Thread: using a wood lathe on metal

I would think that the major drawback to doing this would be the lack of a rigid toolpost.
The cutting tool will have to be positively anchored -not hand held.

Secondly you will need a specialised lube - I have used kerosene and metholated spirits with sucess.This would make a hell of a mess in a machine not designed for wet cutting.

Grahame

This article might be interest to you.

I have hand turned both brass and aluminium by hand.

Originally Posted by giraffelt

I know virtually nothing about metal work. With that declaration out of the way my question is can I use a wood lathe to turn a piece of aluminium (6061). I was thinking it might be possible to make up a tool cutter with a carbide tool bit (I have done this for turning wooden balls on my wood lathe). So I guess my real question is what is the correct speed to turn aluminium? - my wood lathe is variable speed.

What are you trying to turn?

Thanks to all who took the time to answer.

Grahame, the tool rest isn't a problem as thats how I turn wood. I hadn't thought about the need to use a lube - certainly would be messy on a wood lathe. Do you think it would be necessary on a soft metal such as aluminum.

Fred, thanks for the link. some excellent ideas to pursue there.

Bobl, I turn shaving brushes and razor handles out of wood but wanted to expand into using metal. Free hand turning would allow for curves etc. Also with a brush set into a wood handle the end grain is exposed to moisture so my idea was to set the brush into a metal sleeve which could then be set into the handle. Not an original idea, several manufactures do this but for production efficiency purposes (they don't need to be precise on the size of the hole in the handle since there is a small flange on the end which would cover any small gaps).

Larry

Larry

Originally Posted by giraffelt

Bobl, I turn shaving brushes and razor handles out of wood but wanted to expand into using metal. Free hand turning would allow for curves etc. Also with a brush set into a wood handle the end grain is exposed to moisture so my idea was to set the brush into a metal sleeve which could then be set into the handle. Not an original idea, several manufactures do this but for production efficiency purposes (they don't need to be precise on the size of the hole in the handle since there is a small flange on the end which would cover any small gaps).

I have freehand turned small diameter pieces (up to about 1/2") of ally and brass on a WW lathe but above that I found it gets much harder to stop the tool chattering. If anyone can provide some tips on this I would like to know.

You will certainly be able to make simple ally sleeves but I wouldn't bother turning the hole. The way I do this is to start with the correct size ally rod and forstner bit and drill out the socket (on the lathe). I use methylated spirts as the lube in a trigger pump plastic bottle - I squirt about once every 2 seconds so the meths is free flowing . A lot of pressure on the bit is needed and it is important that the bit keeps cutting and does not sit rubbing on the same surface or it will work harden the ally. The meths lube is simple to use since it evaporates and does not leave a mess. If you have to do a lot of this then make sure you have good ventilation or you will inebriate yourself. My small WW lathe is not powerful enough (1/2 HP) to cut more than about a 3/4" diam hole in ally using a Forstner bit so I just drill a pilot hole on the lathe and then transfer to my drill press which has a 1 HP motor. If you want really thin sleeves then holding them without crushing them during this process will be an issure

Forstner bits cut very neat and clean holes in ally and I do this all the time. On teh down side, the swarf is razor sharp, so watch out!

Hi Larry,

I've shaped small brass bits and pieces on a wood lathe, mostly scraping and filing operations, which would probably work for the type of parts you are making. The scraping is done with normal HSS wood turning tools, but held so that the scraping edge is below center and any tendency to grab pushes the tool away.

No lubricant required for brass.

Use Metho ( or Kersosene) for Aluminium as BobL has suggested.

If you stick to filing and scraping, you can get away with your existing toolrest, but if you want to use cutting tools you'll get better results with a rigid toolpost mounting of some sort. (as Grahame has recommended).

Regards
Ray

Hi Larry,

I have an old and very basic book called "The Beginners Guide to the Lathe", by Percival Marshal, originally published in 1924 by Model Engineer for the princely sum of nine pence or ten pence post free.

At that time hand turning of metal on "plain" lathes, i.e. no saddle and tool holder, just a tool rest, was still common, so there is a chapter in the book on the subject. It covers the tools and techniques used for turning metal with hand held tooling. I copied the relevant bits for someone on another forum some time ago, and still have it on my computer. There are about ten pages average size about 40 KB. If you think it might be of any use and would like a copy, PM me with an e-mail address and I will dig it out for you.

Frank.

Frank
Hand turning is something I am yet to try but I plan to "one day"(after I get a collet chuck). I'd like to put my hand up for a copy if thats ok?

Stuart

Stuart,

No problem.

Will need your e-mail address though.

Frank.

Bobl,
thanks for the advice. Much appreciated. One question though is what speed should I set my lathe to turn aluminium.
larry

RayG,

Good to know that I can use my HSS turning tools with the caveats you gave.

I had previously made a rigid post which uses a cutting tool bit so that I can swing an arc; used for making wood balls. This jig locks on a T track running the length of the bed. But of course it doesn't have a screw thread to move it along the length. Using my turning tools free hand simplifies things.

thanks for your reply

larry

Franco,

thanks for you offer. I am sending you a PM.

larry

I know it is a fairly old post but thought I would chime in.

Up until fairly recently (historically speaking), there was not a difference between metal lathes and wood lathes. You can turn metal by hand just fine. It just isn't as easy to be exact as it is on a metal lathe.

I was doing some last night. It just took a while and my turning was lumpy because my tool rest was so short and I have a healthy respect for my chuck jaws spinning so closely.

AL is a lot easier but this marking knife is in W1 drill rod (or possibly silver steel to you antipodeans) about 7-8 in long.

I've turned aluminum and brass up to 25mm dia on a wood lathe using one of those x-y cross-slide vises bolted to a wooden platform which is in turn fixed to the bed.

Vise holds an improvised toolpost, which holds a hss square bit.

My lathe won't run slow enough for steel larger than 12mm (it's bottom speed is 500rpm), but it works ok for aluminium, and tolerably for brass.