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Do-it-yourself lathe - the unit is no worse than the factory one! Do-it-yourself metal lathe: a simple and inexpensive design for the home Make a do-it-yourself metal lathe.

A lathe is needed for the manufacture and processing of metal parts. Professional equipment is quite expensive, so in order to save money, you can make a home-made metal lathe with your own hands. This can be done in several ways, and drawings of such a product are easily found on the Internet. You can use improvised materials for manufacturing, but the size of the machine can be any.

Any homemade lathe consists of the following elements:

drive - the main part of the mechanism, which is responsible for its power. Drive selection required power is one of the most challenging tasks. In small lathes for metal with your own hands, you can use a drive from a conventional washing machine or drills. Usually, the power of this element starts from 200 W, and the number of revolutions per minute - from 1500;
bed - the supporting frame of the structure, which can be made of wooden bars or a steel corner. The bed must be characterized by high strength, otherwise the whole structure may fall apart from vibrations during operation;

tailstock - made of a steel plate and a steel corner welded to it. The plate rests against the guide beds, and the main purpose of the tailstock of the lathe with your own hands is to fix the metal part during processing;
headstock - a part similar to the tailstock, but mounted on a movable frame;
leading and slave centers;
caliper - a thrust mechanism for the working part.

Torque from the engine to the working part of the machine can be transmitted in several ways. Someone prefers to directly install the working part on the motor shaft - this saves space and allows you to save on spare parts. If this option is not possible, the torque can be transmitted using a friction, belt or chain drive. Each of these options has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The belt drive for the electric motor is the cheapest and is characterized by enough high level reliability. For its manufacture, you can use a belt for an electric motor, removed from any other mechanism. The disadvantage of a belt drive is that over time the belt can wear out and will have to be changed more often the more intensively you work with the machine.

A chain drive is more expensive and takes up more space, but will also last much longer than a belt drive. Friction transmission has intermediate characteristics between belt and chain.

Useful advice! When assembling a lathe, choose the type of gear that best suits the tasks. For example, for a do-it-yourself mini-lathe, it is better to install the working part directly on the shaft.

Do-it-yourself lathe caliper: drawings, how to make from improvised materials

The caliper is one of the most important parts of a homemade lathe - the quality of the future part depends on it, as well as the amount of time and effort that you spend on its manufacture. This part is located on a special sled that moves along the guides located on the frame. The caliper can move in three directions:

longitudinal - the working part of the machine moves along the workpiece. Longitudinal motion is used to turn a thread into a part or to remove a layer of material from the surface of a metal workpiece;

transverse - movement perpendicular to the axis of the workpiece. Used for turning recesses and holes;
oblique - movement at different angles for turning recesses on the surface of the workpiece.

When making a lathe caliper with your own hands, it is worth considering the fact that this part is subject to wear as a result of vibrations that occur during operation. Because of them, the fasteners are loosened, there is a backlash, all this affects the quality of the manufactured part. In order to avoid such problems, the caliper must be regularly adjusted and adjusted.

Do-it-yourself adjustment of a home-made caliper for a lathe is carried out according to gaps, backlash and oil seals. Clearance adjustment is needed when the screw responsible for moving the part in the longitudinal and transverse planes has worn out. As a result of friction, the caliper begins to loosen under loads, which significantly reduces the accuracy of manufacturing the part. You can eliminate the gaps by inserting wedges between the guides and the carriage. The backlash of the part is eliminated with a fixing screw.

If the oil seals are worn out in your machine, they should be thoroughly washed and soaked with fresh machine oil. In case of critical wear, it is better to completely replace the seals with new ones.

Do-it-yourself homemade lathe for metal with your own hands: assembly procedure

The mechanism is assembled in the following order:

From metal beams and channels is going to the frame of the machine. If you are going to work with large parts, then the materials for assembling the frame must be used with the expectation of a large load. For example, if you plan to work with metal blanks over 50 mm long, the thickness of the materials for the frame should start from 3 mm for corners and from 30 mm for rods.
Longitudinal shafts with guides are installed on the channels. Shafts can be welded or bolted.
The headstock is being made. To make the headstock of a lathe with your own hands, a hydraulic cylinder with a wall thickness of 6 mm or more is used. Two bearings must be pressed into the cylinder.
The shaft is laid. For this, bearings with a large inner diameter are used.
Lubricant is poured into the hydraulic cylinder.
A pulley and a caliper with guides are installed.
The electric drive is mounted.

In addition, according to the do-it-yourself drawings of a metal lathe, it can be seen that a handpiece is made to increase the stability of the cutting mechanism, and a thin strip of metal is fixed on the lower part of the structure. The latter serves to protect the working part of the machine from deformation during operation.

Useful advice! A do-it-yourself metal lathe can be used not only for its intended purpose, but also for grinding and polishing metal parts. To do this, a grinding wheel is attached to the electric shaft.

Choosing an electric motor for a machine

The most important part of a homemade metal lathe, the video of which can be easily found on the Internet, is the electric motor. It is with its help that the movement of the working part of the machine is carried out. Accordingly, the power of the entire structure depends on the power of this mechanism. It is selected depending on the size of the metal blanks with which you plan to work.

If you plan to work on a machine with small parts, a motor with a power of up to 1 kW is quite suitable for this. It can be removed from the old sewing machine or any other similar electrical appliance. To work with large parts, you will need an engine with a power of 1.5-2 kW.

When assembling a homemade metal lathe according to ready-made drawings, keep in mind that all electrical parts of the structure must be securely insulated. If you do not have the necessary experience with electrical equipment, it is better to seek help on connecting to a specialist. So you will be sure of the safety of work and the reliability of the design.

Making a lathe from a drill with your own hands

If you want to save on spare parts and greatly simplify the task of assembling a homemade lathe, you can use a conventional electric drill as a drive. This design solution has a number of advantages:

The ability to quickly assemble and disassemble the structure - the drill is easily detached from the bed and can be used for its intended purpose.
The ease of carrying and transporting the machine is a good option if you have to work with metal blanks in the garage and on the street.
Savings - the drill acts not only as an electric motor, but also eliminates the need to use a gear, and also allows you to use interchangeable nozzles as a working tool.

Of course, there are also negative sides to a lathe from a drill. How to make processing large parts possible with this tool? This is practically impossible, since the drill has a relatively small torque and a large number of revolutions. Of course, you can increase these parameters if you still install a belt drive and use it to transmit torque from the drill to the spindle, but this will greatly complicate the design, the main advantage of which is simplicity and compactness.

Making a homemade desktop metal lathe based on a drill makes sense in cases where you do not need to carry out large-scale work, and only small details need to be turned.

To make a metal lathe based on an electric drill, you will need the same parts as for a conventional design, with the exception of an electric motor and a headstock. The role of the latter is also performed by a drill. Given the compactness of the design, an ordinary table or workbench can be used as a bed, on which all components of the machine will be fixed. The drill itself is fixed in the structure with a clamp and a clamp.

Useful advice! The functionality of a lathe based on an electric drill can be significantly expanded by adding various nozzles and additional devices to its design.

Using a homemade lathe, you can not only grind parts, but also apply paint to a rotating workpiece, wind wire on a transformer, make spiral notches on the surface of a part, and perform many other actions. In addition, if you assemble a copier attachment for the machine, then with its help you can quickly and effortlessly produce small identical parts.

Features of the work of lathes for metal with their own hands, video instructions as a way to avoid mistakes

Like any other equipment, homemade lathes have their own characteristics that must be considered during assembly and operation. For example, when working with large parts or when using a powerful electric motor, strong vibrations occur, which can lead to serious errors in the processing of the part. To get rid of vibrations, the leading and driven centers of the machine must be installed on the same axis. And if you plan to install only the leading center, a cam mechanism should be attached to it.

In do-it-yourself desktop lathes for metal, it is not recommended to install a commutator motor. It is prone to a spontaneous increase in the number of revolutions, which can lead to the departure of the part. This, in turn, can lead to work injury or property damage. If, however, it is impossible to do without installing a collector motor, it is imperative to install a gearbox with it to lower the speed.

The ideal motor option for a homemade lathe is asynchronous. It does not increase the speed during operation, is resistant to heavy loads and allows you to work with metal blanks with a width of up to 100 mm.

The rules for installing and operating any type of electric motor for a lathe can be viewed in numerous video instructions on the Internet. With their help, you will not only avoid common assembly errors, but also save time and effort due to the visibility of the material.

Safety precautions when working with a homemade lathe

When working with the structure, certain safety precautions must be observed. So, after assembling the machine, you need to check its performance. The spindle should rotate easily and without delay, the front and rear centers must be aligned on a common axis. The center of symmetry of a rotating part must coincide with its axis of rotation.

On any video of the lathe with your own hands, you can see that after mounting the electric motor, it is covered with a special casing. The latter serves not only to protect the operator of the machine, but also to protect the motor itself from dust, metal particles and dirt. For a machine made on the basis of an electric drill, such a casing is not needed.

Useful advice! If you are planning to install a structure based on a powerful electric motor, be sure to make sure that your electrical network has enough power to work with it. At home, it is better to get by with a motor from household appliances, which will definitely work from the voltage in your outlet.

You should also follow the following rules security:

The working tool must be parallel to the surface of the workpiece. Otherwise, it may come off, resulting in damage to the machine.
If you are machining end planes, the part must abut against tailstock. It is very important to maintain alignment, otherwise you risk getting a defective part.
To protect your eyes from metal chips and particles, you can build a special shield or just use goggles.
After work, the structure must be cleaned, removing metal filings and other production waste. Be careful not to let small parts get into the motor.

Options for upgrading a homemade lathe

If you need a mechanism that can not only perform turning work, but also grind and paint the workpiece, the basic machine can be easily modified. It is best to do this for a design based on an electric drill, since it is easiest to replace the working part in it.

There are several popular modifications of the lathe for metal. How to make a conical hole? To do this, two files must be attached to the base so that they form a trapezoid. After that mounted spring mechanism, which feeds the files forward and at an angle, which allows you to drill tapered holes into the part.

In addition, to work with metal parts of different lengths, you can make a machine with a collapsible base. With the help of several boards or metal corners, you can bring the working tool closer or further away from the fasteners that hold the part, as well as change the size of the gap between the fasteners. It is most convenient to make such a construction based on regular table or workbench.

If you attach a grinding wheel to the electric motor as a working tool, you can use the machine not only to polish the surface of the part, but also to sharpen knives, scissors and other household tools. Thus, the lathe turns into a convenient multifunctional mechanism.

Assembling a lathe at home is a fairly simple task, which is further simplified by numerous video instructions and drawings from the Internet. At the same time, you can literally assemble the structure from improvised parts, using the old household appliances and waste of assembly and construction production.

Main advantage self assembly is a cost savings. In addition, it is worth noting the ability to independently adjust the dimensions and power of the device in order to adapt it to your needs. A home-made machine can be not only large, but also quite miniature, designed for processing small parts.

For "handy" home master desktop lathe for processing metal blanks is the ultimate dream. With its help, the missing parts of the mechanisms being repaired are made, threads are cut, corrugations are made or holes are bored. For some, the universal mechanism opens up new horizons for creativity or hobbies. For others, there is an additional way to replenish family budget. Unfortunately, the cost of factory equipment in most cases leaves the dream of a complete home workshop unfulfilled. However, the desire to have a lathe at home can be easily fulfilled if you make it yourself. We will tell you more about one of these designs, giving you the opportunity to build a lathe with your own hands.

Purpose and opportunities

The modern lathe is a symbiosis of mechanical parts and electronic components.

The main functions of any modern mechanism, whether it be a simple manual meat grinder or a coal miner, provide rotating parts that could not be made without lathes. A feature of these units is the processing of bodies of revolution by cutting. The machines of the turning group provide manufacturing accuracy unattainable for other metalworking methods. Equipment of this type is easy to automate and allows you to perform the following operations:

longitudinal turning of a smooth or stepped cylindrical surface;
processing of ledges and grooves;
turning of external and internal conical surfaces;
boring of conical and cylindrical holes;
threading (internal or external) with a cutter or drill;
reaming and countersinking of holes;
grooving or cutting off;
shaped turning;
corrugated surface.

The main purpose of lathes is the processing of three types of parts - shafts, bushings and disks, resulting in a variety of axles, flywheels, liners, star blanks, etc. In addition, other workpieces with the shape of bodies of revolution are processed on universal units, for example , body parts.

Screw-cutting lathes - the most popular design among home craftsmen

All existing lathes distinguish between:

on the basis of turning (turning-turret, turning-and-boring, multi-cutting machines, etc. - a total of nine subgroups);
size range, which depends on the diameter of the workpiece;
degrees of specialization (special, universal, etc.);
accuracy class.

The most popular for repetition at home are screw-cutting lathes, which have the simplest design among the above units.

Design

Although the first lathes of the turning group appeared at the end of the 18th century, their architecture was so perfect that it has not undergone significant changes so far. We can say that today we use equipment similar to that used for metalworking two centuries ago.

The design of the screw-cutting lathe

A metal lathe consists of the following components and parts:

The bed, which is the basis for all other elements. The accuracy of processing and the versatility of the device depend on the strength and scrupulousness of its manufacture. The body part of the machine must be a massive, fundamental structure. This is the only way to avoid vibrations and tool displacement during turning operations.
Front spindle head. This unit allows you to fix the workpiece and rotate it during processing. Often the headstock includes a gearbox and a caliper or machining head feed mechanism. This allows you to change the speed of rotation of the part and increases productivity.
Rear grandma. This element is designed to hold the part in a given coordinate system, coaxial to the spindle. In addition, a tool fixed in the tailstock allows you to perform additional operations, such as cutting threads.
Caliper. Without a doubt, this node is one of the most important in the design of the machine. The support is designed to hold the cutting tool and move it relative to the workpiece. Depending on the design, the caliper can feed the cutter in different planes, which makes it possible to obtain parts with a complex configuration of internal and external surfaces. The main requirements for the support are the reliability of holding the tool and the feed accuracy, since this is directly related to the quality of processing.

In the manufacture of a homemade lathe, the design is simplified as much as possible. To do this, elements that are problematic to make at home are modified, and some nodes are completely abandoned. For example, the gearbox can be replaced with several pulleys of different sizes, and the automatic feed can be excluded from the scheme.

What you need to make

An ideal option in the manufacture of a homemade lathe would be to use separate components from decommissioned equipment. If this is not possible, then you will have to make components and parts yourself.

Instead of a cast frame, a frame welded from steel profile pipes and corners. It goes without saying that wooden frame in this case is not an acceptable option. The metal profile will be able to provide the required rigidity and stability of the structure. In addition, with the help of even square and rectangular pipes, it is not difficult to adhere to the strict geometry of the frame. An uneven frame will not make it possible to correctly fix the centers, which will further affect the quality of the work being done.

Low-power asynchronous motor - an excellent power unit for a homemade design

For the drive you need a power unit. It is best to use a low-speed asynchronous type electric motor. Unlike collector units, "asynchronous" are practically not at risk of breakage with a sharp decrease in speed.

For processing workpieces with a diameter of not more than 100 mm, an electric motor with a power of 500 - 1000 W will be enough. If you plan to grind larger parts, you will need at least a 1.5-kilowatt power unit.

In addition, you will have to choose a drive belt (or several belts of various lengths). Do not forget about the fasteners with which individual nodes will be attached to the body. For a homemade lathe, nuts and bolts with a diameter of 8 and 10 mm with a conventional metric thread are suitable.

As a sled, parts machined from a steel bar with subsequent hardening are used, but the best option there will be guides made from suspension struts or long shafts of industrial mechanisms. They have excellent geometry, and their surface is hardened in the factory.

The tailstock, like the spindle, is best used from decommissioned factory equipment

The tailstock can also be made from shaped pipes and a thick metal sheet, but the quill is made from a hardened pointed bolt, several nuts with the same thread and a steering wheel made from a pulley from agricultural machinery. Using a home-made quill will require each time you fasten a part to lubricate the contacting surfaces with lithol or grease. A similar procedure will not be needed with a factory-made rotating center, so if possible, then this part is better to buy.

The longitudinal and transverse feed screws can also be turned on a lathe or use a long threaded rod that can be bought at hardware hypermarkets.

For feed screws, a finely threaded shaft is used - this will significantly improve the positioning accuracy of the working tool.

For rotation nodes, rolling bearings installed in the housing will be needed, and pulleys will allow you to adjust the speed different diameter mounted on the drive shaft. These parts can be bought or ordered from a familiar turner.

Making a caliper will require stocking up on a steel plate with a thickness of at least 8mm. It can also be used for the holder.

Another node that cannot be made in artisanal conditions is the spindle. It will have to be bought. Spindle mounting requires the manufacture of a shaft on which the driven pulleys will be mounted. The strength of this part must be impeccable, so it is best to use parts from decommissioned factory mechanisms.

There are designs in which there is no belt drive. Rotation from the motor shaft is transmitted directly to the spindle. Of course, they have the right to exist, however, when choosing such a scheme, be prepared for the frequent failure of the motor bearings.

In addition to the lathe, in the process of work you will need such tools and equipment:

welding machine;
Bulgarian;
grinding and emery machine;
electric drill and a set of drills for metal;
taps and dies for threading;
set of wrenches;
caliper, metal ruler;
marker.

All these tools and materials will allow you to make a full-fledged desktop-type lathe. If it was not possible to get some details, do not despair - for a while they can be replaced with something else. So, a chuck from an electric drill is quite used instead of a spindle if it is necessary to process small workpieces.

Dimensions and drawings

Determining the dimensions of the machine, first of all, they are guided by the maximum length and diameter of the workpieces. Recall that in industry, low-power turning equipment has the following boundary parameters:

length - up to 1150 mm;
width - up to 620 mm;
the distance from the upper surface of the frame to the spindle axis (axis height) is about 180 mm.

It is hardly worth exceeding these values on homemade equipment. We must not forget that with an increase in size, the risk of distortion of the machine geometry increases many times over. When choosing the size of the caliper and determining the extreme points of its movement, calculating the distance between the centers and the limits of movement of the tool holder, it is best to focus on the drawings of home-made machines. Made by craftsmen, they have proven their efficiency in practice, so it would be foolish not to use proven solutions.

Instructions for making a simple do-it-yourself lathe

Since everyone decides what his lathe will look like and what dimensions it will have, it is impossible to give an accurate description of the manufacture of all parts with dimensions, tolerances and fits. However, the process of building any lathe consists of the same steps.

Frame manufacturing. As mentioned above, it is impossible to make a massive cast-iron frame at home. Therefore, its role will be played by a frame made of a channel or steel profile pipes, which are cut to size and then welded according to the drawing. It is important to observe the correctness of all right angles, so control with a square should be carried out every time the next joint is made. It is best to work on a flat, horizontal slab. This will make it possible to obtain a frame with strict geometry in the horizontal plane. You can do without a massive bed, making it from long shafts as guides.
Parts for the manufacture of the bed
On a lathe, side racks of the bed are made.
side stand
Assemble guides with racks. In this case, distance bushings are installed between the side support elements.
Mounting rails on racks
Bushings for attaching the tailstock and tool holder are mounted on the guides. It is not necessary to make them the same length. One part can be made shorter than the other, using the long element as a guide, and the shorter one to support the moving parts. This solution will increase the working stroke of the rear center.
Installing the main feed bushings and guides
From a steel sheet with a thickness of 8 - 10 mm, the mounting sites for the quill and caliper are made and fastened to the guide and retaining bushings using bolts with a diameter of 6 mm. Particular attention should be paid to the mounting holes, since the slightest inaccuracy will lead to distortion and jamming of the moving parts of the machine.
Installation of the support pads of the caliper and tailstock
Install lead screw. You can machine this part from a workpiece or use a threaded part from any device, for example, from a high chair with variable height. Be sure to make sure that anti-friction bushings made of bronze or brass are installed in the corresponding holes in the side racks.
A vernier and a steering wheel are attached to the lead screw.
Installing the main feed screw
A platform for attaching the headstock is installed, after which the assembly of the frame is considered complete.
From the bearing support, two ball bearings, the main shaft with pulleys and the spindle, the headstock is assembled.
Assembling the headstock
A tailstock is made from a long screw, a sleeve with an internal thread, a metal profile and a handle, after which the rear movable assembly is mounted on the machine.
Control and, if necessary, adjust the alignment of the front and rear centers.
Assemble the support. The process of its manufacture is similar to the assembly of the frame - the guides are equipped with bushings, a screw, a vernier and a small steering wheel are mounted.
A tool holder is made from a thick metal plate and bolts with a diameter of 8 mm, after which it is installed on the caliper.

In metalworking, for the manufacture of cylindrical (conical) parts, a lathe is used. There are many models of this production device, and all of them have almost the same layout of similar components and parts. One of these is the caliper of the machine.

For a better understanding of the functions that the lathe caliper performs, you can consider its operation using the example of the common 16k20 model. After reviewing this information, perhaps some home craftsmen will have the idea to create a home-made lathe for metal work with their own hands.

1 What is a machine support?

This is a rather complex knot, despite its apparent simplicity. From how correctly it is made, installed, adjusted - depends on the quality of the future part, and the amount of time it took to make it.

1.1 Working principle

The caliper placed on the machine 16k20 can move in the following directions:

transverse - perpendicular to the axis of the rotating workpiece for deepening into it;
longitudinal - the cutting tool moves along the surface of the workpiece to remove an excess layer of material or turn a thread;
inclined - to expand access to the surface of the workpiece at the desired angle.

1.2 Caliper device

The caliper for the 16k20 machine is located on the lower slide, which moves along the guides fixed on the frame, and thus longitudinal movement occurs. The motion is given by the rotation of the screw, which converts the rotational force into translational motion.

On the lower slide, the caliper also moves transversely, but along separate guides (cross slide) located perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the part.

To the cross slide, with a special nut, a rotary plate is attached, on which there are guides for moving the upper slide. You can set the movement of the upper slide with a turn screw.

The rotation of the upper slide in the horizontal plane occurs simultaneously with the plate. Thus, the cutting tool is installed at a given angle to the rotating part.

The machine is equipped with a cutting head (tool holder), which is fixed on the upper slide with special bolts and a separate handle. The movement of the caliper occurs along the lead screw, which is located under the running shaft. This feed is done manually.

1.3 Caliper adjustments

In the process of working on the 16k20 machine, natural wear, loosening, loosening of the caliper fasteners occur. This is a natural process and its consequences must be constantly monitored through regular adjustments and adjustments.

On the support of the machine 16k20, the following adjustments are made:

gaps;
play;
glands.

1.4 Clearance adjustment

During the transverse and longitudinal movement of the caliper of the 16k20 machine along the sled, wear of the screw and their working surface occurs due to constant friction.

The presence of such free space leads to uneven movement of the caliper, jamming, oscillation under the resulting lateral loads. Excessive clearance is removed with the help of wedges, with which the carriage is pressed against the guides.

1.5 Backlash adjustment

Backlash appears in the screw drive. You can get rid of it without disassembly with the fixing screw located on this caliper moving device.

1.6 Adjustment of glands

During long-term work on metal on a 16k20 machine, wear and clogging of seals occurs, which are located at the ends of the carriage ledge. Visually, this is determined by the appearance of dirty stripes during the longitudinal movement of the caliper.

In order to eliminate this phenomenon without disassembling the unit, it is necessary to wash the felt packing and soak it with machine oil. If the worn seals are completely unsuitable, they should be replaced with new ones.

1.7 Caliper repair

This lathe device wears out over time under constant significant loads in metal work.

The presence of significant wear is easily determined by the state of the surface of the guide slide. Small depressions may appear on them, which will prevent the free movement of the caliper in a given direction.

With timely regular care, such repairs may not be necessary, but in the event of such a defect should be repaired and in case of severe wear - a replacement.

The 16K20 caliper quite often requires carriage repair, which consists in restoring the lower guides that interact with the bed guides. Care must be taken to maintain a stable perpendicular position of the carriage.

When repairing the caliper, it is necessary to check both planes using the building level.

2

The turning device with which metal work is performed can be very simple. Collect homemade machine with your own hands you can practically from improvised means, which are taken from mechanisms that have become unusable.

You should start with a metal frame welded from a channel, which will be the bed. From the left edge, the front fixed headstock is fixed on it, and the support is installed on the right. A do-it-yourself home-made machine provides for the presence of a ready-made spindle with a chuck or faceplate.

The spindle receives torque from the electric motor through a V-belt transmission.

When working with a machine for metal, it is impossible to hold the cutter with your own hands (unlike working with wood), so you will need a caliper that will move longitudinally. A tool holder is installed on it with the possibility of alternating it transversely to the direction of movement of the caliper itself.

Sets the movement of the caliper and tool holder by a given value with handwheel screw which has a ring with metric divisions. The flywheel is driven manually.

2.2 Materials and assembly

In order to assemble a turning device with your own hands, you will need:

hydraulic cylinder;
shock absorber shaft;
corner, channel, metal beam;
electric motor;
two pulleys;
Belting.

A do-it-yourself homemade lathe is assembled in this way:

A frame structure is assembled from two channels and two metal beams. When working on parts longer than 50mm in the future, materials should be used at least 3mm thick for the angle and 30mm thick for the rods.
The longitudinal shafts are fixed on two channels with guides with petals, each of which is bolted or welded.
For the manufacture of the headstock, a hydraulic cylinder is used, the wall thickness of which must be at least 6 mm. Two bearings 203 are pressed into it.
Through bearings, the inner diameter of which is 17 mm, a shaft is laid.
Hydraulic the cylinder is filled with lubricating fluid.
A nut with a large diameter is installed under the pulley to prevent the bearings from being squeezed out.
The finished pulley is taken from an old washing machine.
The caliper is made of a plate with cylindrical guides welded to it.
The cartridge can be made from a piece of pipe, suitable diameter, with nuts welded on it and holes made for 4 bolts.
The drive can be an electric motor of the same washing machine (power 180 W), connected to the headstock by a belt drive.

The lathe is intended for the manufacture and processing of metal products. Professional devices are quite expensive. It is possible to save money if you make a homemade lathe for metal. This is done by various methods.

Design features

Any metal lathe includes the following components:

drive unit - key knot machine, on which the power of the equipment depends. Choosing a motor is quite difficult. In small devices, it is possible to use an engine from an ordinary washing machine, an electric drill. The minimum drive power should be 200 W, rpm - 1500;
bed - the supporting frame of the device. It can be made from wood bars, steel corners. The bed for the lathe must be strong. Otherwise, the device will break due to vibration;
tailstock - the material of manufacture is a plate of steel, to which a metal corner is welded. The plate rests against the guides of the carrier frame. It is intended to fix metal blanks during processing;
headstock - similar to the rear, but mounted on a moving frame;
leading, slave center;
caliper - an element of emphasis for the working part.

The torque from the drive to the working part is reported different methods. Someone mounts it on the drive shaft. This is done to save space and money. It is also possible to communicate the torque by means of a friction/belt/chain transmission. Each of these methods has its own pros and cons.

A belt drive for an electric drive is the cheapest, very reliable. To make it, use a belt that is removed from another unit. The disadvantage of such a transmission is that the belt gradually wears out. The frequency of its replacement depends on the intensity of use.

Chain transmission has a higher price, is larger in size, but has a long operating period. Friction transmission - the middle option between chain and belt.

When assembling a lathe with your own hands, use the gear that is considered suitable for solving your tasks. For example, in a mini-lathe, it is desirable to mount the working part directly on the shaft.

Creating a caliper

The caliper is considered the most important element of the lathe. The quality of the manufactured product, the amount of effort and time that you spend on its production depend on it. The caliper is located on a special sled that moves along the guides that are installed on the carrier frame. Movement is performed in 3 directions:

longitudinally. The working part of the device moves along the length of the part. This movement is used to carve a thread in products, to remove a metal layer from a part;
transversely. The working part moves at an angle of ninety degrees relative to the axis of the part. It is used to grind grooves, holes;
obliquely. Movement is carried out at various angles. Used to make grooves on the surface of a workpiece.

When making a caliper for a homemade metal lathe with your own hands, you need to remember that it is subject to wear due to vibrational effects. Fasteners are loosened, play appears. The quality of manufactured products is deteriorating. To prevent this, you need to adjust the caliper from time to time.

It is necessary to adjust the caliper by gaps, backlash, oil seals. It is possible to remove the gaps by inserting wedges between the guides and the carriage. The backlash of the workpiece is eliminated with a special screw.

If the seals are worn out in the device, they must be washed well, lubricated with an oily liquid. With strong wear, it is advisable to change the seals to others.

How to assemble the device

To assemble a lathe for metal with your own hands, you need to perform the following steps:

Assembly of the machine frame from beams, channel elements. If you intend to machine large workpieces, use materials that can withstand a significant load. For example, if you want to process metal parts that are longer than 5 cm, the thickness of the materials for the frame should be at least 0.3 cm for the corners and 3 cm for the rods.
Installation of longitudinal shafts with guides on channel elements. The shafts are connected by means of a welding machine or bolts.
Manufacturing of the headstock. For this, a hydraulic cylinder with a wall thickness of at least 0.6 cm is used. A pair of bearings must be pressed into it.
Shaft laying. Large inner diameter bearings are used.
Filling lubricant into the hydraulic cylinder.
Installing the pulley and caliper with guides.
Installation of an electric drive.

If you look at the drawings of the lathe, you can see that a handpiece is used to increase the stability of the cutter holder, a thin metal strip is fixed at the bottom of the unit. It is intended to protect the working part of the device from deformation during the processing of the workpiece.

How to choose an electric drive

The most significant element of a do-it-yourself lathe is an electric drive. Thanks to him, the working part of the device moves. Therefore, the higher the drive power, the greater the power of the entire machine. It is necessary to choose an engine, taking into account the size of the metal parts that you intend to process.

For processing small workpieces, it is optimal to use a drive with a power of 1 kW. It can be removed from an unnecessary sewing machine. For processing large parts, a 1.5 kW engine is required.

If you use circuits when assembling a metal lathe with your own hands, remember that all electrical elements must have reliable insulation. If you do not know how to handle electricity, contact a professional. That way you won't get hurt.

How to create a machine from a drill

If you want to save money and make it easier to assemble the machine, use an ordinary electric drill instead of the engine. So you can:

quickly assemble and disassemble the lathe with your own hands. The electric drill is easily dismantled from the bed, can be used for drilling holes;
easily transport the device. This is especially true for those who process parts in the garage, on the street;
save money. An electric drill allows you not to use the transmission, use replaceable nozzles as a working tool.

Of course, this device has certain disadvantages. How to make a metal lathe based on a drill so that large workpieces can be processed? The answer is practically nothing. The electric drill has a rather small torque, a large number of revolutions. It is possible to change these indicators if you mount a belt drive. However, the design will become much more complicated. The machine will lose its key advantage.

Making a lathe based on an electric drill is recommended for those who intend to process only small workpieces. To create a device, you will need everything the same as for an ordinary machine, except for the drive and headstock. The supporting frame can be an ordinary table, a workbench. The electric drill is fixed by means of a collar, a clamp.

Using a machine in which a home-made lathe chuck is installed, it is possible to turn blanks, color them, wind the wire on transformer device, creating spiral notches.

Features of functioning

Like any other equipment, do-it-yourself lathes / milling machines have their own characteristics. They must be taken into account when assembling and operating the device. For example, when processing large workpieces or when using a powerful electric motor, a significant vibration effect is manifested. It can lead to inaccuracies. To prevent this, the master and slave centers of the device must be mounted on the same axis. If you intend to mount only the drive center, attach a cam unit to it.

It is undesirable to put a collector engine in self-made devices. It can spontaneously increase the number of revolutions. This leads to the fact that the workpiece flies out, various injuries occur, equipment deteriorates. If you nevertheless installed a similar engine, do not forget to mount a gearbox with it that lowers the speed.

The best motor is asynchronous. It does not increase the number of revolutions when processing a workpiece, is resistant to high loads, and makes it possible to process metal products up to a decimeter wide.

Safety

Exploiting homemade device, follow these rules:

The cutter must be parallel to the surface of the part being machined, otherwise the machine will break due to the tool jumping off.
When processing the ends, the workpiece must rest against the tailstock.
Use a special shield or goggles to protect your eyes from metal chips flying in all directions.
After processing, the machine must be cleaned, removing metal chips and other industrial waste. Do not allow small particles to enter the electric motor of a homemade lathe for processing metal blanks.

Do-it-yourself homemade metal lathe often becomes a worthy alternative to factory equipment. If you need to carry out minor metal work in your garage, great solution will make a machine with his own hands. Some parts will have to be purchased, but in general, you can deservedly consider the resulting unit to be a homemade device.

Photo of a homemade lathe for metal

Both the factory and home-made machine is used to process metal blanks that rotate during work.

The cutting tool acts on a rotating metal workpiece, changing its shape, configuration, dimensions;
In metal processing, cutters and the position of the workpiece relative to the axis of rotation play a significant role;
This predetermines the choice of the operating mode of the machine;
The simplest variations of homemade metal lathes can be made from a drill and its chuck. Such elementary structures, assembled by hand, allow you to process products of not complex shapes. During operation, the workpieces do not move.

Using desktop turning fixtures, you can create products of complex shapes - cylinders, cones, spheres, etc. If you provide for the device to change the position of workpieces relative to the axis of rotation, the machine will turn into more functional equipment. It will be possible to produce elements of furniture, decor, interior, etc.

Elements of a homemade machine

Drawing of a homemade lathe for metal

If you decide to make a machine from a drill or other original device, you need to have drawings and visual videos. With the help of photo and video instructions based on the drawings you have chosen, it will be easier for you to achieve the desired result.

It should be understood that the manufacture of such a machine is not an easy task. Therefore, carefully study the drawings, determine which of the components you can do yourself, and which is better to purchase or order from specialists.

The list of mandatory components of the future design includes:

Bed. This is the basis of your machine, the body of the equipment, which will house all the main components. Decide immediately on the location method - desktop or floor.
The front headstock of the machine. It is also a spindle head, which provides fixation of workpieces and changes the position of the product relative to the axis of rotation.
Lathe support. With their help, rotational motion is transmitted from the electric motor to the workpiece.
Guides. Properly made guides allow you to accurately feed metal products to the cutters. So the processing is better.
The tailstock of the machine. It is required in case you need to fix the workpieces on both sides.
Carriage. With the help of the lower carriage cutters are attached.
Using a slide, you can change the distance between the rear and front (spindle) headstock.
Control block. It can include several types of gears that provide changes in the modes of rotation of the spindle and displacement of the workpiece relative to the cutting tool.

Some craftsmen immediately create a multifunctional home turning tool. A popular solution is the drill function on the machine. To achieve the desired effect, special cartridges are used. This chuck can be changed on the unit, as a result of which you can not only sharpen, but also drill workpieces on one machine.

To choose a cartridge or to make one is a rather serious question. If you are a real master of your house, making cartridges with your own hands will not be so difficult. But it is better for beginner turners to purchase ready-made factory cartridges and change them as needed.

Manufacturing steps

Having decided to make equipment, be sure to take into service the drawings. Relying on the detailed instructions, even beginners can make an excellent quality machine. Whether he will be able to change cartridges and work in drill mode or not depends on you.

First, decide on the choice of the electric motor. Some use motors from a drill, as well as its cartridges. But it's not always optimal solution. Experts advise choosing asynchronous electric motors enough power. They will be able to satisfy your needs for metal processing with your own hands, and will also serve for a long time without breakdowns.
The next moment is the transfer of torque from the electric motor to the headstock. There are two solutions here. First - the headstock is installed directly on the shaft of your electric motor. The second, more rational, is to use intermediate pulley units with different diameters. This option is attractive in that it provides the ability to adjust the rotation speed of the workpiece.
The issue of changing the distance between the grandmas, experts advise to solve with the help of a worm shaft. Choose a device with a minimum pitch of turns.
The spindle headstock is heavy in self-manufacturing. Therefore, it is better not to take risks, but to purchase a headstock from the manufacturer. It has the necessary functional set, plus you don’t have to worry about the reliability of the device.
You can fix the incisors with hand-made devices. Only when performing clamps, be sure to make sure that they will be adjusted in two planes - vertical and horizontal.
Table mount. By providing special mounting holes on the future machine, you can securely fix it on the table. This will avoid vibrations and ensure high precision workpiece processing.
Incisors. Some turners make cutters on their own, and they are rarely inferior in quality to factory products. For rough processing, homemade cutters are quite suitable, but for more delicate operations, we would still advise you to buy a set of factory tools. By inserting various nozzles into the chuck, you can perform all kinds of operations for processing metal blanks.

Homemade machines are good in many ways. At the same time, it is important to understand that they are not capable of reaching the level of factory models in terms of reliability, safety and functionality. Therefore, if you need turning equipment for the long term, it is better not to take risks, not to experiment, but to buy a good, proven unit from a leading manufacturer.