Wood lathes

[Joe Von Kaenel]

Hello,


Looking to make wooden whistles for my boys. The limited quill travel of a drill press makes it difficult to drill 6 and 7" deep holes. People have suggested a wood lathe. I want to buy a bench-top lathe. To use it for turning and horizontal boring.I want to be able to make and duplicate spindles for projects. This brings me to my questions:

Can a bench-top lathe be used as a horizontal boring machine?
Can I drill holes 3/8" from each corner of a 2x2?
Can I purchased a duplicator for most lathes?
I don't have a lot of space that is why I am considering a bench-top unit.


Thanks

Joe

Reposted from General woodworking since I wasn't getting much help

[Michael James]

Joe,
Im new to the lathe, but Im on so I'll try to help.
- yes you can use it as a boring machine, but you will need to buy a couple of accessories.
- not sure about you question about each corner - the tail stock will present the bit centered, and you will have to manipulate the headstock for anything "off center"... or vice, versa.
- yes, they make duplicators for mini lathes.
If you google "mini lathe, duplicator" you're sure to get a lot of hits. Try PSI - pennstate industries, possibly woodcraft, or PM me if you want more specific questions answered. These seem basic, but there are turners here that know everything and more for the complex stuff.
Good luck on your quest...........
mj

[John Hart]

Hey Joe...Yeah...just keep in mind that the wood spins and the drill bit is stationary. Not so sure about that hole-drillin' thing you're talking about.

But hey...just get the lathe. You'll have more fun with that thing that you can shake a stick at.

And you can shake a stick at a lot of things! ;)

[Nathan Hawkes]

What it sounds like you're talking about would really require an X-Y-Z axis setup found in a milling machine, not a wood lathe. There are drill presses out there that have a 6" quill travel, they will just set you back a penny or two. You might luck out and find a good used drill press for a few hundred $. With the right vise in the drill press, drilling straight holes shouldn't be a problem. Getting a long bit of any type to run true in a wood lathe is not always as easy, since the wood is moving and the bit stationary. The bit wants to follow the grain sometimes. Perhaps if you could describe your needs a little more specifically we could tell you what you need.

[James Combs]

What it sounds like you're talking about would really require an X-Y-Z axis setup found in a milling machine, not a wood lathe. There are drill presses out there that have a 6" quill travel, they will just set you back a penny or two. You might luck out and find a good used drill press for a few hundred $. With the right vise in the drill press, drilling straight holes shouldn't be a problem. Getting a long bit of any type to run true in a wood lathe is not always as easy, since the wood is moving and the bit stationary. The bit wants to follow the grain sometimes. Perhaps if you could describe your needs a little more specifically we could tell you what you need.

This is especially true for smaller diameter bits. However, it has been my experience that the bit wonders a little less when it is stationary and the part being drilled is turning. I am not exactly sure what you are saying on drilling the 2x2 but possible an offset chuck may be what you are looking for.

[Dale Miner]

You might be able to build a fixture that allows mounting the piece of 2x2 on the end of the tailstock quill, and put the drill in the headstock of the lathe. If your fixture was made to align the corner of the 2x2 with the spinning drill, then sliding the tailstock by hand would allow for drilling the deep hole. A simple turn of the 2x2 90 degrees would set the next corner in line with the spinning drill, etc, etc. Your stock would of course need be fairly uniform in it's dimensions.

Deep drilling is a problem however it is done. A twist drill will do better in a deep hole situation than a forstner. A forstner might drill straighter, but clearing shavings with a small diameter forstner when deep is a real issue.

Could you use a glue up for your project? Using a core box bit in a router to get four half round channels, and mating pieces with two half round channels could get the four holes using three pieces of wood. The pieces could be made in multiple lengths if plugging the tops of the holes with dowels would be acceptable. Easy way to get a chime whistle in the process by plugging with different length dowels.

Later,
Dale M

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Hello,


Looking to make wooden whistles for my boys. The limited quill travel of a drill press makes it difficult to drill 6 and 7" deep holes. People have suggested a wood lathe. I want to buy a bench-top lathe. To use it for turning and horizontal boring.I want to be able to make and duplicate spindles for projects. This brings me to my questions:

Can a bench-top lathe be used as a horizontal boring machine?
Can I drill holes 3/8" from each corner of a 2x2?
Can I purchased a duplicator for most lathes?
I don't have a lot of space that is why I am considering a bench-top unit.


Thanks

Joe

Reposted from General woodworking since I wasn't getting much help

Can what you ask about be done, Yes, but you do have a couple of problems to overcome that would be much easier addressed on a drill than on a small bench lathe.
First to drill the hole off center you have to address the off balance weight, and yes it can be done, a bigger heavier lathe would make this easier but would still have to be done.
The other problem is the straight holes, you need a special drill as the normal twist-drill likes to follow the grain and not drill straight, there are special bits (gun drills) that will make straight holes.
I don't know about the duplicator, but I don't think they are common for small benchtop lathes.
I would say yes get a lathe and have fun, find an older drill press that has the quill move more than the low cost ones we see mostly nowadays, good luck :D

[Marvin Hasenak]

It can be done, drill center in a larger block of wood, then use a saw to cut the outside to get the hole in the position you want. You will need a 4 jaw chuck and drill chuck. Start the drilling with a standard jobber bit, and when you run out of drill bit you will need a longer bit, I get mine at ENCO.

For a few whistles I don't know why you want a duplicator, but there are some on the market. Not cheap, but they are out there.

[Nathan Hawkes]

Can what you ask about be done, Yes, but you do have a couple of problems to overcome that would be much easier addressed on a drill than on a small bench lathe.
First to drill the hole off center you have to address the off balance weight, and yes it can be done, a bigger heavier lathe would make this easier but would still have to be done.
The other problem is the straight holes, you need a special drill as the normal twist-drill likes to follow the grain and not drill straight, there are special bits (gun drills) that will make straight holes.
I don't know about the duplicator, but I don't think they are common for small benchtop lathes.
I would say yes get a lathe and have fun, find an older drill press that has the quill move more than the low cost ones we see mostly nowadays, good luck :D



These are the bits I need, Leo!! Somehow I have a feeling that they're not going to come cheaply. just so you know that you really can find deals on equipment out there, I found my drill press on craigslist for $100. It is a late 1960's or 1970's Rockwell-Delta 15-655 benchtop, which has a 6" quill travel and a 5/8" chuck. It is also variable speed via a very good sheave pulley system, and also has a variable speed 1HP DC motor which can go down to far less than 200 rpm. I couldn't find anything close to that for less than $1500 new. I did have to rewire it with a new power cord. For less than $5. Check out your local paper for machinery auctions, govdeals.com, irsauctions.com (industrial reclaim --not internal revenue). Ex-factory, etc. There are a lot of places one can find old machinery very reasonably. You need to know a little about how to fix things, and how to improvise, but in most cases, things built then are better than things built now. All my big tools but my lathe are older than I am!

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Yes Nathan, there are good buys out there, especially if you have the time and skills to rebuild, and Delta and also General had drills as well some others, that are ruggedly build and have the long quill travel, they certainly are worth looking for :-))