Can you convert a wood lathe into a metal lathe? Yes, sort of.

[Russianwolf]

Hey guys, I've been on a mutimonth hiatus from any shop time do to life's little events. But I got some time this weekend and this is what I did.

I've been looking onto getting a metal lathe for the shop for a while. decent cheap ones run $500 and go up from there. Even used ones, if you can find them, are rather pricey. My NEED was for making some prototype items for various projects, and did include some threading so I was looking at the metal lathes for the threading as well as being able to accurately shave a fraction of a mm off dependably. So I was looking and talking with some people in the know. One discouraged me from a metal lathe for threading as he said, taps and dies are just as easy and less expensive. I already have some of those, so maybe I don't need all the fancy stuff.

So I got to thinking and what I was mainly after on the metal lathe was the fancy cross slide table and tool holder. So I started looking around and found plenty for mills, but they didn't rotate and I knew I'd be needing that feature. So I started devising a plan to mount a cross slide table on a rotary table. But that stack soon was taller than my lathe could handle and I was looking at 3/4s of what a metal lathe would run. Scratch that.

So I decided I'd just get a cross-slide and mount it so that I could rotate it to a couple positions as I needed. Then I came accross this. http://www.victornet.com/report/Tabl...lide/1821.html The CST-501 right in the middle. and I pulled the trigger.

It came in right before Christmas and was I shocked. She's nearly 7 inches tall (I knew that) and weighs in at 70 pounds!!!! (I didn't know that). So I was planning on mounting it on the bed and putting a toolholder on top, but again too tall. So I had to look elsewhere.

Then it hit me. The Headstock on my Griz rotates. So I moved it to the other side of the headstock, made a platform and support and mounted it all up there. Made a riser block from some scrap padauk and a couple shims to get the cutter to mid line. and viola.

Later I'll build some cabinets to replace the lathe legs and make it rock solid, but for now, IT WORKS.

So I give you. The Lathe. Wood Lathe???? Metal Lathe???? Yes.

Pics:
1)Lathe in regular Woodworking orientation.
2)Shows the outboard side with the cross Slide Table.
3) Shows the headstock rotated to work with the cross slide table
4) and the table brought up to get to work
5) and the temporary support, which is strong enough for me to sit on already.

[BigguyZ]

Very Cool! I'll have to think about that myself. where did you get the tool holder? Is it HSS, or carbide?

[leehljp]

Mike,

I like the idea, and as long as there is no heavy machining, it looks good. But, if it were me, I would be looking at a metal stand and bracing. I came from a farming background where we made our own tools at times to keep old machinery going. Wood stands usually in the long run offered too much flex, or give and take when doing heavy work. It won't take but a minute' bit of flex to cause chatter or be off by .05 of an inch.

For making small pieces like pen parts, I think it would be great, and I want to follow your progress on this. I like it when people think outside the box.

I have known people with far less tools than I have make far better things than I could dream of doing. Go for it!

[Russianwolf]

Very Cool! I'll have to think about that myself. where did you get the tool holder? Is it HSS, or carbide?

I actually got the holder from Victor Machinery also. It has carbide inserts. The tool post I bought from someone who had upgraded to a quick change Tool post for thier metal lathe.

[Russianwolf]

Mike,



For making small pieces like pen parts, I think it would be great, and I want to follow your progress on this. I like it when people think outside the box.

I have known people with far less tools than I have make far better things than I could dream of doing. Go for it!

Yeah, this will be for prototyping small parts in plastics, wax and soft metals. No titanium for this one. The cabinets that I'm planning will have a torsion box type top that will be much more rigid, But if I get to the point where I'm machining with the big boys, I'll get the right tool. I'll be looking at having the parts made at a local machine shop if the prototypes work.