Patrull Lathe splashguard

Alan finds an easy solution for his lathe splashback.

"I've been meaning to make a splashback for my little Taig / Peatol lathe for a while, I was thinking of using some aluminium sheet and folding something up, but hadn't got around to it. Browsing in Ikea, I saw their Patrull stove / hob guard. It looked about the right size and 1mm Stainless Steel, with safe edges and folded over so it's very rigid too. It had a central part so it can expand outwards too. Best of all it's only £10.00 or with an Ikea Family card a smidge over £7.00. Can't buy the materials for that, and you get a free cup of tea and a handful of wooden coffee stirrers too!

I folded it up and it's absolutely spot on, it grips to the base of my lathe as if it's made for it. Holes are in the right place, plus I have a chunk of stainless steel from the central part spare too. Comes with dome nuts and extra brackets which I can adapt and make it into a really sturdy job! It'd work just as well for other small desktop lathes, unimats, micro mills etc too.


It's magnetic, so I can fit my little magnetic tin storage boxes to it too (Also from Ikea - they normally fix onto their steel white boards). Ikea is a good place to look for items which have other uses around the home and workshop. Great for putting those little allen keys and chuck keys in so you don't lose them the instant you put them down.


For under a tenner - what a steal, a stainless steel you could say. Great idea for thinking outside the flat pack. Also picked up some Dralla chopping boards - £1.79 for two, great for protecting the bench top when working on any small projects and dirt cheap too, made from Polyethylene with a textured non slip finish, oh and a little Birch cutlery tray, solid wood, finger jointed corners, pre-finished and £6.99!"

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