Shop Built Bowl Lathe

[Michael Poorman]

Hi All,

Just thought I’d share this. I built this lathe while I was restoring my Tannewitz Model FDS (I'll post about that soon, if you can't wait here are photos). The motivation to build such a machine was driven mostly by the fact that I couldn’t afford a $5,000+ commercial bowl lathe. The hollow sections of the lathe are filled with sand to reduce vibration and increase the weight.

The head stock is from an old Logan lathe. It has a #3MT in the spindle and the threads are 1 1/2×8. I bought a Vicmarc 120 chuck along with the 9” jaws for the lathe. I love this chuck! The tailstock has a #2 MT. The quill is from an old drill press, and it advances in the same manner as a drill press.

As far as the cost goes, I acquired many of the parts from friends and family for free. I also had unlimited access to a local friends machine shop. My cost was close to $750. Most of that was spent purchasing the VFD, brake module, controls, pulleys, and tooling for the actual machining of the lathe.

To date the largest piece I’d turned is a 19” x 4” platter.

Specs:
54” Swing
18” Between Centers
~1300 pounds
2 hp 3 phase motor
VFD controlled

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[Prashun Patel]

Wow, that hardly looks like a poor man's lathe. Nice!

[Michael Poorman]

Thank! I did have to sweat and bleed on it so that it wouldn't look like a poor man's lathe

[Brian Kent]

That's not a lathe. That's a LATHE!

[Sid Matheny]

Wow a lot of work that paid off!


Sid

[Michael Poorman]

Thanks for the kind words Brian and Sid!

[Mike Goetzke]

Wow - that is really . You should be proud of yourself. I'm a new turner that went from a Delta 46-460 to a PM 3520b and I thought the banjo on the 3520 was huge. Did you make your own tool rest too?


Mike

[Jon Lanier]

That is super. I wish I had those skills.

[Michael Poorman]

Wow - that is really . You should be proud of yourself. I'm a new turner that went from a Delta 46-460 to a PM 3520b and I thought the banjo on the 3520 was huge. Did you make your own tool rest too?


Mike

Powermatic makes supreme equipment. I worked on a M 90 in college. The controls we a little finicky. If you've ever used one you'll know what I mean. I lusted over a 4224B while I was deciding to buy or build.

Yes, I did design and build everything except for the headstock. The banjo is no joke on my lathe. It is very heavy (if you couldn't tell) and it took a few iterations of making the cam before I had enough clamping force. I don't know what diameter the cam is on your 3520, but I used 1.25 4140 rod for the cam in my lathe. It doesn't move when you lock it down! Kinda the point i know.

I just noticed you asked about the tool rest and not the banjo. Hehehe. Yes, I also made that. It is has a piece of O1 drill rod welded to the edge that the tool rides against. Tools just glide over the edge and no evidence of dings yet!

Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you like it.

[Michael Poorman]

Thanks Jon! Glad you like it

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Being able to design, fabricate and source the things needed to build a tool like yours is quite a talent. I can't wait to see the "swing away" gizmo for the tail stock. Congrats on your accomplishment.
faust

[David DeCristoforo]

That's an awesome looking bowl lathe. I especially like the adaption of a drill press quill for the tailstock. Now... if you ever get totally bored and and just wake up one day wanting, for no particular reason, to make another bed/ tailstock like that, I have just the right home for it. Especially with a "swing away" feature!

[Dennis Ford]

I love home-built machines and this one is great.

[Mike Cruz]

Michael, I am intrigued...in many ways. First of all, form someone that LOVES large swing lathes, how can you not drool over this? It looks beefy, and built to last. Which brings me to my first question: What RPM were you turning (first as an out of balance blank, and later as more balanced) that 19" platter? If, BTW, you don't have a digital tach, one can be gotten for under $100 easy. I love mine...but that is beside the point.

Also, while the banjo looks massive and well up to the task, it looks like it might be a bit of a chore to move around. What are your thoughts on that?

The motor, while it might be convenient to have it low...for center of gravity sake and to get it out of the way, could cause some tendencies for the long belt to get fun vibrations in it. Have you experienced that yet? If so, if you had it to do over again, would you mount it higher?

You are using a jack shaft, which certainly helps with torque... I have a 2 hp motor on my lathe (with a jack shaft) and have been able to turn 27 1/2" blanks (one weighed 138 lbs). But I AM wishing I had put a 3 hp motor on it. Not that 2 won't do the job. But 3 would have been nice.

By the looks of your pulley system, if your motor is 1725 rpm, your slowest full speed is what 415 RPM?

I'm a bit perplexed about the source of the power... In one photo, it looks like the power is run though a computer tower with about a 4 foot cord to your remote switch. In another, it looks like you've got about 12-16' of cord.

This is truly a beauty. I love it. I really do. Please don't take my questions as criticisms. They are more curiosities... Thanks for sharing it!

[Michael Poorman]

That's an awesome looking bowl lathe. I especially like the adaption of a drill press quill for the tailstock. Now... if you ever get totally bored and and just wake up one day wanting, for no particular reason, to make another bed/ tailstock like that, I have just the right home for it. Especially with a "swing away" feature!

David,

I'm glad you like the tailstock design. It works quite well.

I assure you that if the inclination strikes me to start fabricating another lathe I'll be contacting you first to be a happy customer. I think I could even manage a tilt away if it was a must have!

Thanks again!