Building a lathe

[TYLER WOOD]

I have searched the forum and not found much info on this. Maybe cause not many people try, so here's the question.

Has any one here made a lathe for themselves? If so can I see pics and get advice?

I finally got SWMBO to agree to get me a mini lathe (Jet) will come when bills are finished after February. But after that I need a larger lathe! I have a POS 38" b.c. 9" to tool rest lathe already so taking the time to build will not be a problem. Also most of the steel and parts will be either donated from a friend who owns a steel fab shop, or given at cost.

I want to make a full size lathe 48" b.c. with a 14" above tool rest. I don't see needing anything larger. I have a motor that is 3 1/2 horse with speed controls from a treadmill that will be the motor. I still plan on belt drive with pullies to give many different speeds (32). I was really just wanting information on headstock, tailstock and bed design. This thing may never come to fruition after I see the problems with design, but I want to atleat look at it. I reallly want to make it happen unless you have horror stories that I need to hear.

Thanks for reading such a long post. Please give all information you have!

[Keel McDonald]

Tyler,

I've never built one, but I did bookmark this site (http://pages.friendlycity.net/~hrucker/BoysLathe/BoysLathe.pdf)about building one. Hope it helps.

[TYLER WOOD]

these are ones that I have found but really needing personal experience to say the do's and don't of the process

http://www.vintageprojects.com/machine-shop/wood-lathe.pdf
http://HOME.WOH.RR.COM/WROUGHT/WOODLATHE.HTML
http://WWW-CSE.UCSD.EDU/~ETUNE/BUILDING/LATHE.HTML

[Bill Boehme]

........ Maybe cause not many people try .........

OR ....... maybe they don't want to talk about it. :o

Bill

[Art Mulder]

Also this one:

http://www.twistedknotwoodshop.com/lathe.htm
and this one
http://www.twistedknotwoodshop.com/lathe2.htm
(he made two, I guess)
The second one is scary big. At least to me. But then I don't turn.

...art

[Jim Underwood]

I've looked into this quite a few times. Notably I've looked at Dave Gingery's aluminum foundry and his metal working books where he makes the castings himself, and makes the lathe, shaper, milling machine and drill press from scratch, then comes back and makes the chuck and dividing heads.

Also If you do a Google search you'll come up with all kinds of stuff.

I'll see if I can dig up my bookmarks this evening when I get home...

[Tom Sherman]

Tyler I keep the library for our club we have a video by John Timby in Deming NM Try google if you cannot find let me know and I'll try to get more info for you.

[Jim Underwood]

Ok... I've got a bunch more of these, but most of the rest have to do with pole lathes and treadle lathes. Some of these are old style lathes, because that is what I was looking for. I've also included a couple on metal casting and metal lathes.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/3jdw8/latheoutside2.htm
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~pwguild/a-lth_kr.htm
http://www.aardvark.co.nz/pjet/spinning1.shtml
http://www.mimf.com/archives/homade_lathe.htm
http://www.charm.net/~laurent/lathe/
http://showcase.netins.net/web/iabonsai/LaRue/Lathe.html
http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/index.html

I dunno if this will help you, but there's some of what I looked up.

[Richard Madison]

If you already have the motor and controller, how hard could it be. Just get a big piece of cold rolled and some pillow block bearings.