I used the base from an old gas grill. The top is made from 2x6 construction pine - trimmed to produce square corners, and then edge-glued to form a solid piece. When I upgraded to a new lathe, I found that the space between the bottom of the bedways and the top of the base was too small to be conveniently be able to keep that area clean of dust and shavings, so I added two scraps of 2x4 pine at 90deg to the 2x6 under the headstock and tailstock feet - that elevated the lathe a further 1.5 inches and provided the desired additional clearance.