Russianwolf
Member
So the rage is to go buy a metal lathe with all the trimmin's and that's fine for some, but others are more limited in shop space, or don't have the funds to lay out another $500+ so what to do?
After speaking with a couple of the metal lathe guys they even told me that a metal lathe wasn't all that benefitial. threading on a metal lathe isn't as easy as it seems, and using taps and dies is just easier and less expensive if that's what you are after. Now that wasn't the only reason I was looking for one, but it was part of the equation. My main desire was a tool that I could take off fractions of a mm at a time and consistently get the same results.
So off I went looking for a solution. Looking at the metal lathes what I wanted was that nice fancy cross slide and tool holder. Okay, those are fairly readily available. I have a nice 16 inch wood lathe, so I just needed to find a way to mount one to the bed. Easy enough? Sure. But I wanted the cross slide to be able to rotate so that I could make tapers easily. Not so easy to find. At first I thought I'd get a cross slide table and mount it on top of a rotary table, but that stack was pushing the capacity of my lathe even before a tool holder was added.
But I wasn't giving up. I decided I'd just go with the cross slide for now, and make the mount hold it in several preset positions to give me the angle I wanted. Then I found this critter. 4-1/2 x 12 Cross Slide Table for Drill Press The CST-501 right in the middle. So I ordered it. When it was delivered before Christmas I was shocked at the size and weight (70 lbs). When I lifted it onto the bed of my lathe and put the tool holder on top I knew it wasn't going to be a simple mount an go. Fortunately, the headstock on my lathe rotates so I devised a plan to put it on the outboard side.
The photos are a proof of concept. I will eventually make a pair of cabinets to replace the legs of the lathe and allow for more support. But it works. So if you can't afford a metal lathe, make one.
After speaking with a couple of the metal lathe guys they even told me that a metal lathe wasn't all that benefitial. threading on a metal lathe isn't as easy as it seems, and using taps and dies is just easier and less expensive if that's what you are after. Now that wasn't the only reason I was looking for one, but it was part of the equation. My main desire was a tool that I could take off fractions of a mm at a time and consistently get the same results.
So off I went looking for a solution. Looking at the metal lathes what I wanted was that nice fancy cross slide and tool holder. Okay, those are fairly readily available. I have a nice 16 inch wood lathe, so I just needed to find a way to mount one to the bed. Easy enough? Sure. But I wanted the cross slide to be able to rotate so that I could make tapers easily. Not so easy to find. At first I thought I'd get a cross slide table and mount it on top of a rotary table, but that stack was pushing the capacity of my lathe even before a tool holder was added.
But I wasn't giving up. I decided I'd just go with the cross slide for now, and make the mount hold it in several preset positions to give me the angle I wanted. Then I found this critter. 4-1/2 x 12 Cross Slide Table for Drill Press The CST-501 right in the middle. So I ordered it. When it was delivered before Christmas I was shocked at the size and weight (70 lbs). When I lifted it onto the bed of my lathe and put the tool holder on top I knew it wasn't going to be a simple mount an go. Fortunately, the headstock on my lathe rotates so I devised a plan to put it on the outboard side.
The photos are a proof of concept. I will eventually make a pair of cabinets to replace the legs of the lathe and allow for more support. But it works. So if you can't afford a metal lathe, make one.