Simple lathe

[brian_harnett]

I posted a few videos of my lathe in action shaping a chair leg.
http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l249/brianharnett/Modified%20and%20Made%20Machines/

[Brady Watson]

Pretty cool Brian! If only we could get the indexer to spin like that independently from the control system...

-B

[jhicks]

Brian,am I watching what I think I am here? A conventional lathe operating on a standard lathe motor pully & belt system and a simple Z axis file running along the X?
What is the lathe turning speed, and what is the X move speed, bit, depth per pass, etc.?
Is Brady correct (I assume he is) that the lathe is completely independant of the Bot and your files simply are running up and down along the X with a profile depth file on the Z?

It looks beautifully simple and effective for symetrical turnings. VERY COOL!
Please tell us more.

[brian_harnett]

Thanks guys
The lathe is independent of the shopbot, I built it after I got a order for chairs with turned legs.
It is very simple I used some square steel tubing and put a spindle with a large pully running to a 1750 RPM washing machine motor with small pully, I will have to dig around I have some still pictures that show more on one of my computers.
From my calculations it runs around 400 rpm
The bit I use is a 1/4 ball nose solid carbide upcut from msc supply.
I clamp the lathe to the table when I want to use it with C clamps

The x move speed I had set around .75 for roughing passes and 1.5 for final shaping.
Z axis was .25

[jseiler]

What's the headstock and tailstock made from and how did you get it aligned so well? Very cool, btw.

I bought plans from rockcliff cnc for a small cnc engraver made from MDF, just to play with. However, the best part of the plans was the use of 1/2 steel rod and cheap oilite oil impregnated bearings to make reasonably accurate slides (only for short spans though and low speed axes). With a simple lathe assembly like this, simple x and z low speed axes made similarly, one could make a nice little cnc lathe. Nice compliment to a 'bot.

John