For processing wooden products cylindrical or conical shape will need a lathe. Experienced home craftsmen prefer not to buy expensive factory equipment, but make an analogue of it with their own hands. At the same time homemade design will have similar technical and operational characteristics.

Functionality of a wood lathe

The design of a homemade wood lathe can be extremely simple. But to obtain the desired result, you should understand in detail its specifics and application features.

To perform a minimum set of operations, the equipment diagram must include a frame, two types of headstocks (rear and front), an electric drive, a speed control unit, driven and driven clamps. For precise machining, a stop for cutters of various configurations is required. In order to perform complex work, components must be provided to displace the workpiece relative to the center of the rotation axis.

General instructions for using a homemade wood lathe, made by yourself.

1. Installation of the workpiece. This is done using fasteners on the drive spindle and tailstock quill.
2. Selecting the optimal speed.
3. Processing a wooden workpiece using cutters.
4. Periodically check the actual dimensions of the parts until the desired shape is achieved.

In practice, to work on this type of equipment you need large number experience. One awkward movement is enough to ruin a piece of wood.

To reduce the labor intensity of manufacturing, you can make a frame with your own hands, using this part from old equipment.

Wood lathe: example No. 1

The best option manufacturing reliable design there will be application integrated approach to every piece of equipment. First of all, this concerns the frame, since not only stability, but also the operation of other components depends on it.

The base is made of thick-walled steel profile. For reliability, it consists of two supports on which the frame is installed. The elements are connected through grooves. Separately, we make support platforms for the headstock and tailstock of a wood lathe with our own hands.

List of components for a homemade design:

• power unit. The best option is to install an electric motor from washing machine or pump;
• headstock It is best to purchase a factory spindle with three or four pins. This will allow the workpiece to be shifted relative to the axis of rotation;
• tailstock. Experts recommend installing a head from a powerful drill;
• pulley. It will connect the shafts of the electric motor and the headstock;
• support table for cutters. The configuration is chosen for personal reasons. The main condition is ease of further use.

The disadvantage of this design is the complexity of changing the speed. To do this, you need to make additional pulleys with your own hands. various diameters. As an alternative, you might consider installing finished design belt drive that adapts to specific model homemade wood lathe, made with your own hands.

To work on machines of this type, it is recommended to purchase ready-made cutters. If you have the opportunity and the appropriate equipment, you can do them yourself. But for this you should use blanks made of special tool steel.

The choice of optimal shaft speed depends on the size of the workpiece and the type of wood. For calculations, it is recommended to use standard graphs of the dependences of these parameters. The rotation speed can vary from 800 to 3000 rpm.

Wood lathe from a drill: example No. 2

An alternative option is to make it using a drill. It will be the best way make a trial design with a little practice working with your own hands.

It is worth noting that such an installation is designed for processing small products. The frame can be made from wooden beams. The reverse headstock function can be performed by a structure consisting of a support bearing and a shaft mounted on it. To fix the workpiece, you will need an appropriate drill attachment.

Flaws:

• low degree of reliability;
• inability to process large workpieces;
• there is a high probability of milling error.

But this diagram can be used as a basis for making more advanced wood lathes with your own hands. The main thing is to determine the required technical and operational qualities.

For the real owner in the house there is huge amount work in the house and in the country, which will be more convenient to do with the help of the made DIY wood lathe. Production machines are quite expensive, especially since you can’t buy enough of everything you need. But if available electric drill, free time and a certain level of skill, you will soon be able to turn a variety of wooden parts.

Homemade wood lathe with your own hands

Maybe a lathe is not the most necessary thing in the household, but if you understand the principle of its operation, and even manage to make the most basic elements for finishing and construction, then this will be a serious reason to be proud of yourself as a true jack of all trades.

Details that can be made using homemade wood lathe with your own hands, may be different. It could be the legs garden furniture, balusters for railings and balconies, even details, because it is the curly elements that will distinguish your product from others for which planed rather than turned wood is used. In addition, the smooth surface of the parts allows you to use more comfortable things without worrying about sharp edges and splinters.

The main elements that you will need to construct the entire structure are the base, otherwise called the bed, as well as the front and rear supports, between which the workpiece is located. The sizes you plan to work with will depend on overall size finished machine. For some, the size is suitable, and therefore a rather modest beam can be used for the frame, but for others, the size of the garage itself will not be enough, accordingly, the frame can reach impressive sizes. In any case, its main task is to ensure that the entire structure remains stable during operation, even at high engine speeds. The material for the bed or frame can be timber or a metal profile.

The second mandatory element is the leading center - this is the point at which the motor is connected, which will rotate the workpiece being processed. You can find many ways to create turning and milling machine DIY woodworking using different engines. You need to know that the design will work with an engine of any power, but only sufficiently powerful engines have the ability to cope with wide and long pieces of wood, and even process it efficiently. Therefore, if you need a machine for a small amount of work, but constantly, for example, you always make things with your own hands, then it is better to use a fairly powerful motor, which most electric drills have.

The third mandatory element will be the driven center, it is located at the other end of the frame, secured so as to hold the second end of the workpiece and support the rotation that the driving center transmits through it. At the most simple designs it can be fixed in one position and in order to change the size of the workpiece you will need to unscrew the fasteners at the base and move it along the frame in one direction or another. In other designs, the possibility of moving it along a horizontal axis is provided in advance.

Putting together all the main elements into a single constructor is a little more difficult than making one. We must remember that both centers must be strictly at the same level, this is necessary so that during operation the workpiece does not vibrate and the turning occurs in accordance with the technology. Everything must be securely screwed, verified, nothing should fly off or fall out during the work, as we're talking about O important aspects safety precautions.

Do-it-yourself wood lathe drawings

Of course, it is much more difficult to understand the device by ear homemade unit, so it is better to resort to the assembly instructions DIY wood lathe, drawings With symbols and, of course, photographs of the main elements. Having dealt with them, you will see that putting it all together is no more difficult than making it, especially if you strictly follow the instructions.

Before you is the simplest drawing, according to which, having on the farm hand electric drill, you can collect DIY wood lathe. Video with the process of working on a similar unit, it can tell you the assembly sequence. First, on the frame, which is fixed to the surface of the table with a latch, in order to be strong and motionless (1), you must install the base for the leading center - the front support. In the diagram, this part is indicated by the number 2. The task of this part is to become the place where the drill head is inserted and where it can be placed, being securely fixed. Later we will look in more detail at how it should be arranged.

The rear support, which we see at number 4, is designed to secure the driven center in it; it can either move along the horizontal line of the frame or always remain in one place, secured with self-tapping screws. As you can see, fasteners No. 1 are designed so that both one and the second structural part are mobile, which greatly simplifies the task when the workpieces have a significant difference in overall dimensions.

The next drawing is the design of the front support, inside which the drill is fixed. As you can see, there is always a hole in the adjustable system so that you can place the tool inside and securely fix it there, and then take it back out by unscrewing the screws. It is best to place the drill upside down, so it will be much more stable, which is very important for proper operation systems. At the same time, the correct operation of its drill will not change in any way.

Make a wood lathe with your own hands

An important step in how make a wood lathe with your own hands- this is a driven center device, so it should also rotate, repeating the movements of the drill. To achieve this, you need to place a bearing inside it, which will help achieve this result.

You can easily take such a thrust bearing from any unit of a suitable size. Based on the experience of craftsmen who have performed similar manipulations, a release bearing from a VAZ car may be suitable. The entire structure is welded so that the reliability of the components is maximized - the tip will be a sharpened bolt, which will have to plunge a sufficient number of centimeters into the workpiece. It is welded onto a washer, which is welded to the bearing housing, and on the other side, through another washer, a pancake bolt with threads and a lock nut is welded, which helps adjust the length of the center and fix it in the selected position.

The tools you will need are a welding machine, sharpening machine, a screwdriver, with which the fastenings of the headstocks (supports) are fixed. Now we can proudly say that for DIY wood lathe chuck ready.

The center of the structure should not be on the same axis, located between the leading and driven centers, but slightly lower. After all, it is on him that the emphasis will fall hand tools, and the angle must be sharp, but it must still be there. Even if you make the very base of the center from wooden block, then it is still recommended to make its top out of metal. Typically, rolled metal is ideal for this purpose - a corner that allows you to rest the tool securely against it; it is durable and does not deform even at high speeds.

DIY wood lathe photo

Operating principle DIY wood lathe, photo which you see in our article today is quite simple. In the hole that we thoughtfully designed in the front support, a drill is inserted and tightened well in a vice, secured with a nut.

After a gap equal to the length of the workpiece being processed, a tailstock is installed, which, after the workpiece is installed between the drill bit and the sharpened bolt, is tightened with a lock nut. Check the strength of the seat of the piece of wood inside; it should not come out from both ends, it should be securely seated.

On the left side you have a drive, with right side- a tailstock, and in the middle - a metal corner. You plug in the drill and the workpiece begins to rotate at a speed that is set as the operating speed of the power tool (of course, it’s very good when you have the ability to manually adjust the torque on the electric drill). Arm yourself with a sharpener and move it evenly along the surface metal corner, remove the chips from the workpiece, to ensure safe work, be sure to wear not only thick protective gloves, but also plastic glasses, as well as a respirator to prevent small particles of wood chips from entering the respiratory tract.
It is very difficult to make such things if you do not have the opportunity to make the main components to order in the factory. After all, the principle of operation of any copier is that there are additional elements that move in several planes at once, which will allow the output to be identical products. Without a programmed machine, doing this yourself is very difficult. On the Internet you can find several videos with examples of how certain ideas are brought to life, but be prepared that the process of debugging the copier’s operation can be quite lengthy. According to reviews from those who have made similar devices, it will be somewhat easier to make a slightly different one functional features a milling and copying machine based on a conventional milling machine.

Our article is devoted to nostalgia for school labor training workshops. Many people know how to do wood turning, but not everyone can afford to buy and maintain equipment for this. Is it possible to assemble a machine with your own hands that meets technology and safety requirements? Let’s figure it out together.

What GOST says

The good news is that you don't have to reinvent the wheel. The entire assembly process and drawings of each machine module are described in TU3872-477-02077099-2002, and although open access This document is not available; it can be obtained upon individual request. Although this is unlikely to be needed: the device of the machine is so primitive that you can easily navigate the intricacies of its manufacture even from images from school textbooks.

Another positive fact is that the STD-120M was apparently designed for on-site production, so you can either find almost all components for assembly on sale or make and modify it yourself. Naturally, if you have the opportunity to inexpensively purchase components for this machine or its younger brother TD-120, do so. Factory-produced parts are more reliable, easier to adjust, and the unified frame design allows you to assemble one machine from many donors.

Please also note that standardization of modules largely determines the safety of equipment operation. Basic principles industrial safety announced in GOST 12.2.026.0-93, and the rules of electrical protection are set out in GOST R IEC 60204-1. Harmonize any part or machine module you manufacture with these standards.

Manufacturing of the bed

Instead of a cast iron frame, we offer a lighter welded structure. It consists of two pieces of 72-gauge angle steel, each 1250 mm long. There is a great temptation to make the bed larger to process more massive products, but remember that such changes require intervention in other components of the machine. Perhaps you should take the TT-10460 as a sample for a meter-long workpiece.

We place the corners on a flat horizontal plane with shelves facing each other. We insert calibrated inserts between them so that the frame guides are positioned strictly parallel with a distance of 45 mm. To fasten the guides, we use two corners, the same as on the frame, 190 mm each, which we place on the front and rear edges. Before welding parts, it is recommended to squeeze them with clamps so that the metal does not move when it cools.

The guides are fastened with another 190 mm jumper, in the bottom shelf of which there are cutouts for each corner. This part is installed to form a cell, the dimensions exactly corresponding to the landing pin of the headstock, in the standard version it is 45x165 mm.

Such a frame can be attached in any way to a workbench or deck, but it is recommended to weld all fastening elements without compromising the integrity of the base. If a separate corner is allocated for the machine, weld pipe legs perpendicular to the corners of the frame and, for greater stability, make a small “brace” for them with a sledgehammer. Ultimately, the weight of the frame attached to the workbench should not be less than 60-70 kg.

Podruchnik

This element conditionally consists of two parts. For both, you need one type of workpiece - a 50 mm corner, inside of which another, 30 mm wide, is inserted. They are welded along the edges, in the end you should get two sections of 260 and 600 mm.

The short part is the adjustable base of the hand rest. One of the shelves is cut off, but not completely, leaving a 110 mm long section with an inclined cut. The other shelf is cut at a right angle 60 mm from the rear edge. You need to make a counter frame from a thick steel plate that will clamp the guide of the tool rest.

To make a guide with a clamp, take a regular inch pipe and make a longitudinal cut in it with a grinder. The resulting sleeve should be about 150 mm long; we insert it into a 25 mm corner, orienting the slot outward perpendicular to one of the shelves. We tighten the parts with a clamp and weld along the entire length closest to the shelf slot. We cover the workpiece with a second corner of the same length and attach it to the tube from the back side.

The guide is welded flat to the protruding flange of the adjustment rail on its inner side. For fixation, a screw with a long handle and a nut welded to the rail are used. On the reverse side, the strike plate is fastened with a cotter pin or even a welded rod.

The handrail is mounted on a 20 mm smooth reinforcement rod, which is located centrally on the outside of the corner blank. The rod fits tightly into the tube of the guide system, and when the screw is tightened, it is securely pressed on all sides. A long corner piece 600 mm long is welded to the rod with a slight inclination toward itself and a slightly “sharpened” leading edge.

Drive and transmission

The standard drive option is an asynchronous three-phase motor with a power of up to 2 kW (usually 1.2 kW), connected to the headstock shaft by a V-belt drive on two-belt pulleys. The bed for fastening the engine can be located between the legs of the frame, or on an additional scaffold behind the headstock, which will complicate the assembly, but will make it more convenient to transfer the belt.

It is not always possible to use the engine at the required shaft speed, so reaching the final speed is achieved by adjusting the diameter of the pulleys. For example, if you have a blood pressure at 1480 rpm, then in order to reach the coveted 1100 and 2150 rpm, the diameters of the leading and driven streams must be in a ratio of 1:1.5 and 1.3:1.

When placing the engine, it is useful to provide the frame with a plate attached to the gate canopies. An engine installed using such a system will be in a suspended state all the time and will ensure that the belt is tightly pressed by its own weight. And if you equip the platform with a pedal, the speed can be changed even on the go.

There are no problems with the electrical part either. Switching is performed by a standard three-phase starting button with reverse; for such a low-power motor there is no need to install a starter. The only thing is turning on the brakes DC while holding down the stop button, for which you will need a powerful diode bridge (on KD203D) according to standard scheme inclusions.

The frequency-controlled motor can be used as a direct drive, eliminating the need to construct the headstock. To do this, you need to fix the engine on the transition platform, in the lower part of which there is a longitudinal mounting spike 45 mm wide as a standard means of adjustment for the STD120 frame.

Headstock

Looking ahead, we note that both the front and tailstock include parts that can only be made with access to a metal lathe. Otherwise, it makes sense to think about purchasing ready-made modules or at least their die-cast consoles.

At the base of the headstock there are two bearing housings of types S, V or U, permanently mounted on an angle steel frame. Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict which standard sizes will be available, but in general, the height of the spindle axis above the bed should be at least 120 mm. Given that the diameter of the spindle shaft is about 25 mm, the most interesting would be the standard size of the bearing assembly with a total height dimension of about 70 mm.

The shaft is machined from round carbon steel with a diameter of 40 mm with a tolerance of no more than 0.05 mm. There are two main shaft variations. The first is the simplest: the shaft pillar remains in the center, then descents are made to the landing diameter of the bearing units, then threads are cut at the ends. For axial fixation, four grooves are machined on the shaft for retaining rings.

1 — seats for bearings; 2 — grooves for retaining rings

The second variation has an extension in the form of a skirt immediately behind the cartridge thread. It is designed to install a flanged thrust bearing mounted on the boss of the headstock base. This approach allows you to reduce bearing wear if massive parts are processed on the machine.

The base of the headstock is two pairs of corners or two channels turned towards each other. By moving the vertical shelves together, you can adjust the height of the base to the axial height of the existing bearing units. A 45 mm strip is welded to the base below, which acts as an adjustment groove. The order of assembly is important: first, bearings are pressed onto the spindle, then the shaft is mounted on a frame with a backing of adjusting steel plates.

Tailstock

Making a tailstock is much easier. It consists of four parts:

1. The base is made of 100 mm high angle steel, using the same principle as for the headstock. Two 50 mm corners are bolted across the top; in their shelves in the center there are cutouts with squares 40 mm wide.
2. The guide (external) thick-walled square tube is 40 mm wide, 150 mm long and has an internal clearance of 20x20 mm. In the rear part you need to install a plug 6-8 mm thick and with a hole in the center of 8 mm, it is secured with two screws through the walls of the tube.
3. The inner tube, also known as the quill, is made from a 20 mm profile tube, preferably thick-walled and milled exactly to fit the guide clearance. An M14 nut is welded in the rear part of the quill; a metal rod, widened to 5 mm, is inserted and welded into the front part, widened to 5 mm to fit a double-row bearing.
4. The drive screw has a thread for a nut in the quill (it is advisable to make it trapezoidal); in the rear part there is a transition to an 8 mm thread for attaching the flywheel.

The principle of operation and assembly diagram of the quill are quite obvious, but special attention You need to pay attention to aligning the axes. The guide tube, fixed by welding in the cutouts of the corners, can rise higher or lower due to linings made of transformer steel. The headstock and tailstock must be absolutely aligned, the tolerance is only a couple of tenths.

As for the method of attachment to the frame, it is the same for both the headstocks and the tool rest. M14 or M16 studs are welded to the bottom of the headstocks, and a large plowshare bolt is inserted into the slot of the tool rest. The modules are tightened from below with nuts with rods welded to them like levers. For uniform, tight pressing from below, a 50 mm channel is placed as a counter strip.

To perform a certain type of woodworking, available tools alone may not be enough. Therefore, there is often a need to have a lathe for these purposes. Many people rack their brains about where to buy such equipment, but the box just opens. Why buy second-hand when you can make it yourself?

Home lathe, which you make yourself, will allow you to save significantly on the purchase of such equipment on the specialized equipment market. You can, of course, purchase old models that are in storage, but the problem is that:

1. Factories with such models must first be found.
2. It is not a fact that the equipment during conservation did not deteriorate, because it stood idle for 10, 15, and maybe even 25 years.

So it turns out that making equipment with your own hands will allow you to put in some effort, but you will definitely get exactly what you need for home workshop. In terms of technical indicators, equipment made personally will not be inferior to a unit created by a factory. How to do equipment, let's look at it now.

Before starting work on creating equipment, you should study its structure. Without any particles or elements, the equipment will not function properly or be dangerous to use. There are certain design elements that any lathe, whether manufactured 25 years ago or today using high-precision equipment, includes.

The main structural elements of such a unit are

If any of this list is missing, the user simply will not be able to operate, ensure safety and achieve maximum efficiency of the turning equipment.

Also, depending on the complexity of the operations performed with the equipment, in the future, when making it yourself, care should be taken to ensure that it is possible to shift the workpiece relative to the center of the rotation axis. This will give the operator the ability to perform even complex work related to wood processing.

Collecting from improvised means machine, special attention should be paid to the electric drive of the future machine, made by hand. As a rule, a three-phase electric motor is used to ensure operation. Based on this, a 380 V line must be installed in the workshop where it is planned to install turning equipment.

Engine Specifications

there are also, and they must be observed. The main thing is that the unit speed is no more than 1,500 rpm. The device must be connected to the power source using a “Star” or “Triangle” circuit.

Next, you need to understand the size of the machine itself.

More often production equipment, produced by the manufacturer, had the following indicators:

Photo: DIY wood cutting machine.

• Length - 80 cm;
• Width - 40 cm;
• Height - 35 cm.

These dimensions will allow you to work with wood pieces with a diameter of 25 cm and a length of up to 20 cm. In this case, you will not need to use a tailstock for improved fixation. It will be installed on a special faceplate, and thanks to the use of a tailstock, the operator has the opportunity to double the length of the workpiece.

How to make a wood lathe yourself

Now let's figure out what is useful for creating turning equipment with your own hands.

Tip: you can use an old sharpening tool as a drive kitchen knives. The main thing is that the model is designed to use 2 sharpening stones.

Such a device is quite suitable as a headstock for equipment. And for the rear, you can always use some elements of a powerful electric drill, which you don’t need.

To ensure a strong base, it is best to use a thick-walled metal profile as a frame. Before starting work, you should draw up as many exact drawing equipment. It’s better to spend a little more time working with paper and diagrams than to spend money searching for new components or consumables because of a mistake.

Drawing homemade machine on wood.

When drawings with pictures ready, you can start working. But you can’t do without the following equipment:

1. Hand-held electric drill and drills of various diameters.
2. Files with a working coating of different grain sizes.
3. Grinder and removable discs for grinding and cutting.
4. A small welding machine - electric, designed to work with two and three diodes.

For the wasters, you will need:

• Channel;
• Metal corner with thick walls;
• 2 pipes with different diameters so that one can pass through the other;
• Steel strips - 2 and 4 cm;
• Nuts, screws, bolts and other fastening elements;
• Belt for throwing over the drive.

Advice: before how to assemble machine, to get a full picture of what is happening, watch the video below.

It’s easier to perceive information visually, so viewing it will help you protect yourself from a lot of problems that may be associated with an incomplete understanding of the rules of installation, sequence, etc.

The knife sharpening drive is perfect as an electric drive for your machine. The fact is that there are 4 durable washers, which are made of hard metal alloys. 2 of them will give you the opportunity to change the components of the electric whetstone using discs of different diameters. Thanks to this, the user will be able to change the speed of rotation of the wood piece.

Pulleys are used to make the shaft move. They have different diameters to achieve the following rotation speeds:

• 800 rpm;
• 2,000 rpm;
• 3,000 rpm

This will allow you to quickly and effortlessly change the speed of rotation of the workpiece in the clamps of the machine by throwing the belt onto one of them.

Let's get to work - make the bed, tailstock and tool rest

The tailstock will be made from a chuck and head piece taken from the body of an old electric drill. To ensure that the equipment lasts a long time and does not fall apart a year after use, it is best to use a drill with a metal body.

To your homemade the machine stood normally, did not wobble and thus did not create problems in operation, special attention should be paid to creating the stand. It is installed on the machine bed so that the operator later has the opportunity to move the equipment units longitudinally along the axis. The cartridge will make it possible to perform significant longitudinal loads. And this has a positive effect on the use of this element in general design unit.

To make a frame with your own hands, you will just need channels. After this, the frame elements should be attached to each other. We do this using welding machine. To install the headstock ( electric machine for sharpening knives), you need to immediately place a sheet of thick plywood as a base.

Drive

It also needs to be mounted on a special plate. It will be installed on the table, where the equipment installer will be placed. It must be done taking into account the movement of the operator while working on the machine. This way the user will be able to regulate the speed of the shaft, which is located on the headstock.

Bed, tailstock.

Don't forget to install the caliper

This device will serve for uniform movement along and across your lathe equipment bed. This is where you need two pipes with different diameters to build it at home. A tool rest will be placed on it, which serves as a support for the incisors.

When everything is ready, don't forget to go to the store building materials And lighting fixtures to buy a small sheet for yourself transparent plastic and a lamp. They will come in handy to protect you from chips and chips that may fly out while grinding and sharpening equipment. And the lamp will help you cope with your work easier.

Advice: choose a lamp with a movable rod so that you can direct the light flux to a poorly lit area.

All that remains is to buy working tools. It’s better to buy it immediately as a set, but it will cost the owner of a homemade lathe, made by hand, in the region of 300 to 2,000 rubles.

Important! Do not forget to ground the installation with a wire with a solidly grounded neutral.

How to use the equipment correctly

Once you have finished producing your machine, you should check it trial run. If everything is fine, it is recommended to study the basic rules for working with the equipment. Below is a detailed video And brief instructions, how to behave correctly with the machine.

The list of mandatory requirements for working on the machine includes:

1. Choose the right workpiece so that it is free of knots, cracks and other defects.
2. Securely fix the workpiece before work.
3. Check grounding before starting equipment.
4. Always use protective screen and replacement overalls.
5. Check the tool before work - it is forbidden to use a tool with loose handles or without them at all.
6. Any wood can be used as a blank, as long as the humidity is no more than 20%.

These are the basic rules for working on a lathe, which were taught in labor lessons at school. It is also recommended to conduct a six-monthly inspection of the equipment for condition and change the oil every year, and diagnose the engine and other operating elements to identify defects.

Important! Pay special attention to each element; it is better to eliminate defects or defects noticed during the manufacturing or operation process immediately. Also save drawings.

Moreover, be more responsible when choosing a bed. It must be strong and reliable, because it can be said to be the basis of your machine. The machine is screwed onto a powerful wooden or iron table. It is necessary to level the equipment so that it does not wobble on the floor.

An example of using a homemade machine from a drill.

Well, that's it! Now you can make something on a do-it-yourself lathe, as indicated in photo. Good luck to you and endless inspiration for your work!

Now you can buy a lathe for wood and metal to suit every taste (and at any cost). Of course, many of the most modern and additional functions(which most often are not needed).

I don’t argue that a lathe is very necessary and useful thing for the workshop, but in 90% of cases it is not worth the money spent on it.

We want to help you save your finances. Why buy a model with many unnecessary functions if you can make a standard simple model yourself?

Wood lathe materials

The design itself consists of the following parts (see picture)

1. The bed is the basis for the machine, usually made of metal and consists of several connected beams.
2. Transverse U-shaped beam.
3. Electric motor – serves as a power source for correct movement around its axis (single-phase motors with a power of 200-400 Watt are suitable).
4. Lathe chuck.
5. Tailstock support.
6. An element that rotates.
7. Stop for a workpiece or tool.
8. Support for the tool rest.
9. Guide beams.
10. Angle, post, or support for the tailstock.
11. Clip.
12. Metal plate for support.
13. Cross guide detail.
14. Screws for fastening.
15. Support axis.

Wood lathe step by step instructions

First of all, you don’t have to buy a new motor, but take a used one; it will cost you much less.

The elements are fixed to the base (No. 1 according to the figure) 2 U-shaped beams are connected by welding to two transverse ones (No. 2 according to the figure).

The guides on top are additionally fixed with two corners (No. 10 in the figure), which are secured to the main surface.

The engine (No. 3 in the figure) is attached to the side and the headstock is secured.

It is worth using a rotating center as the basis of the tailstock (buy the part from purchased option) fasten it to the support (No. 5 according to the figure) and weld it on the platform (No. 12 according to the figure)

The stop (No. 5) is made from a corner and attached to the support (No. 8), which itself is fixed to the holder. The stop and holder are threaded onto the support axis (No. 15) and then welded to the guide beams.

The same stop (No. 5) and the rotating element (No. 6) are fixed on metal plates (No. 12) that contain special moving clips (No. 11).

Please note that the stop and tailstock are moving elements that should move along the guides (No. 9) without any problems.

To ensure that the moving elements are well attached to the clips, preliminary holes are made in the clips (No. 14) and the slightest inaccuracy reduces the quality of operation of the entire device.

The welding itself may lead to deformation of the material - first all materials are held together spot welding, and then carry out the full work.

Wood lathe video

Metal lathe materials

To make such a tool you will need:

• Sheet metal;
• U - shaped metal beams;
• Steel strips;
• Steel corners;
• Electric motor;
• Transmission mechanism;
• Several nuts and bolts for fastening;
• Bulgarian;

Separately, it is worth mentioning about the engine, it does not have to be new, you can limit yourself to an old or used one, its power should be 2 kW with a number of revolutions per minute within 2000. Although this depends more on the level of your work on this machine.

The more massive the workpieces, the more powerful the engine should be if you want to make a compact machine with low power– even a motor from a washing machine or electric drill will do.

As for the transmission mechanism, you can find it online or buy it from friends old box gears and remove the clutch from the gearbox. Thus, you will get a mechanism that creates several speeds for your machine. And if you install an additional pulley, you can improve the number of revolutions.

Metal lathe step by step instructions

The installation should begin by using steel corners and a U-shaped beam, from which (1 corner and 1 beam) you need to weld the frame for the base.

To do this you need to wedge the base. Guides are assembled from square pipes and steel strips.

In addition to this their metal sheet They make a box for the fist chuck; after installation, adjustable bearings are placed in it.

The tailstock must be welded from a corner and a thick plate, the support of which will be the guides.

The headstock should move easily and freely along the guides. Weld nuts to the top of the headstock (to secure the supporting center).

The sharpened cone should be mounted into the beam, while maintaining maximum accuracy. Such a cone can be made from any bolt that suits your size.

After this, the entire structure is assembled, the spindle is checked for ease of rotation, and the front and rear centers are adjusted to create a level axis.

Now you know that building a machine for wood or metal is quite possible and requires little knowledge and effort from you, and at the same time it will cost you much less (and even if it breaks, you can fix it yourself).

In general, making such a machine will help you even if you do not often do such work; only such mechanisms are very bulky and you need a place to store them (or you can make “pocket” models).

Metal lathe video