homemade lathe

[zaitsev]

hi,

i saw many sites about homemade lathes does anyone from the forum ever made one of these?

what do you sugest for use as pulleys?

[ozboy]

Skean Dhu has posted a link for a pdf on how to build a lathe.

Hope this helps. http://rapidshare.de/files/22367724/Gingery_2_The_Metal_Lathe.pdf.html

[Jacks Complete]

You could just buy the pulleys. Another way might be to buy or steal a cheap pillar drill. Or grab a trashed one from a garage sale or car boot.

The lathe is the only machine tool that can make itself, did you know? If you had a lathe you could turn a set of pulleys.

[festergrump]

If you have a decent drill press at your disposal and a way to melt aluminum or other softer metal, you could try the "Lost Foam Method".

Some details here: http://www.theworkshop.ca/casting/foamcasting/foamcasting.htm

Cast two 'stepped' pulleys and run them opposite from one another to adjust speed of your lathe like many drill-presses do.

Once you get your lathe running decently enough you could turn your own pulleys all day long (like Jack's said), even redoing the ones for the lathe as cast aluminum is nowhere near as strong as turned steel, and I'd guess that you'd wear through belts much quicker with the rougher edges of the cast aluminum pulleys.

It'd get you started, anyway...

Somewhere within my links collection I have a site which outlines the entire lathe building process using a home-made backyard forge. It's likely kin to the one Skean Dhu and Ozboy mentioned. I'll see if I can find it to compare o theirs, and if it's different, I'll post the link here.

Grizzly Industrial has various pulleys and other stuff for sale as does McMaster Carr. (Grizzly's cheaper...)

[EDIT: Here's a site which appears to be more of a picture compilation of the step by step PDF linked to on rapidshare:
http://backyardmetalcasting.com/lathe1.html
Site owner has some other good projects, too, if you just go to his homepage.]

[Genocyde]

I have the book by Dave Gingery. You really need to be an experienced machinist to even attempt to build it. You also need to be able to cast your own parts. I have built the foundry furnace described in another of Dave's books. I have also built a milling table for my drill press from one of the series. I can tell you tjhat if you follow his directions exactly you will end up with a piece of machinery worthing of showing off. Dave G. really knows his stuff.

If you aren't ready to tackle a project like the Gingery lathe, I would suggest searching around the net for a set of plans from Popular Mechanics. They published some plans years ago for a lathe built from plumbing parts and other odds and ends. It looked like a fairly simple build, and might make a decent machine for a hobbiest. I don't have a link at hand, but it should not be too difficult to find via Google.

[stupid939]

Jacks Complete - Actually the mill is the only machine that can replicate itself.

Zaitsev - I have a lathe and a mill, and if you want to be able to machine metal, wood, or platic accurately, the best idea would be to buy one. It would be hard to cast your bed, headstock, and such, but the hardest part would be machining them after they are cast. If you dont have a mill, you probably won't have very much luck.

I used to have a Unimat 6in1, and it was ok, but you get 6 different tools out of it including a lathe, mill, drill press. It is about $350, but no tools are very cheap. You could also check ebay. One site it is on is:

http://www.maxmax.com/fMini-mate.htm

[Genocyde]

I have a Unimat, the little guy is pretty impressive for what it is. Usually multi-purpose tools are junk, but the Unimat is a well designed and well built little piece of machinery. They go for around $350 used on E-bay, and are well worth that price if you want to machine small parts.

[nbk2000]

Totally Off Topic:

If you can afford it (>$20K), a Cincinnati Milacron machine brings you absurd levels of speed/precision/capacity. The preferred machine tool of Military Industrial COmplexes around the globe. :)

[stupid939]

Sherline machines are a lot less expensive (~$1000 for a lathe or mill), and Boeing (airplane constructors) uses them a lot for small machining tasks. I have thier 17" lathe, and two of their mills, but you will end up spending a lot more on accessories than you did on the machine. This goes for most machines (except for maybe the ones in the tens of thousands. They are variable speed, they are transportable (if you wish), they come with all the accessories that you would need, and they can get you to at least 0.001 inches or less. Check them out at

www.sherline.com

[BeerWolf]

Harbor freight tools also has cheap but adequate mills and lathes.
I have one of their mini mills. It needed a lot of cleaning up before use, but is quite useful for the $350 (on sale) cost.

See here for specs:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=44991

[wolfy9005]

use old bench/stand drills
http://www.toolcenter.com/pics/tools/8050SL.jpg

[BeerWolf]

use old bench/stand drills
http://www.toolcenter.com/pics/tools/8050SL.jpg
You can use these in an emergency, with an XY table.
But they are unsuitable for comman use because the spindle bearings are set up to take thrust loads only.

The side loads imposed by milling destroy the bearings in only a few hours.
You CAN modify the spindle to use other bearings, but it generally takes a lathe to do so. Easier to just use that lathe with a milling attachment in the first place.

Totally Off Topic:
If you can afford it (>$20K), a Cincinnati Milacron machine brings you absurd levels of speed/precision/capacity. The preferred machine tool of Military Industrial COmplexes around the globe. :)
They are the ticket! I used to program and run Milacron 30 5 axis machines in aerospace. Accurate and easy to use.

I have seen used 3 axis Cinci's as low as $7000.
But they take large amounts of industrial 3 phase power, and they weigh from 7-12 tons. So I haven't got one for my garage....yet.:)

[amsci99]

There's a range of books on making your own machine shop from scrap from Lindsay Books at http://www.lindsaybks.com/dgjp/index.html. I do not know about the tolerances of the machines but I guess you get to pick up metal shaping skills along the way. zaitsev, you may wish to pm me for the books if you are interested.

+++++++++

UTFSE before posting redundant links. NBK

[BeerWolf]

I have all the Gingery Books on disk.

The may already be on the FTP, but I have now way to check it yet. (Too new)

I will be uploading them to rapidshare. Watch the Rapidshare links thread.

NO self-signing of posts. You've been warned already. Next time...

[henryblowery]

Harbor freight tools also has cheap but adequate mills and lathes.


I don't know how we got from homemade lathes to HF, but I agree with BeerWolf....I've seen lots of great stuff made on HF mini lathes and mills. I just bought one myself and I'm looking forward to using it.

<img width=450 hight=400 src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/braboy/minimill008.jpg">

[megalomania]

You must think like a corporation, syfilius. Always remember that government products are built by the lowest bidder. Why spend $100k to do something if it can be done on a $1k machine? Not every part needs to be built to ultra precision standards. Interior components like door frames, conduits, seat brackets, toilets, sinks, compartments, etc. need not be perfect.

Consider the difference between the Corvette and the Cobalt. The new Corvette is a $70k+ car that Consumer Reports still ripped for being rather shoddy, but the quality is head and shoulders beyond what the Cobalt offers. The Cobalt costs a fraction of the price of the Corvette, hence a fraction of the quality.

The Hubble space telescope has a poorly ground lens because someone miscalibrated the calibration machine. One of those Mars probes blew up upon landing because the geniuses at the contractor used different units of measurement.

Alas, "Quality Is Job #1" is more of a slogan on the wall at many companies interested in turning a profit. Ever see an aircraft grounded because of mechanical difficulties? Never underestimate the depths to which a company will sink to save a few bucks if they think no one is watching.

[nbk2000]

There

Their

They're

are words that may sound the same, but are not interchangable, syfilius. (Deliberate mispelling of Syphilis?)

Mega, you have to approve a moderated post that you're replying to, otherwise no-one else knows what's you're referring to. :p

[pfred1]

I made a lathe out of some junk I found in the cellar here. PM me for URL to a page about it. I am still refining the machine to this day, but as it is it does the lathe thing. It does not cut threads or anything like that though. I mainly use it for woodworking now. But with the modifications I am doing on it now I am aiming for more metal working functionality out of it.

As for the pulley question right now I am using junk pulleys I have found in my travels, but am in the process of making one on the lathe. I have glued up the blank etc, just have not gotten around to turning it yet.

[c.Tech]

I made a lathe out of some junk I found in the cellar here. PM me for URL to a page about it.

Why not just post the link in this thread?

[aikon]

Why not just post the link in this thread?

Because he has never built a lathe out of junk.
He's just a liar, trying to impress us with fictitious experiments and projects.

pfred1:
Yes, this is meant as an insult. I'll apologize if you prove me wrong.

[Meawoppl]

The gingery books are nearly as hard as you guys claim. The hardest part is making good wood patterns so your castings turn out well. The only advantage that I had was access to the casting lab where I go to school.
This made the castings turn out way prettier than I could have performed at my home. In any case, getting the patterns pretty involves having a table saw, or lots of time with a file/rasp. In either case, after I finish the project, I plan on selling the patterns just because they are such a pain in the ass to make.
If you guys ever have any problems with the book series, send me a PM. Also if you have any casting questions, I am good for that too.

[Cobalt.45]

I made a lathe out of some junk I found in the cellar here.
And, some piece of shit that barely manages to achieve .010" accuracy is a lathe in name only.

If you have something decent and original, though, lets see it.

[Jacks Complete]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/multimachine/ might be of use here.

The MultiMachine started out as an all purpose machine tool for my home shop because I had gotten to really resent having to buy something before I made anything!
Like many projects, this one kept growing and finally ended up as a machine that that could do any type of job that a machine shop does.
It had also gotten (for me at least) expensive. This group and I then developed ways to make the machine almost FREE.

[defiant]

There is a vast difference between a wood turning and metal turning lathe. Get real.

[10fingers]

Several years ago I bought that Dave Gingery book on building a lathe. After reading it I realized that it would take me about 6 months to do. If I took the same amount of time to work and make money I could buy several lathes. But I suppose if you have a lot of time and little money it might be worthwhile, it's also a good way to learn metalworking skills.
I did finally just buy one, it's a Southbend 9 inch that I picked up used for $1200., it's a nice little machine. I know I could never have built one that came close to it.

[Jacks Complete]

defiant, I'm quite sure you aren't talking to me, since the link I provide tells us plenty about the multi-machine, which is a multi-purpose metal machining station, which includes a metal lathe, milling machine, and more, down to the individual preferences of the builder.

[FragmentedSanity]

I think defiant was just joining in with everyone ripping on the newb who claimed to build the lathe from junk.
The machine you linked to is a beast - looks damn impressive, I had to sign up to yahoo it looked so interesting ;)
As for things like turning metal in woodlathe, or with a makeshift device powered by a drill or a bicycle or whatever else you happen to imagine - dont be so quick to discount it. Its never going to be as good as a propper machine, but for many tasks it would be adequate. As long as it preforms the task you want it too then your makeshift lathe is a success.
You dont need super accuracy for everything - if all you wanted was to make say a homemade SMG, you dont really need to buy a big expensive machine capable of "real" accuracy.

[HIM]

I purchased a book from Lindsay Books on building a lathe. (The title escapes me right now, but it is not one of Gingery's).

It came with templates for all the pieces and tips for assembly for those without any major skill. The headstock and tailstock are easily aquired and sometimes even free as they are diesel pistons. (Which are far more precise than what one could make without high end equipment).

I made a few essential changes from the original design: Actual bearings in the headstock instead of bronze bearings, eliminated all the various pullies by using a 1.5 hp DC motor from a treadmill powered by a rheostat and bridge rectifier circuit, turning a belt that is attached to the headstock driveshaft.

It can turn my work with a tolerance of around 1 to 2 thousandths of an inch and all without having to do much more to the metal for the body other than drill/tap/pin to assemble it.

[oxbeast]

HIM, what is your lathe's bed made from?
Further details of the book would be appreciated.

[mule]

Check out yahoo groups multimachines. The guy has been making mill/lathe combos out of engine blocks. They also have some great advice and good links

[Genocyde]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/multimachine/ might be of use here.



Wow! Thanks for that link. Looks like I have a new project, as if I didn't have enough already.

[209]

I have built the Gingery lathe, I got into casting from Lionel's website - www.backyardmetalcating.com. After a month of procrastination I eventually got a furnace thrown together. I was going to make a charcoal furnace but thought I would go all the way and opted for a much cleaner/less stinky/no clean up propane foundry. I got all the patterns togeather (make ALL your patterns first) and built it.

The end result was good, but not store bought. The accuracy was good, but hey, a homemade lathe can only do practicle work within reasonable limits. The bed was a bit flimsy (I casted it 3 times and chose the best one) and it vibrated a bit to much. Other than that, it was pretty good. I have never used it for anything that really counts, but its great for cleaning up round castings.

This is a good website for homemade jazz -

http://www.green-trust.org/junkyardprojects/FreeHomeWorkshopPlans.html

[HIM]

The bed is made from 6 in x 36 in x .5 in cold rolled steel. (In fact, all the metal used is cold rolled). The bed is supported by 2 - 3 in x 36 in x .25 in runner strips using angle iron the same length holding the bed to the base, which is a scrap piece of a beam 10 in wide. The instructions call out for .25 inch steel but I doubled the thickness of everything to make it more rigid to avoid filling the underside of the bed with concrete. If interested I could take a few pics of it and post them.

I just looked on Lindsay Publications and it doesn't look like they have the book at this time. Ill try digging up my copy and maybe scanning it.

[blackberrygoose]

OK Then.
Aside from all of the other sites that have been mentioned, I came through this site from the "backyard metal casting" links or through google, looking for some of the lathe designs that can be built at home.

http://www.vintageprojects.com/site-map.html
(hope this is helpful)

At the time that I last checked, I found that this site had a few differing lathe designs and a few other interesting bits and pieces that have been pulled from hobby engineering publications over the years.

Another useful piece of data (for the maths and data freak) is the "machinery's handbook" in any edition from 1968 onward. The most recent version I could find was the 27th editition and can be downloaded through a number of the torrent engines. Use your own initiative to source a torrent location for this one as I cannot remember the exact location.

In the future I would realy enjoy building a lathe or multimachine, but alas a store bought or secondhand unit will suffice as the time space and commitment required is already spoken for.

A good second hand lathe for gunsmithing (or soi have been told by an old engineer) would be a myford super 7 or a myford ML7. A Taiwanese lathe has poor to average electrics but is cpapable of producing good accuracy, price is the key here. As for a good reliable lathe any Coulchester lathe from '79 onwards (in good condition) would be optimal and could cost no more than Au$10,000 with inverter, but if one where to look around one could be found for less than Au$5,000 (makes the new Taiwanese tool room lathe look attractive, hey?).