Lathe... Without a Lathe?

[bstoehr52]

Hi!
I can't afford a lathe but want to be able to chuck a vintage tool, metal, wood, etc. Into something and spin it at a high speed so I can sand it.

I have a bench grinder but it doesn't cut it!

Any thoughts on how I can make this happen or a piece of machinery to make this happen?

I can't afford to buy a lathe!

Thanks!

 

[alfadan]

Maybe an old drill press with thread-on chuck like my old Craftsman. Not heavy duty, but probably good enough for sanding and polishing.

 

[bstoehr52]

Maybe an old drill press with thread-on chuck like my old Craftsman. Not heavy duty, but probably good enough for sanding and polishing.

Good idea thank you!

 

[garfunkle24]

It sounds like the exact thing you need is a lathe. If it's 1/2" or smaller you could chuck something up in a drill press or even spin it with a cordless drill but it's far from ideal. Otherwise you'll have to buy or build something.

 

[bdbecker]

Used wood lathes can typically be found fairly cheap. A quick search of my area on FB Marketplace came up with 4 lathes for $100 or less. If you keep your eye out for a deal, you can probably do better than that. I bought my Jet JML-1014 for $50. Also, a lot of the time they'll come with an assortment of tools. If you aren't interested in wood turning, you could sell the tools to help offset the cost of the lathe.

 

[dutchgray]

Save up and buy a cheap used wood lathe.

 

[BigMike782]

If you buy a wood lathe know that it may not come with a 4 jaw chuck and a chuck can easily cost 2-300.00.

 

[bdbecker]

If you buy a wood lathe know that it may not come with a 4 jaw chuck and a chuck can easily cost 2-300.00.

For a good chuck, yes. For what he's doing, any of the sub-$50 Amazon or eBay import chucks would be just fine.

 

[Garage.Girl]

if you have a cheap harbor freight or wen drill press they make pretty easy wood lathes...(use a spur center on one size and make a dead center out of a bolt you sharpen so it locks in the wood like a tail chuck) only downside is they get hot cuz motor type haha so as long as HP and burning out a Motor doesn't bother u its very doable haha, otherwise you can find a HF mini metal lathe about 350$ used

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

About 30 some years ago, before I had my first lathe, I had to do some work on both ID and OD of some 8" tubing for a swivel pole project I was working on. I had four very heavy duty rollers from a mixer drum and by putting two side by side about 8' apart I got the pipe to roll pretty well between them. I had a super duty drill and chucked up a hole saw. A flat serpentine belt from the saw to the pipe got it to spin. I probably held the drill down with a few clamps and bungies. Could have been wire? Anyway by adjusting the rollers and the drill the pipe would spin pretty straight and true. Seems like I used both a belt sander and a grinder to "machine" the bore and OD. Worked good enough and the swivel pole still works fine. A pic of the heavy duty rollers I still have in the shop. I'm sure most any sturdy rollers would work.

Also here are a few pics of a home made lathe. I've seen quite a few but this one I kept. It belonged to an old local craftsman who made toys and small models. He built it with a wood frame and then bolted steel plates on to get a working lathe bed. He used what he had and there is not a weld on it. He even had feed and cross adjustment by threaded rod. I saw some of what he was able to make on this little creation and was impressed. I brought the lathe home so it wouldn't get tossed out and whenever I look at it I remember the man. Over the years I've passed on a couple other lathe contraptions made from rough lumber. Ed.

 

[bb29510]

I can't afford to buy a lathe!

depends where you live