After struggling for years repositioning radios and test equipment at the workbench, I finally found a simple but elegant solution. In a recent YouTube radio repair video, Stefan Steger, DL7MAJ, demonstrated a Lazy Susan-type workbench turntable that allows him to easily rotate different sized equipment while working on them.
His system is made up of a two-part assembly and uses a metal “turntable ring” to rotate it. Stefan was kind enough to share his plan with me, and I made up my own version in short order (below).
![](https://www.onallbands.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Workbench-1-1024x768.jpg)
To begin, you’ll need a turntable ring. Rings of various diameters can be found online by searching “Lazy Susan turntable ring.”
Stefan used a melamine material for his turntable surfaces, but I opted for pine. Along with the turntable ring, use two pieces of wood or similar material to form a smaller permanent base and a larger attachment for equipment that extends beyond the edges of the base section.
![](https://www.onallbands.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Workbench-2-1024x768.jpg)
Size is up to you, depending on the ring you choose. I found that the smaller 12″ diameter ring I used to construct my turntable was sufficient to turn a large HF transceiver easily with the second larger surface plate attached.
My good friend Kerry Hofferth, NH2A, is an experienced woodworker and made all the wood cuts for me.
![](https://www.onallbands.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Workbench-3-768x1024.jpg)
See below how the component parts will come together to form the complete turntable.
![](https://www.onallbands.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Workbench-4-1024x768.jpg)
Once the pieces were cut and painted, construction began by attaching the ring to the octagonal base with four screws (below) directly at the mid-points of each edge and even with the outer circumference of the ring. This forms the rotating base that can be used with smaller size equipment.
![](https://www.onallbands.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Workbench-5-1-1024x768.jpg)
Four small triangular corner “dogs” are made from the four corners cut when creating the octagonal base. These corners are attached to the bottom of the larger base to form a space that allows the two pieces to mate snugly together, increasing the surface area available to use with larger pieces of equipment.
![](https://www.onallbands.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Workbench-6-1024x768.jpg)
The corners should provide a snug fit for the base but not one that is too tight.
![](https://www.onallbands.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Workbench-7-1024x768.jpg)
The alignment of the corner pieces that hold the smaller base will probably not be perfectly symmetrical and may cause difficulty when mating the two sections. Once I determined the best fit, I simply made two aligned marks, one on the edge of each section, that indicated how to align and couple the two parts together easily.
The finished project gives you a dual-size turntable system and allows you to accommodate small and large pieces of equipment.
![](https://www.onallbands.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Workbench-8-1024x768.jpg)
![](https://www.onallbands.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Workbench-9-1024x768.jpg)
I’ve found this simple, inexpensive accessory very useful for working on equipment at the bench and hope you’ll find it useful as well.
Dino Papas KLØS is a frequent On All Bands, QST and On the Air author and has been an amateur radio operator for over 50 years. You can contact Dino at kl0s@arrl.net.