I want to thank Jim again for the donation of the lathe, it has been turning wonderfully so far.
Currently, the lathe is secured to the workbench with three 3/8" bolts drilled through to cross-beams on the underside of the bench frame. And as much as I have enjoyed using the lathe, it was pointed out that far more people would need the bench real estate for cutting long boards on the mitre saw on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis, than turning. Down the road, we could make a quicker release system, but for now it's probably easiest to store the lathe "loose" at the back of the bench and only secure it in the working position when needed. This should be fine as long as anyone unbolting the lathe stores the bolts/nuts/washers in a convenient location for next time.
In terms of future projects, it would be nice to have the option to use the dust collection system when turning, and I will keep that in mind during the next few weeks. The gouges donated by Jim have all performed very well, and I have acquired a few others that I can make available/permanently donate if there is much more interest in turning in the future.
I know several members have expressed interest in learning on the lathe, potentially with availability on the first weekend of June, the 1st or 2nd?