Got a mini-lathe for Christmas last year and needed something to put it on. Hundreds of spinning tops and mushrooms later, I’m pretty sure it was worth it. Here’s a couple other things from my lathe.
That’s it exactly. Adds the extra support without adding all the extra time of cutting that bit out of a 4x4. I could’ve just put a small piece to support the bottom, but this way all the weight is transferred to the ground.