Every home craftsman would like to have tools in his arsenal lathe for metal. Such equipment allows, if necessary, to carve a broken part, cut a thread, make some kind of trinket, and much more. However, because industrial units far from everyone can afford it, and they take up a lot of space, most craftsmen prefer to make compact home-made metal machines with their own hands.
Read in the article
What can be done with a mini lathe, and where it is used
Household mini lathes, as well as similar industrial equipment, designed for processing metal blanks and giving them a cylindrical, conical and spherical shape. Now they are used in almost all industries, which makes it possible to reduce human participation to almost zero, but a simple machine is suitable for home needs. Despite the fact that compact turning equipment has inherited most of the functions from its large counterparts, however, it can only be used to machine small workpieces and parts. Also on mini-machines, you can make end trimming and perform external and internal threading, boring and much more. Compact turning equipment is perfect for, home, installation on or in a small.
What does a lathe consist of: main components
For the most part, industrial and household lathes are similar. The difference lies in functionality, power and weight. The figure below shows the device of a typical screw-cutting lathe. The main nodes are:
- bed;
- caliper;
- headstock (placement of the gearbox to adjust the speed of rotation and change the amount of torque);
- tailstock (for more stable and reliable support of the workpiece or part clamped in the chuck (spindle), as well as for installing drills, taps and other tools);
- tool holder.
bed
One of the main elements is the frame - a massive metal base on which all the main components and parts of the equipment are mounted. It must be strong enough, and the mass must be such as not to allow the machine to tip over during operation. For the floor version, massive supports (pedestals) are added.
Lathe support
The lathe caliper is designed to move along, across and at an angle to the axis of the spindle of the cutters fixed in the tool holder. The device has a cross structure, consisting of three main elements: carriage, transverse and incisal sleds.
Do-it-yourself headstock of a lathe
The headstock is one of the more difficult components of a lathe, especially for self-manufacturing. It contains a gearbox with a spindle and a control unit. Under the casing of the headstock is an electric motor, which is connected by a belt drive to the gearbox pulley.
This unit contains a block consisting of interchangeable gears designed to transmit and change the spindle speed and torque from the feed box shaft. You can buy a lathe headstock or make your own.
Tailstock lathe
The tailstock of a metal lathe is movable and is designed to press the workpiece to the center of the spindle. One of the elements of this assembly is a quill, on which a fixed or rotating center is installed, resting with its tip against the workpiece. The workpiece is installed in the chuck on the spindle and supported by the tailstock. Thus, reliable fastening of the part for its high-quality processing is ensured.
Drills, taps, reamers, etc. can be installed in the tailstock. When installing and moving on the skids of the frame, it is necessary to avoid sharp and strong impacts on the body of the unit in order to prevent displacement of the centers.
Making a do-it-yourself tool holder for a lathe
The tool holder is intended for fixing a metalworking tool on the support of a lathe and moves both in the longitudinal and in the parallel direction relative to the workpiece. There are two types of tool holders: two- and four-position. In the first case, two cutters can be installed simultaneously with screws, and in the second, four, which allows you to quickly change the cutters if necessary without stopping the lathe. For quick change of incisors, a special handle is provided.
Making and installing a lathe for metal with your own hands
Making a mini lathe for metal with your own hands is not so difficult as it might seem at first glance. You just need to draw up a detailed action plan, drawing, prepare necessary materials and tools, and, of course, some skills, and a great desire.
Design and drawings of a metal lathe for a garage
This stage is the most important, since the correct execution of all further operations and the correct operation of the equipment depend on it. First of all, you need to determine the dimensions of the machine. The average dimensions of equipment used in everyday life is 900×350×300 mm. You should not deviate much from these values, as this will lead to the fact that it will be inconvenient to work, and performance will decrease significantly.
Having decided on the drawing and dimensions of a small lathe, we proceed to the preparation of the necessary materials.
| Illustration | Action Description |
 | The cast iron frame can be replaced by a frame made of steel angles and profile pipes. Do not use wood, because in this case you should not rely on the durability of the machine and the accuracy of the work performed. |
 | As a power unit, it is preferable to take a low-power asynchronous electric motor, since even with a sharp decrease in speed, the drive will not break. Engine power must be selected in accordance with the expected diameters of the workpieces. |
 | Choosing drive belts different diameter. |
 | As fasteners we use a set of bolts and nuts of various diameters and lengths. |
 | Steel bar slides are made from steel bars, which are recommended to be hardened. You can also use ready-made elements from a suitable used factory-made machine (this also applies to other equipment components). |
  | The spindle and "tailstock" are considered the most difficult components for self-manufacturing, so you can contact a specialized workshop or the manufacturer. If it is decided, nevertheless, to make these details on your own, then the headstock can be made of metal of the appropriate thickness and. A simple spindle is made from a bolt with a sharp end, nuts and a handwheel. |
 | The feed longitudinal and transverse screws can be machined on a machine in a specialized workshop or made independently from rods with threads already cut. |
 | To create rotating assemblies, rolling bearings mounted on the housing are suitable. |
 | The caliper can be made from a steel plate with a thickness of 8 mm. |
 | The tool holder is made of a thick steel plate, ordered in a specialized workshop or taken from another machine. |
After the drawing has been selected and all the necessary materials and components have been prepared, you can begin to assemble the unit.
Choosing an electric motor for a homemade lathe
The electric motor is the most important element of a metal lathe, whether industrial production or homemade. It is he who is responsible for the operation of the equipment. The functionality of the lathe largely depends on the power of the electric motor. If the machine is intended to work with small workpieces, then an engine with a power of up to 1 kW will suffice (you can, for example, take from an old sewing machine or). For large parts, you will need a power unit with a power in the range of 1.5–2 kW.
The procedure for assembling a lathe for metal
In order for the lathe to work properly, it is important to assemble it correctly, and for this you just need to follow the following algorithm:
- Frame formation. Since creating a cast-iron bed at home is almost impossible, you will have to use steel pipes that are cut to size and welded together. Be sure to make sure that all corners are even, and focus on the drawing.
- Creation of side racks.
- We connect the racks with guides, and we mount special bushings on the side supports.
- Bushings are installed on the guides, on which the tailstock will be mounted, and they will also be used to securely fasten the tool holder.
- Creation of platforms from a steel sheet of the required thickness for the installation of a caliper and quill.
- Lead screw installation.
- A nonius and a steering wheel are attached to the lead screw.
- Fastening of the platform for the installation of the headstock.
- Collection of the headstock and tailstock, after which they are installed on the machine.
- Creation of a caliper and tool holder.
- Assembling the subframe for the electric motor. For this use steel pipes or corner. The subframe will allow you to raise and lower the electric motor.
- Installation of the power unit with its subsequent connection to the mains.
- Trial run of the lathe.
- If everything is functioning normally, then you can paint the machine (if desired) and start working on it.
If desired, conventional turning equipment can be re-equipped with your own hands in milling machine for metal.
We make a lathe from a drill with our own hands
You can also make a lathe from an electric drill, but basically this design is suitable for woodworking. Of course, it can be used to work with metal, but the power unit used must be as powerful as possible, and the parts must be very small. For example, such a machine is suitable for a homegrown amateur jeweler. This design consists of a minimum of parts. So let's move on to step by step instructions for the manufacture of a lathe from a drill with a photo and description.
| Illustration | Action Description |
 | On the |
A homemade metal lathe is quite easy to make with your own hands, but first you need to figure out what this equipment is.
The lathe was invented many hundreds of years ago. Initially, it was a hand-held equipment, but after going through many different upgrades, it has changed and become easier to use.
Today, the lathe is an indispensable device in absolutely any production. Now you can find various shapes and configurations this equipment that are designed for different purposes.
What is used for
The lathe can be used in production for various purposes. The main purposes of this equipment include:
- processing of face, internal and external bodies of revolution;
- thread.
Machining with a lathe is the most common way to manufacture various rotational bodies, such as discs, shafts or nuts. At this time, there is a change in the shape and size of the workpiece due to the removal of the allowance. The machinability of a particular material depends on its structure, as well as its physical and chemical properties.
Threading on a lathe is done using a cutter. This tool is usually divided by experts into 3 types:
- prismatic;
- rod;
- round.
But it is important to remember that threading on a lathe can also be done using taps and dies. The former help in the production of metric internal threads. And the latter are used for threading the outside of bolts and studs. The speed of this kind of work with the help of dies for steel products is less than five minutes.
Device
The lathe has a rather difficult structure. Its main element is the spindle. So it is customary for specialists to call a hollow shaft made of steel, which has a cone-shaped hole. It is thanks to the latter that the installation of various tools and mandrels is carried out.
The spindle has a special thread, which is primarily intended for fixing a faceplate for a lathe on it. Some types of this equipment have a special groove on this main element. It is with its help that such a danger as uncontrolled folding of the cartridge is eliminated.
The spindle is the main component of any lathe precisely because it is only thanks to it that really high-quality processing of any part is possible. Therefore, it is important to remember that the node in the radial and axial direction had no play, that is, a gap or gap between mating parts.
The power of the lathe also depends on the spindle. The performance of this unit will be higher if its main element has a high drive motor power.
Also an important component of the lathe is the caliper. It is this element that ensures the fixation of the cutting tool and its movement in various directions. On it is a tool holder, which is also commonly called a cutting head.
Do it yourself
Despite the fact that the lathe has a rather complex structure, you can make a lightweight version of it yourself without spending a lot of time and effort on it. It is also important that it does not require large material costs.
The main components of the lathe:
- grandmas (front and back);
- frame;
- drive unit;
- centers
- stop for cutting tool.
Note: You can avoid vibrations while working on the machine if you place the centers of the device on the same axis.
When creating a machine, it is important to know that you cannot use a collector-type electric drive for it. It is strictly forbidden to do this precisely because it is too powerful for a home device, and during its use, the processed element may simply fly out of the clamps. This threatens to damage the device and can lead to various injuries.
Best for home machine suitable for asynchronous drive. Its main advantage is that its RPM stays the same.
caliper
As mentioned earlier, the lathe caliper is one of the components of this unit. It is used to fix the cutting tool, and a tool holder must also be installed on it.
Due to the wide variety of different electric motors today, it is quite difficult to choose one that fits exactly. All drives are divided according to their power. For a homemade machine, as mentioned above, the best option there will be an asynchronous electric motor, since it is he who does not change the speed.
Drill machine
There are many various ways self-creation lathe. Some make this unit with their own hands from a drill. It is perfect for light turning work at home.
In order for this machine to perform its main tasks more efficiently, it is necessary to fix the drill on the frame with a vice and a collar that is fixed on the neck.
Important to remember: the frame of such a device must be heavy and have high strength.
Summing up, I would like to note that a home lathe can perform simple functions no worse than the one used in production, while its manufacture will not require too much cost.
How to make a lathe with your own hands, see the following video:
Those men who love to make something with their own hands, over time, there is a desire to make a metal lathe for their own needs with their own hands. According to the owners of such a machine, working on it brings the joy of turning shapeless blanks into an elegant chiseled thing created on their own. However, a finished machine is an expensive thing, so we decided to tell you how to make this equipment yourself.
What is a lathe for?
Among the various metalworking machines, the lathe was among the first to be able to process any material, metal, plastic or wood. This machine allows you to get parts of various shapes, in which the outer surface is processed, holes are drilled or bored, threaded or a corrugated surface is knurled.
There are many models of lathes that are produced by equipment manufacturers for different purposes. But industrial machines, in most cases, are expensive, large and heavy, and too complex to be used at home. An excellent alternative solution would be to assemble a metal lathe with your own hands, this mechanism will be small, easy to operate and will allow you to quickly make small parts from metal or wood.
The lathe makes it possible to manufacture wheels, axles and other parts with a circular cross section. For home master It is very convenient to have a lathe for turning wood in your arsenal. On it you can carve handles for tools, various parts for furniture repair, holders for shovels or rakes. You can develop gradually, from simple details, gain experience, gradually learn how to carve elements of figured furniture or details for elegant sailboats.
In a lathe, the workpiece is fixed in a horizontal position and the machine rotates it at high speed, then the moving cutter removes excess material to obtain a part. Although the principle of operation of the lathe seems simple, to ensure reliable operation, the precise, coordinated work of the many parts that make up the mechanism of the machine will be required.
The history of the emergence of lathes
The first devices (rather simple design) for processing workpieces made of stone or wood and obtaining cylindrical parts appeared in ancient Egypt. Subsequently, the design of machine tools became more complicated over a long path of improvement, which led to the emergence of modern precision and high-performance turning equipment.
The beginning of the production of lathes (industrial and independent) put the invention in the 18th century of a lathe, which used a mechanically moved support. This design was developed in Russia by a talented mechanic and inventor Andrei Nartov. In his machine, racks, pulleys, screws, gears and other parts were made of metal. But, as before, the machine was set in motion with the help of a flywheel spun by a person.
When, at the end of the 18th century, steam machine, then, in the 19th, the internal combustion engine, and later the electric motor, the manual drive in the machines was replaced with a mechanical one. From one common engine, with the help of a transmission shaft, movement was transmitted to lathes. The shaft itself was mounted on the wall of the workshop or under the ceiling, and each machine was driven by a belt drive.
At the beginning of the last century, lathes began to be individually equipped with economical electric motors. Mass production of steel requires lathes that provide high-quality machining of parts and high production productivity. This demand stimulated the improvement of the design of machine tools.
The development of the design of lathes for turning operations led to the appearance of a step-pulley drive in them, which made it possible to adjust the number of revolutions of the spindle. The spindle itself and the lead screw began to be connected by means of a guitar of gears, which was later supplemented by a gearbox. The next improvement was the separation of the transmission of movement to the caliper from the roller (most turning operations) and the lead screw (threading). Also, the list of innovations was replenished with a modernized apron mechanism.
The advent of high speed steel accelerated the process of improving lathes. Thanks to the new steel, the cutting speed has increased five times (compared to the speed at which conventional carbon steel is processed). In order to increase the variety of feeds and increase the number of revolutions in lathes, rotation bearings have replaced rolling bearings, and the gearbox in the machine has become even more complicated. Also, realizing the importance of this issue, engineers have developed automatic lubrication of machine parts.
Do-it-yourself metal lathe: main components
The design of a home-made simple lathe that allows you to process workpieces consists of the following parts: frame, leading and driven centers, tailstock and front headstock, cutter stop and electric drive.
The role of the frame is to be a support for all elements and a bed for equipment. The headstock is stationary and plays the role of a base for placing the base rotation unit.
The front frame contains a transmission mechanism connecting the drive center with the electric motor. Through the leading center, the workpiece is rotated. The tailstock can move parallel to the longitudinal axis of the frame. In accordance with the length of the future part, the tailstock is installed so as to firmly fix the end of the workpiece being processed in the driven center.
For lathe any will do drive but an important parameter: power 800-1500 watts. The fact is that only the problem of low revs can still be solved with the help of a transmission mechanism, and the engine power remains the same.
Although any electric motor, even a 200-watt one, can be used in a homemade lathe, it must be borne in mind that when processing large workpieces, a weak motor can overheat and the machine will stop. As a rule, rotation is transmitted using a belt drive, less often a friction drive or chain is used.
For a desktop machine, a design without a transmission system is sometimes used, the chuck and the leading center are mounted directly on the motor shaft.
The driven center must be placed on the same axis with the leading center, violation of this rule will lead to vibration of the workpiece.
Conditions that must be met: secure fixation, accurate centering and stable rotation. In frontal machines, the workpiece is fixed using a cam chuck or a faceplate; in such machines, one leading center is used.
Although the frame may be made from a block of wood, it is usually assembled from steel angles or profiles. The frame must provide rigid fastening of the driven and leading centers; when designing the frame, free movement of the headstock along the longitudinal axis of the machine, as well as the stop for the cutter, must be ensured.
After all the details of your homemade machine are installed in the correct position, you need to fix them firmly. The purpose of the machine, the size and type of workpieces that are planned to be processed, determines the shape of the machine elements and the final dimensions of the installation. In addition, the type and power of the electric motor depends on the intended work, which must create a sufficient force that will rotate the part. The motor parameters must be suitable for the expected load.
The most unsuitable for a lathe are commutator motors, which are characterized by an increase in the number of revolutions when the load drops. And in this case, a huge centrifugal force can cause the fixed workpiece to fly out, and this is very dangerous for someone who is near the machine.
However, if you are sharpening small light parts, then you should not worry, and so that the workpiece cannot accelerate uncontrollably, you should use a gearbox for electric motors of this type.
When working with workpieces 0.7 meters long and 10 centimeters in diameter, the recommended motor type is asynchronous, and the power is 800 watts. An electric drive of this type is characterized by the stability of the shaft speed when there is a load, and when the load disappears and a large mass is harvested, there is no prohibitive increase in the speed.
It should be borne in mind that in self-built lathes there is always a force, the direction of which is along the shaft. If the belt drive is not used, this will cause the motor bearings, which are designed only for a perpendicular load, to be quickly destroyed.
So if the motor shaft is directly connected to the driving center of the machine, the motor bearings will be constantly under load that they were not designed for. You can try to compensate for this longitudinal load by making the machine with reverse side stop of the motor shaft (or, in some designs of the electric motor, it is necessary to install a ball in its rear part between the end of the shaft and the housing - an impromptu bearing).
The driven center is located in the tailstock of the machine and can be stationary or rotating. The fixed center is made from the most ordinary bolt, in which the end of the thread is sharpened to a cone. Sliced in a hole in the headstock internal thread and by turning the pointed bolt, the workpiece can be fixed between the centers.
This bolt has a stroke of 2-3 centimeters, and large distances are set by shifting the tailstock along the axis of the machine. The driven center in the form of a pointed and ground bolt should be lubricated with oil (machine) immediately before starting work. This will avoid smoke in the workpiece.
How to make a homemade metal lathe
Any craftsman can build a lathe on their own. Although it is homemade, such a machine is reliable and easy to use. The owner of turning equipment will be able to turn or turn new parts, turn metal products, work with wood or plastic, make parts for car repairs, for their household, or make wooden souvenirs.
At home, you can easily make a frontal lathe yourself. It is easy to use and has a wide variety of features. Due to the ease of replacement of parts, the service life of such home equipment is very long.
Saw out two wooden stands and fasten the bolts into them with nuts, the holes for the bolts must be of the desired diameter, as well as the threads of the nuts.
For the stability of the chisel or cutter during the operation of the machine, a handguard is made for them. It is made of two planks connected with screws or glued together. The bottom plank should have a bevelled corner and a metal strip that protects the chisel from deformation during movement, and a slot is made in the horizontal plank to control and control the movement of the handpiece.
Now it remains to screw the workpiece with nuts, ensuring its security and freedom of movement, and your bench lathe is ready for use. The workpiece should be machined by rotating in both directions in order to obtain the best shape of the part.
If you do not have a low-power electric motor (approximately 250-500 W), then for a home-made machine you can buy an inexpensive used electric motor, for example, an engine from sewing machine. Also, the most compact lathe can be made on the basis of an electric drill or grinder.
Grandmas, front and back are not difficult to make on their own, and if something is not clear, you can peep in the photographs of home-made machines. And the frame, in addition to a wooden block, can be made from a channel, a corner or other high-quality metal.
In everyday life, such a lathe is indispensable. If an abrasive or grinding wheel, then on such a machine, in addition to turning parts, it will be possible to sharpen tools, as well as grind or polish surfaces. And if you fix the adapter and drill chuck in bulk, then your machine can be used for milling grooves or drilling holes in parts.
Thus, having made a lathe for metal with your own hands, you will receive a universal assistant in household. The variety of ways to use such a machine encourages you to try your hand. Self-made, small lathes are excellent for home-scale tasks of turning parts or grinding them.
In metalworking, for the manufacture of cylindrical (conical) parts, a lathe is used. There are many models of this production device, and all of them have almost the same layout of similar components and parts. One of these is the caliper of the machine.
For a better understanding of the functions that the lathe caliper performs, you can consider its operation using the example of the common 16k20 model. After reviewing this information, perhaps some home craftsmen will have the idea to create a home-made lathe for metal work with their own hands.
1 What is a machine support?
This is a rather complex knot, despite its apparent simplicity. From how correctly it is made, installed, adjusted - depends on the quality of the future part, and the amount of time it took to make it.
1.1 Working principle
The caliper placed on the machine 16k20 can move in the following directions:
- transverse - perpendicular to the axis of the rotating workpiece for deepening into it;
- longitudinal - the cutting tool moves along the surface of the workpiece to remove an excess layer of material or turn a thread;
- inclined - to expand access to the surface of the workpiece at the desired angle.
1.2 Caliper device
The caliper for the 16k20 machine is located on the lower slide, which moves along the guides fixed on the frame, and thus longitudinal movement occurs. The motion is given by the rotation of the screw, which converts the rotational force into translational motion.
On the lower slide, the caliper also moves transversely, but along separate guides (cross slide) located perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the part.
To the cross slide, with a special nut, a rotary plate is attached, on which there are guides for moving the upper slide. You can set the movement of the upper slide with a turn screw.
The rotation of the upper slide in the horizontal plane occurs simultaneously with the plate. Thus, the cutting tool is installed at a given angle to the rotating part.
The machine is equipped with a cutting head (tool holder), which is fixed on the upper slide with special bolts and a separate handle. The movement of the caliper occurs along the lead screw, which is located under the running shaft. This feed is done manually.
1.3 Caliper adjustments
In the process of working on the 16k20 machine, natural wear, loosening, loosening of the caliper fasteners occur. This is a natural process and its consequences must be constantly monitored through regular adjustments and adjustments.
On the support of the machine 16k20, the following adjustments are made:
- gaps;
- play;
- glands.
1.4 Clearance adjustment
During the transverse and longitudinal movement of the caliper of the 16k20 machine along the sled, wear of the screw and their working surface occurs due to constant friction.
The presence of such free space leads to uneven movement of the caliper, jamming, oscillation under the resulting lateral loads. Excessive clearance is removed with the help of wedges, with which the carriage is pressed against the guides.
1.5 Backlash adjustment
Backlash appears in the screw drive. You can get rid of it without disassembly with the fixing screw located on this caliper moving device.
1.6 Adjustment of glands
During long-term work on metal on a 16k20 machine, wear and clogging of seals occurs, which are located at the ends of the carriage ledge. Visually, this is determined by the appearance of dirty stripes during the longitudinal movement of the caliper.
In order to eliminate this phenomenon without disassembling the unit, it is necessary to wash the felt packing and soak it with machine oil. If the worn seals are completely unsuitable, they should be replaced with new ones.
1.7 Caliper repair
This lathe device wears out over time under constant significant loads in metal work.
The presence of significant wear is easily determined by the state of the surface of the guide slide. Small depressions may appear on them, which will prevent the free movement of the caliper in a given direction.
With timely regular care, such repairs may not be necessary, but in the event of such a defect should be repaired and in case of severe wear - a replacement.
The 16K20 caliper quite often requires carriage repair, which consists in restoring the lower guides that interact with the bed guides. Care must be taken to maintain a stable perpendicular position of the carriage.
When repairing the caliper, it is necessary to check both planes using the building level.
2
The turning device with which metal work is performed can be very simple. Collect homemade machine with your own hands you can practically from improvised means, which are taken from mechanisms that have become unusable.
You should start with a metal frame welded from a channel, which will be the bed. From the left edge, the front fixed headstock is fixed on it, and the support is installed on the right. A do-it-yourself home-made machine provides for the presence of a ready-made spindle with a chuck or faceplate.
The spindle receives torque from the electric motor through a V-belt transmission.
When working with a machine for metal, it is impossible to hold the cutter with your own hands (unlike working with wood), so you will need a caliper that will move longitudinally. A tool holder is installed on it with the possibility of alternating it transversely to the direction of movement of the caliper itself.
Sets the movement of the caliper and tool holder by a given value with handwheel screw which has a ring with metric divisions. The flywheel is driven manually.
2.2 Materials and assembly
In order to assemble a turning device with your own hands, you will need:
- hydraulic cylinder;
- shock absorber shaft;
- corner, channel, metal beam;
- electric motor;
- two pulleys;
- Belting.
A do-it-yourself homemade lathe is assembled in this way:
- A frame structure is assembled from two channels and two metal beams. When working on parts longer than 50mm in the future, materials should be used at least 3mm thick for the angle and 30mm thick for the rods.
- The longitudinal shafts are fixed on two channels with guides with petals, each of which is bolted or welded.
- For the manufacture of the headstock, a hydraulic cylinder is used, the wall thickness of which must be at least 6 mm. Two bearings 203 are pressed into it.
- Through bearings, the inner diameter of which is 17 mm, a shaft is laid.
- Hydraulic the cylinder is filled with lubricating fluid.
- A nut with a large diameter is installed under the pulley to prevent the bearings from being squeezed out.
- The finished pulley is taken from the serviced washing machine.
- The caliper is made of a plate with cylindrical guides welded to it.
- The cartridge can be made from a piece of pipe of a suitable diameter, with nuts welded on it and holes made for 4 bolts.
- The drive can be an electric motor of the same washing machine (power 180 W), connected to the headstock by a belt drive.
Do-it-yourself homemade metal lathe often becomes a worthy alternative to factory equipment. If you need to carry out minor metal work in your garage, a great solution would be to make a machine with your own hands. Some parts will have to be purchased, but in general, you can deservedly consider the resulting unit to be a homemade device.
Photo of a homemade lathe for metal
Both the factory and home-made machine is used to process metal blanks that rotate during work.
- The cutting tool acts on a rotating metal workpiece, changing its shape, configuration, dimensions;
- In metal processing, cutters and the position of the workpiece relative to the axis of rotation play a significant role;
- This predetermines the choice of the operating mode of the machine;
- The simplest variations of homemade metal lathes can be made from a drill and its chuck. Such elementary structures, assembled by hand, allow you to process products without complex shapes. During operation, the workpieces do not move.
Using desktop turning fixtures, you can create products of complex shapes - cylinders, cones, spheres, etc. If you provide for the device to change the position of workpieces relative to the axis of rotation, the machine will turn into more functional equipment. It will be possible to produce elements of furniture, decor, interior, etc.
Elements of a homemade machine
Drawing of a homemade lathe for metal
If you decide to make a machine from a drill or other original device, you need to have drawings and visual videos in front of you. With the help of photo and video instructions based on the drawings you have chosen, it will be easier for you to achieve the desired result.
It should be understood that the manufacture of such a machine is not an easy task. Therefore, carefully study the drawings, determine which of the components you can do yourself, and which is better to purchase or order from specialists.
The list of mandatory components of the future design includes:
- Bed. This is the basis of your machine, the body of the equipment, which will house all the main components. Decide immediately on the location method - desktop or floor.
- The front headstock of the machine. It is also a spindle head, which provides fixation of workpieces and changes the position of the product relative to the axis of rotation.
- Lathe support. With their help, rotational motion is transmitted from the electric motor to the workpiece.
- Guides. Properly made guides allow you to feed as accurately as possible hardware to the incisors. So the processing is better.
- The tailstock of the machine. It is required in case you need to fix the workpieces on both sides.
- Carriage. With the help of the lower carriage cutters are attached.
- Using a slide, you can change the distance between the rear and front (spindle) headstock.
- Control block. It can include several types of gears that provide changes in the modes of rotation of the spindle and displacement of the workpiece relative to the cutting tool.
Some craftsmen immediately create a multifunctional home turning tool. A popular solution is the drill function on the machine. To achieve the desired effect, special cartridges are used. This chuck can be changed on the unit, as a result of which you can not only sharpen, but also drill workpieces on one machine.
To choose a cartridge or to make one is a rather serious question. If you are a real master of your house, making cartridges with your own hands will not be so difficult. But it is better for beginner turners to purchase ready-made factory cartridges and change them as needed.
Manufacturing steps
Having decided to make equipment, be sure to take into service the drawings. Relying on the detailed instructions, even beginners can make an excellent quality machine. Whether he will be able to change cartridges and work in drill mode or not depends on you.
- First, decide on the choice of the electric motor. Some use motors from a drill, as well as its cartridges. But this is not always the best solution. Experts advise choosing asynchronous electric motors enough power. They will be able to satisfy your needs for metal processing with your own hands, and will also serve for a long time without breakdowns.
- The next moment is the transfer of torque from the electric motor to the headstock. There are two solutions here. First - the headstock is installed directly on the shaft of your electric motor. The second, more rational, is to use intermediate pulley units with different diameters. This option is attractive in that it provides the ability to adjust the rotation speed of the workpiece.
- The issue of changing the distance between the grandmas, experts advise to solve with the help of a worm shaft. Choose a device with a minimum pitch of turns.
- The spindle headstock is heavy in self-manufacturing. Therefore, it is better not to take risks, but to purchase a headstock from the manufacturer. It has the necessary functional set, plus you don’t have to worry about the reliability of the device.
- You can fix the incisors with hand-made devices. Only when performing the clamps, be sure to make sure that they will be adjusted in two planes - vertical and horizontal.
- Table mount. By providing special mounting holes on the future machine, you can securely fix it on the table. This will avoid vibrations and ensure high accuracy of workpiece processing.
- Incisors. Some turners make cutters on their own, and they are rarely inferior in quality to factory products. For rough processing, homemade cutters are quite suitable, but for more delicate operations, we would still advise you to buy a set of factory tools. By inserting various nozzles into the chuck, you can perform all kinds of operations for processing metal blanks.
Homemade machines are good in many ways. At the same time, it is important to understand that they are not capable of reaching the level of factory models in terms of reliability, safety and functionality. Therefore, if you need turning equipment for the long term, it is better not to take risks, not to experiment, but to buy a good, proven unit from a leading manufacturer.
