Heh .... I'ld managed to get minimal training with a lathe in a woods class ... my instructor, aptly named Mr Woods, required me to be familiar with the fundamentals, as my project in class was to be a solid oak coffee table with glass insert on top and turned legs on all 4 corners.
Now, I never really did get to turn my coffee table legs ... I unfortunately had to leave that school behind when my dad retired from the Army and brought me, my brother, and my sister down to Lawton. One of these days, if I ever get a lathe large enough, I may take those legs off and turn them on the lathe ....
Meanwhile, I've always had a fascination with the shaping of wood and other materials. Take a piece of scrap and make it into something worth looking at... From trash into treasure!
Before I started building my little home made lathe (out of oak, no less), I did a few turning projects using the belt/disc combo sander that I bought from Harbor Freight.
No tool rest, impromptu tools fashioned from old square shanked wood handled screwdrivers that I ground on the 1x30 belt sander and dipped in heavy salt water when they got hot ... (I still have those detail tools ... I'll never give them up!) I fashioned wheels out of wood with a center hole drilled through them that held them in place of the disc sander attachment. They were held on with a 10/32 screw that passed through them and into the sander's shank. Extra space was taken up with nuts and washers. I made several little boxes with ill-fitting lids... it was scary, but they were fun to make. TONS of dust all over the place, as this sanding attachment only spun at ONE speed .... I think it was 1750 RPM, and I was using some REALLY OLD DRIED OUT Eastern Redwood Cedar. It just left powder all over the place. The beam was at least 20 years old. I tried turning a bit of it on my lathe, after I got it, and yet again, nothing but powder.
It still turns BEAUTIFULLY, but it's quite fragile. I'll have to post pics of some of these things. The ones I made with the sander all have holes in them, from the screw that passed through. Filled with superglue.
As for the wooden wood lathe, I still have it. I won't toss it. It's pictured in my gallery still, I think.
It has a 2-step pulley attached, but no motor, I never got round to attaching one. The bearings are all split sleeve metal on metal bearings, it's not made for anything even approaching 1000 RPMs ...
The tailstock is held in place with zip ties and popsicle sticks and only has a dead center. The spur center in the headstock is hand ground and has no actual center in it, just the spurs sticking out .... I should just make a 60 degree cone center, it would be a lot safer lol ...
It still has no tool rest, but I've come up with a design that I liked that will simply clamp to the table top.
Imagine turning a pen on THIS thing!
The entire lathe mounts on top of a lap desk board, of all things. I still need to wire for a switch, get another pulley for the motor, mount the motor, make the tool rest, ect ... but that's a project for another year when I'm bored.
Now you know why I'm in Penturner's Anonymous ... I'm not just a member, I'm the president!
Welcome to our addiction, we hope you don't run out of money too fast and always work safe!
