Poor’s man lathe

[mashop3d]

I have a hobby, woodworking. I managed to get a budget from my boss, to whom I have been married for as long as I can remember, to get a shapeoko cnc. I’d like a cnc lathe, but would end up in a divorce!
So got this idea....
Since my grbl does not support 4 axis, i will replace the x axis with a spindle servo. The bit can still ride along the y, and up and down on the z. This is not a real cnc lathe but it will allow me to make:
 -dowels by keeping z constant, cutting along y, rotating a few, etc,
- fluted dowels by lifting z and rotating, ride a bull nose along y, etc.
- turning with v shape bit
- or spiraled posts by moving y while turning
Most of it would be done  with pure gcode and a bit of math.
A switch will allow me to alternate between cnc and lathe, just need an extra 10$ stepper. I have ordered it. The lathe will be on the cnc bed and removed when not in use. I will 3d print the spindle, and carve the frame.
Stay tuned, I will post as this progresses.

[lloydsp]

Just keep your options 'flexible'.  No matter how well it works, as soon as you have it built and working, you'll see things you'll wish you had done differently!

It's kind-of "The Murphy's Law of Home-built Tools".

Lloyd

[mashop3d]

Words of wisdom....

[dh42]

Hello

Another (very) poor man lathe

https://youtu.be/wZYYQ1Ewj1E

++
David

[lloydsp]

OOoops! <grin>

Yeah... Well, one could do better than a power drill for a spindle! (and probably at not much more cost)

Lloyd

[Bob La Londe]

OOoops! <grin>

Yeah... Well, one could do better than a power drill for a spindle! (and probably at not much more cost)

Lloyd

You can buy drills pretty darn cheap... 

[lloydsp]

Yeah, but as you saw, how well do they work in that application?

Passably -- yeah, maybe for single-direction feeds -- maybe.  Well?  Nah...

Lloyd

[EddyCurrent]

Other than end float in the bearings the main issue was with the chuck.
On a wood lathe I use a chuck like this; https://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+power-tools-woodturning-lathes-woodturning-accessories-4-xact-precision-chuck-4-xact-precision-woodturning-chuck-rutlands+xt9100

I'm sure it could be attached to a drill or motor by some secure means. There's also a 3" version that would be lighter.

[dh42]

Re

In the past (2011) I draw some parts to do one myself .... but I never do it ..

http://www.metabricoleur.com/t902-adaptation-tour-cn-1-etude-du-projet

Maybe I'll do it a day ... if Andy adds the missing lathe operations in a future release ...   (facing, boring, grooving, threading ...)

Other than end float in the bearings the main issue was with the chuck.

Yep, not good for wood ...  

++
David

[Bob La Londe]

Many many years ago I had a wood lathe. I was a kid when I bought it. I made a steel pate with a drill chuck mounted that mounted on the face plate. It worked ok for rapidly filing a round metal part and keeping it "mostly round." I think a lot of those "look at what I made out all the wrong stuff" videos remind us that there is always a way to get there even if you don't have the "right" tool.

I gave that wood lathe to a friend in exchange for something I needed some years later. Many years after that his son gave me a big steel work bench with a Columbia vise bolted to it on the condition that I took all the boxes of tools and parts under the bench. "Oh bend my arm." LOL. As I went trough the boxes I found many odd thing, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out why somebody had attached a drill chuck to a flat piece of steel with some holes in it.

It was actually a couple years before I remembered that I was the guy who had done that nearly 40 years ago.

I mostly used that wood lathe for changing the taper on pool cues. I used to think I was half good at pool, and I liked the longer straight taper of a snooker cue over the continuous taper of a pool cue.