking of buying a rikon midi, and would like to know what would be some ideas for a stand.
Preferably one that I can make.

Not sure how you rate levels, but have all the tools and skills to make a bench.
List of tools could be quite long. 
I guess that I should say wood working tools.
Have the metal skills but not the tools.

Also, heavier is better, almost without limit.  Anything that dampens vibrations (bags of sand, for example) is good.

Tony Rozendaal wrote on Jul 2^nd, 2024 at 12:57pm:



Very good point.  My lathe stand was constructed from a 'retired' gas grill base, with some 2x6 construction pine edge-glued to make a top.  When I upgraded from a mini-lathe to a midi (which I bolted to the top of the lathe bench), I opted to put a short length of 2x4 under both the headstock and tailstock ends of the lathe.  The primary purpose was to elevate the lathe to that magical point where the axis of rotation is about the same elevation above the floor as my elbow, but it also provided some additional space under the lathe where chips and dust can accumulate.  It is possible to clear that area, but it's not easy - my standard shop brush won't fit in that area so I have to improvise, and cleaning takes a bit longer.

In retrospect, it would have been better to make the bench a couple of inches lower, and then use additional blocking under the headstock and tailstock ends to make cleanout easier.  But that's one of those things that you never think about when designing the bench.