In order to assemble a home-made lathe at home, you do not even need drawings. But on this device you can make cute coasters, handles for different tools and much more.
A homemade lathe can be made by selecting an electric motor, a wooden block, a wooden board, a 9/32 head from a set of tools, an M 12 bolt with two nuts. After you have purchased all the necessary components, you can proceed with the assembly of the structure.
As a motor, an electric motor taken from an old sewing machine is suitable, since there is a pedal that controls the speed of rotation. As a blank for a cartridge, a 9/32 head is suitable, which is fixed to the shaft using cold welding or epoxy glue. The electric motor can be mounted on a wooden block by screwing it with screws or by cold welding. You can use two-component instant glue, which thoroughly lubricates the bottom of the electric motor, and a wooden block is superimposed on it. In order for the parts to stick together well, they must be fixed in the folded state (until the glue polymerizes). After the parts are glued together securely, they must be installed on a wooden board, which will be the bed. The tailstock is cut from a wooden block having an L-shape. It is mounted on a bed-board opposite the electric motor and fixed with screws. An M 12 bolt is screwed into an impromptu tailstock, on both sides its position is fixed by nuts. The end of the bolt must be made conical. This can be done with an electric drill. The bolt is clamped in it, and then with the help of a file the cone on the bolt is brought. And now the homemade lathe is ready to go.
You can try it by turning a wooden blank. To do this, she needs to be given a six- or octagonal shape, center the hole for the tailstock bolt in the center on one side, and drill a hole on the other side, which will be slightly smaller than the diameter of the 9/32 head. The workpiece is inserted into the cartridge and pressed against the tailstock. Next, the engine starts, which rotates the workpiece. Now you can start processing it. For work, do not forget about safety. Workpiece processing must be carried out with safety glasses. Never stop the rotating workpiece by hand!
Homemade design for metal turning
A homemade metal lathe differs from the previous design in a more complex device. It has a rigid metal frame of channels, which is its bed. At the left end of this frame, a fixed headstock is fixed, and a support is made at the right end. In such a machine, there is already a spindle with a leash chuck or faceplate mounted on it. Rotation to the spindle is transmitted using a V-belt transmission from an electric motor. If in the previous case the cutter had to be held with your hands, this cannot be done when turning metal. Such loads arise here that you simply cannot hold the cutter with your hands. Therefore, a homemade lathe is equipped with a support that can move along the longitudinal axis. A tool holder is installed on it, which can move in a direction transverse to the support line of the caliper. You can control its movement using the handwheel, on which the ring with divisions is installed. The handwheel rotates by hand.
Ability to install CNC
You can make a homemade CNC lathe using two stepper motors and any control board for stepper motors along 2-3 axes. It is very suitable for wood turning. Given that such a machine in the store will cost a decent amount, it makes sense to do it yourself!