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March/April 1980
http://www.motherearthnews.com/do-it-yourself/how-to-build-a-lathe-zmaz80mazraw.aspx
By the MOTHER EARTH NEWS editors
Enlarge Image
The finished wood lathe will look something like this.PHOTO:
MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF
Any aspiring woodworker who has unhappily eyed the monotonously
round or square legs on his or herhome-built furniture has at one
time or another wanted to own a wood-turning tool. The trouble is,
alathe hardly rates first priority on the purchasing list for a
growing shop . . . since the cost of such a devicesimply isn't
justified by its versatility.
Consequently, MOTHER EARTH NEWS' fabricators figured that the
assembly of a wood turner fromscrounged materials would be a
perfect project for the discerning but frugal wood fashioner.
Ourresearchers dug deep into their heaps of scraps and spare parts,
found most of the necessary pieces, and
figured out how to build a lathe from what they pulled out of
the pile . . . with the exception of a ball bearingmandrel and two
spurs purchased from Sears, Roebuck and Company.
The finished lathe which will accommodate wood chunks up to
three feet long and over a foot in diameter turns out handsomely
carved legs and rungs ... while costing just a few cents over $20
to build. (Of course,unless your scrap pile has achieved the
proportions of MOTHER EARTH NEWS', you're likely to spend afew
dollars more for new materials . . . but this tool would be a
bargain at five times our price.)
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Common angle iron, U-channel, and a piece of pine shelving make
up the base upon which the tool's workingparts ride. You'll find
the components specified in the Materials List. The legs for the
stand are bent to squareup to the U-channel base . . . a task
that's much easier if the bend points are first heated with an
oxyacetylenetorch. In addition, the angle iron used for the braces
which span between each leg and the base shouldbe bent and ground
so no sharp edges protrude.
In order to avoid banging your shins on the 1 x 12 wooden
support shelf, round the board on its "workingside" and set its far
edge against the opposite legs before drilling and bolting the
shelf in place.
Furthermore, since washing machine motors have different
mounting configurations, be sure to design thebraces for the "power
plant" (they're welded to the left rear leg) specifically to fit
the bolt pattern on yourunit. It's also a good idea to provide for
a sliding mount . . . so belt tension can be adjusted.
In order to clamp different lengths of wood into the lathe's
spindles, the tailstock assembly slides on a pair oftubular steel
tracks. The runners which slip along the lathe's ways are made of
larger tubing, whichprovides a .005" fit . . . and the tool rest
slides on a foot of exactly the same specifications. (Note:
When
centering the two tubes which form the ways, be extremely
careful to ensure that the "pipes" are parallel andthat no parts
become distorted by the welding heat. In addition, file off any
welding spatter which mightinterfere with the smooth sliding of the
parts.)
Any 1/2-HP washing machine motor can be coupled by way of a pair
of three-step pulleys and a V-beltto the ball bearing mandrel in
order to provide power to the lathe. If your motor is a
single-speed unit (andthere are some two-speed examples available
which can be incorporated into our lathe design), the spindlewill
turn at either 950, 1,725, or 3,125 RPM . . . depending on the
belt's position on the pulleys.
Most mandrels have a 3 1/4" x 5 1/4" bolt pattern and an overall
shaft length of approximately 10 inches.Such a unit will fit neatly
atop the 4" x 6" plate on the headstock box.
On the other hand, the construction of the tailstock spindle is
more involved. A hint: When welding nuts tothe various parts,
install the bolts before tacking, so that the threads of the nut
won't be distorted by the heat.(Note, too, that the 5/8" coupler
nut must be driven into the two 3/4" coupler nuts before it's
welded in place.)
The working portions of the lathe are set atop steel box
sections ... with access holes cut for the clamping bolton the
tailstock and the switch and wires on the headstock. The spindles
on the headstock and tailstock mustbe perfectly aligned to prevent
wobble. One way to accomplish this is to weld the headstock into
positionfirst, and then align the tailstock to it. Slip one of the
pulleys onto the spur end of the mandrel and slide thetailstock
spindle shaft into the other end of the pulley. Then weld the
tailstock box to its runner.
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The lathe's switch is a common wall box set inside the headstock
and wired to interrupt the flow of power tothe motor. And, since
the brushes of the power unit could conceivably become fouled with
the shavings fromthe woodwork, the motor and the belt drive are
enclosed in a sheet metal box with an access door.
Once you've applied a coat of paint to the lathe, you'll be
ready to try some wood turning. There are a number
of different ways that this tool can be used to turn out
finish-quality work, and
if you're not alreadyfamiliar with basic lathe operating
procedures you'll get the most use from the tool by doing a little
outsidestudy.
Who knows? You might end up becoming involved enough to build a
faceplate for your lathe to turn outbowls . . . or your interest
might turn to any number of other possibilities which your new tool
with a few"homegrown" modifications is capable of.
54" 4" x 1 1/2" U-channel
10" 3" x 1 1/2" U-channel
18' 1 1/2" angle iron
9' 1 1/2" O.D. 11-gauge round, seamless, cold finished,
carbon-steel mechanical tub
36" 1 3/4" O.D. 11-gauge round, seamless, cold-finished,
carbon-steel mechanical tub
16" 1/4" x 1" bar stock
24" 3/8" x 1" bar stock
14" 3/8" x 4" steel plate
42" 1/4" x 7" steel plate
12" 1/2" steel rod
5" 1/2" Schedule 40 pipe
3 1/2" 1/4" Schedule 40 pipe
56" 1 x 12 shelving
12" 2" angle iron
1 3 1/2" chain ring
12" 5/8" rod
6" 3/8" rod
36" 1/8" x 36" sheet steel
2 3-step pulleys (such as Sears Craftsman 9HT27882)
1 headstock spur (Sears Craftsman 9HT21052)
1 tailstock spur (Sears Craftsman 9HT21022)
1 5/8" arbor ball bearing mandrel
1 salvagaged 1/2 HP washing machine motor
9 3/8 " x 11/2 " bolts
12 3/8" nuts
1 3/8" washer
1 3/8" wing nut
4 3/8" x 1 1/2" carriage bolts1 5/16" x 4" bolt
1 5/16" nuts
2 1/2" x 4" bolts
2 1/2" nuts
1 1/2" x 6" bolt
1 5/8" coupling nut
1 5/8" Washer
2 3/4" coupling nuts
1 110-volt wall switch and wires
