Home-made Lathe

7 Attachment(s)

Home-made Lathe

This is a photo of a home-made woodturning lathe that I made over the course of about a month (from 8/2/2024 to 10/3/2024):

Attachment 47312

The design was heavily influenced by the sizes of various bits of material I already had lying around. The only things I bought in order to make the lathe were a motor (£10 from ebay) and a variable speed drive (£50 from amazon). Everything else was stuff I had lying around (although I have to admit I did have a rather ridiculous amount of material lying around waiting for a project :D).

I'd never even used a wood turning lathe before, so I had a lot to learn!

Attachment 47318

The lathe has a 128 mm centre height, so can swing a maximum realistic diameter of about 250 mm. The bed is 1 metre long; I haven't measured the maximum between centres distance but I'd guess it's about 700 mm or perhaps a bit less. Both headstock and tailstock have MT2 tapers; the headstock has an M33×3.5 thread for mounting a chuck. I've tried the variable speed drive with spindle speeds up to about 3500 rpm, although I mostly run it much slower.

It was, without any doubt, the most challenging and complex metalworking project I've ever done, but I really enjoyed the process of figuring out how to make it, especially figuring out how to make the "banjo" (tool rest mount) move back and forth, rotate, and slide along the bed and then lock with a single lever.

I filmed my first (and second) ever attempt at using a woodturning lathe (also using a home-made roughing gouge):

https://youtu.be/x9lsJ73gs00

https://youtu.be/84THNzxhiWs

While I was making the lathe, I posted regular updates on my website. There is a 36 page build log (with 396 photos and a couple of short videos) describing everything I did when making the lathe. The build starts at this link: https://www.cgtk.co.uk/woodwork/powe...the/blog/page1

I also made a simple "Lazy Susan" tool holder, with skateboard bearings to make it rotate freely:

Attachment 47316

Attachment 47317

Some of the things I've made with it so far. Firstly, some new handles for my chisels:

Attachment 47313

Secondly, a small bowl and some pens and pencils:

Attachment 47314

A big beech bowl (made mostly to try out turning something close to the maximum diameter the lathe could handle):

Attachment 47315

Thanks Dr.Al! We've added your Woodturning Lathe to our Wood Lathes category,
as well as to your builder page: Dr.Al's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

<div id="blocks"> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-woodturning-lathe-5"> <img src="/uploads/263343/homemade-woodturning-lathe-5.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-woodturning-lathe-5">Woodturning Lathe</a> <span> by <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/builder/Dr.Al">Dr.Al</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/lathe'>lathe</a>, <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/wood'>wood</a> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Congratulations Dr.Al - your Woodturning Lathe is the Homemade Tool of the Week!

This is an excellent woodturning lathe build, and the 36-page guide on your website will make it much easier for other people to build on their own.

Some more nice builds from this week:

Surface Polisher by troyhaack
Precision Vise Square Modification by Mook
Tap Follower by Philip Davies

Dr.Al - you'll be receiving a $100 cash prize, in your choice of Amazon, PayPal, or bitcoin. Please PM me your current email address and prize choice and I'll get it sent over right away.

More importantly - this is your 5th Homemade Tool of the Week win!

You join these other 5-Time Homemade Tool of the Week winners: rgsparber, rossbotics, Christophe Mineau, Brendon, Frank S, mklotz, Vyacheslav.Nevolya, brianhw, LMMasterMariner, jjr2001, Tuomas, olderdan, tonyfoale, bobs409, thehomeengineer, celsoari, Stevohdee, Dimitris Polychronis, warsztatOdZera, Mark Presling, AB-SHOP, Occasional machinist, and My MiniCrafts.

You'll notice the 5-Time Homemade Tool of the Week award trophy graphic in your postbit beneath your avatar.

https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...OfTheWeek2.png https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...eWeekIcon2.png

Here are all five of your Homemade Tool of the Week winning tools. Congrats again :thumbsup:

<div id="blocks"> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/home-made-slow-speed-grinder-86027#post184078"> <img src="/uploads/249659/homemade-slow-speed-grinder.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/home-made-slow-speed-grinder-86027#post184078">Slow Speed Grinder</a> <span> by <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/builder/Dr.Al">Dr.Al</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/grinder'>grinder</a>, <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/disc'>disc</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/custom-tap-die-storage-space-all-types-tap-89214#post195864"> <img src="/uploads/253045/homemade-tap-die-storage.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/custom-tap-die-storage-space-all-types-tap-89214#post195864">Tap & Die Storage</a> <span> by <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/builder/Dr.Al">Dr.Al</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/storage'>storage</a>, <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/tap-die'>tap & die</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/shooting-handle-92170#post207726"> <img src="/uploads/255784/homemade-shooting-handle.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/shooting-handle-92170#post207726">Shooting Handle</a> <span> by <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/builder/Dr.Al">Dr.Al</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/handle'>handle</a>, <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/plane'>plane</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/travel-tool-chest-workbench-integrated-vice-99628#post231875"> <img src="/uploads/261065/homemade-tool-chest-5.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/travel-tool-chest-workbench-integrated-vice-99628#post231875">Tool Chest</a> <span> by <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/builder/Dr.Al">Dr.Al</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/tool-storage'>tool storage</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/home-made-lathe-101283#post236714"> <img src="/uploads/263343/homemade-woodturning-lathe-5.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/home-made-lathe-101283#post236714">Woodturning Lathe</a> <span> by <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/builder/Dr.Al">Dr.Al</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/lathe'>lathe</a>, <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/wood'>wood</a> </div> </div> </div> </div>

I made myself a woodturning lathe nearly two years ago, but over the last Christmas break I gave it some fettling, adding a lever-lock to the tailstock and to the tool post and giving it a lick of paint as well as a few other upgrades described below.

Before:

https://www.cgtk.co.uk/img/forumimag...pacers_800.jpg

After:

https://www.cgtk.co.uk/img/forumimag...ount-1_800.jpg

https://www.cgtk.co.uk/img/forumimag...ount-2_800.jpg

It also gained a (3D-printed) belt guard and a brass + black shellac cover for a new hole for the tommy bar that locks the spindle (the old one was in the lid and tended to move out of the way and allow sawdust in; gravity helps keep this one closed):

https://www.cgtk.co.uk/img/forumimag...-cover_800.jpg

https://www.cgtk.co.uk/img/forumimag...of-way_800.jpg

The brass logo was made by painting the brass, using a low power laser engrave to ablate the paint and then etching the result with ferric chloride, before filling in the etched pattern with dial wax. You can read all about that process on page 64 of the build description "WIP".

The following photo (taken before I'd made the brass logo/tommy bar cover) shows the dividing method, with the belt guard open for access and a sliding bar pushed into one of the 12 holes in the dividing wheel:

https://www.cgtk.co.uk/img/forumimag...ngaged_800.jpg

There is lots more information in the (now 65 page) build process description on my website if anyone is interested.

Thanks Dr.Al! We've added your Wood Lathe to our Wood Lathes category,
as well as to your builder page: Dr.Al's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

<div id="blocks"> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-wood-lathe-62"> <img src="/uploads/276855/homemade-wood-lathe-62.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-wood-lathe-62">Wood Lathe</a> <span> by <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/builder/Dr.Al">Dr.Al</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/lathe'>lathe</a>, <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/wood'>wood</a> </div> </div> </div> </div>