What to put behind the lathe?

[dp]

Cement board and Z-Brick works for just about everything, doesn't need paint, and you can attach fittings to hang tools and supplies on. To clean it you can power wash it.

[Scottike]

Just about anything you use besides tin is going to get stained and scratched over time. (tin will too, but it takes a much longer time)

They do make a plastic (?) 1/8" paneling that is often used in public
restrooms where they can just go in and hose the place down. It's
pretty durable stuff, but the stuff I've seen has an orange peel texture
to it, so it won't clean as easily as a smooth surface.

I had the local HVAC shop make a tin panel for the back of my lathe.
It's mounted to the lathe, not the wall with a square tube frame that also supports the worklight for the lathe.

The tin is nice because I can mark it up with a sharpie for jotting stuff down or hold a print in place with a couple magnets. Cleans up with a shot of carb cleaner, Laquer thinner, acetone, etc.

[914Wilhelm]

How about some of the premade panels they use to construct shower walls? Get these at most big box stores and IIRC cheaper than Formica.

[RussZHC]

I don't but that's because the shop is the garage and given its age almost no difference if something else goes on the wall...I'd use sheet metal and form it so it goes into the swarf tray under the lathe proper.
Take a look at the general shape of a lathe with one and then just modify to fit your exact purpose/shape.

[danlb]

Mine is on the bench, so I use this.

First, the clutter.



Then the clutter shield


Here's the solution. A window shade is suspended over the lathe.


The vinyl does a good job of stopping the splashes and swarf. A quick tug and it's out of the way.

Dan

[daved20319]

Plastic laminate is durable, but can scratch and stain in this application. Masonite is just pressed sawdust and glue, although durable, it will also discolor and can swell if gotten wet. I'd use a piece of sheet metal of the appropriate size. If you're worried about oil running down and across the floor, have a tin shop make a panel with a catch basin at the bottom. Later.

Dave

[vpt]

I don't use coolant but for a chip guard and oil guard I use just a flat piece of SS I had laying around. Some day I want to make shelves and stuff on it to hold tooling and stuff.

[goose]

For those lathes (older lathes) that come without splash guards or a full enclosure, what do you/would you use behind the machine to contain the oil & coolant sling?

I'm currently re-sheetrocking the shop and want to put a handle on the mess. I figured maybe plastic laminate or Masonite might be a good surface, although plastic laminate can be pricey. Suggestions? Non-porous to wipe clean ? or will that allow oil to drip down to the floor?

Thanx,