[baskarz]

G'day all!
Thought i would post my little lathe project I've been putting together.
I'm purely a hobbyist so this project is something to do in my spare time
I built myself a cnc router bout a year ago and use it very regularly for all sorts of from stencils, engraving, 3d relief to 6061 aluminum rc car parts etc...
But there are times when i wish i had a small lathe which would be quicker and easier for certain parts than the cnc.
So being a cheap ass and chronic tinkerer, i set about making my own.

I'm about halfway thru so far. I started with a 4th axis unit i bought off ebay which i used initally as a 4th axis on the cnc and removed the stepper.
I came across an old electric scooter at the recycler, it had a 200w 24v motor in it so decided it will do for a start, at $5 cant go wrong.
I made up a ~36v linear supply to power it thru my homemade pwm controller.
All the ally in this project is recycled from a local boat builders scraps bin so kept costs low and selection of thickness of plate was great, 6,7,8,10,12,15,25mm plate of various sizes and its all 6061 marine grade
I haven't really followed any plan either, its all been sort of on the fly design inspired by other designs on google and with my available materials.

Anyway ill let the photos do the rest of the talking
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Any questions or suggestions, feel free!

[baskarz]

..

[alan_3301]

Can you try posting the pictures again, I cant see them.

[baskarz]

poop, they did work at first
oh well here they are, cant seem to edit my first post..

I went with the square cross slide as opposed to a dovetail because i don't have a dovetail cutter, maybe later on if the lathe performs the way i want.
i plan on having some sort of cover over the slide to stop any chips getting in and some felt wipers on the rails.
The rails are polished hardened steel 8mm rods from old printers and the blocks running on them are made from 25mm thick hdpe, the fit is quite firm with no movement what so ever. I may end up getting some bronze bushings at a later stage and making the blocks from aluminum, but the hdpe will do fine for now.
the tailstock is made from an old drill chuck and shaft threaded to take the m12 nut and will also ride on rails with hdpe blocks. i am still to come up with a method to lock the chuck in place for boring holes, thinking of a pin thru the shaft somehow.
the leadscrews are just 1/4" brass all thread polished up to get rid of any rough spots on it and lead nuts are hdpe again (just because i have it)

[levon18lopez]

nice lathe?