Thread: building a lathe for woodturning

I thought it this topic would do well here but would it be better in the wood working tools area?

'tis in the right place.

Originally Posted by oreos40

I thought it this topic would do well here but would it be better in the wood working tools area?

Only a few of us crazies make our own lathes and tools. Myself, Hughie, and , that I know of.

There is a gentleman who exqusitely rebuilds Woodfasts also.

I am eagerly awaiting more photos. I am most impressed.

I would have hoped that you would have been all over this thread then! On those that you have built what do you wish that you had included/ left out? What capability do you wish you could have included?

I am working on an oval turning attatchment for the lathe. almost done with the design. There is a little work to center-center distances for two belt drives that have to be adjustable against each other and maintaining a balance. it has been a little challenge. I will post the block drawings when I get finished with it and then the finished part when it is....finished.

if there is something that you find an interest in duplicating i have no trouble providing tech/spec drawings for them.

Oreos40,

I have not yet built the big bowl lathe. I have assembled a 2 3/8 inch shaft with two pillow blocks, a bunch of I beam and C channel, a new Baldor 3 HP, 3 phase motor, a tailstock with #2 Morse taper, an Isuzu 5 speed pick up transmission, a bunch of V-belt pulleys, and a swing arm with bearings and shaft from a sawmill cut off saw. All of this at scrap price or a bit above.

The motor was a find, sitting in the scrap yard in the crate. I got it and a lightly used 1 HP, 3 phase for less than $50.00.

My general thoughts are: Enough weight and mass so that it does not vibrate or ring like a bell. Wide enough footprint or bolted down so that out of balance does not make it walk.

Constant torque Variable Frequency Drive With a pulley / transmission set up so that the spindle can be slowed to 25 - 50 rpm with the VFD at 1/2 speed and 2000 rpm with VFD running at 125%. The VFD takes single phase and converts it to 3 phase and varies the frequency. AC motor speed is controlled by the frequency, 60 Hz in the US.

If a motor with shaft driven fan is run too slowly too long they overheat and the magic smoke will come out. An extra fan running at full rpm blowing through or over the motor will keep it cool.

Tailstock to help hold unbalanced big blanks. Tailstock to slide off the bed so as to be out of the way for hollowing and finishing the inside.

Tool rest to be connected to bed and a leg running to the floor to take up force when roughing and hollowing.

As much as I admire Ornamental Turning and the lathes, and oval turnings, I have enough to occupy me with interesting wood made round.


Here is info on an old oval turning lathe:

Turning Ovals at the Old Schwamb Mill « Rainford Restorations

Old Schwamb Mill

Lathes and Turning Techniques - Fine Woodworking - Google Books

The magazine article had nice clear diagrams on how it worked. I have a copy buried somewhere, which may only come to light after I croak.

Add: Modern oval turning chuck:

Untitled Document

be sure to make a way to keep the truck trans in gear. Intermittent cuts will knock it out of gear. don't use a bungee chord either the constant pressure on the shift forks will make them wear faster than you might expect, especially at higher speeds. With 3 hp you should really be able to do some monster sized stuff.

I am familiar with the typical arrangement for oval turnings. one set up for one size. I want to make a variable set up, and one for some pretty big things too. thanks for the links! it was fun to go through them.

I would have hoped that you would have been all over this thread then! On those that you have built what do you wish that you had included/ left out? What capability do you wish you could have included?

i dont really have list of shouldna dones or shouldna do's I look on the lathe as a work in progress. I build mine for specific purposes and as that tends to change from time to time then the lathe has to change as well.

Hughie what types of things have you set up to do? those could be welcome additions.

Well I started out making bowls and largish ones at that. So the lathes have big swings ie 27" and 36". This was to do away with a swivel head, I had one and have determined I dont like them, just a complicated add on for a small lathe.

So they were dedicated bowl lathes, now I find that there isnt much interest in huge bowls either for my friends or family, well one or two maybe and they gobble up wood at a alarming rate to boot.

So my most recent mod is inter changeable indexing discs. This allows me move them back and forth at will, very handy

interchangeable discs for mounting bowls or platters? I have thought about a keyhole type arangement put the large hole over the top of a disc and let ti drop to the center then tighten two take up screws no the disc and one through a key to lock it in place. this would be for big stuff. finding the thread on the bigger stuff even with a hoist can leave you open to damaging the threads.

interchangeable discs for mounting bowls or platters?

No I use them for indexing for when I cut spirals etc see the the pic below

Are those hand cut and hand worked or are they machine cut? way cool in either case!

Originally Posted by oreos40

Are those hand cut and hand worked or are they machine cut? way cool in either case!

Hand cut and hand worked. The index discs are for the layout and the number of spirals etc

Originally Posted by hughie

Hand cut and hand worked. The index discs are for the layout and the number of spirals etc

Masochist!