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Wood on a metal lathe?
- Thread starter jeffm
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2013
- Messages
- 159
I have turned hardwood blanks very easily using conventional metal cutting toolbits held normally. Worked fine. I was only doing a round cylinder to use as a master for a rubber mold. You could always fab up a rest that would go into your compound so you could use it just like a wood lathe. One thing though, metal lathes love to be oiled. Sawdust will get into everything especially your apron and sawdust and oil make sludge. Thats why Wood lathe ways are usually Waxed. Mine was used as a woodlathe before I got it and you wouldn't believe the crap that was stuck in all the nooks and cranies. Especially in the motor. Another point, on wood lathes you'll be moving the tailstock a lot. If you do it on a metal lathe without oiling the ways because of sawdust you can coun t on a lot of premature wear. That is where all the wear on my tailstock came from.
I have turned several wood projects on my MicroMark mini lathe, mostly reel seats for fly rods, and file/tool handles. If you are turning with traditional wood tools, you can use key stock in your tool holder as a tool rest.
Chuck
Chuck
My GF and I made wooden pens on my 7x14 lathe. We used some small wood turning chisels, and I made a rest for the cross slide that bolted in place of the compound. Worked beautifully. I would recommend covering all of your way surfaces with heavy paper. Small magnets work great to hold it down (if you have a Sonicare toothbrush, there is a very strong rare earth magnet in the head, when it's worn out, remove the magnet before tossing the head). Sawdust is a pain to remove if it mixes with way oil and gets in all the nooks and crannies, so prevention is worth a pound here.
I made wood pattern for the foundry buisness for 30 years on an 18" American Tool Works lathe with no wear or problems. I did have a paddle blower and a 6 inch hose right above the cutter which sucked 98 % of the chips up and out the window. Do not use a squirrel cage blower as it will plug up quickly, become out of balance an may rip the mounting bolts right out. I hand ground all my cutters with a acute angle and the finish was excellent on mahogony pattern grade wood. I sold it in November 2011 as there is no longer and pattern work to be had. I do turn wood on a Maximat V13P with a 2 1/2" shop vac hose mounted to the carrage directly above the cutting tool. I have turned everything from Ligmum vitae for hinge pins on a closet door to red cedar for bird houses. Being a machinist and engineer you cannot beat the accuracy of a metal lathe for wood projects. One thing I recommend strongly to younger people is to never have a blow gun anywhere even close to a lathe, keep the shop vac and magnet on a stick within easy reach. You can blow a lot of dirt, chips and grime in places you don't want it to be. If you are going to sand on a lathe, always cover the ways with newspaper and immediately discard when done. I keep a roll of 1/2 sheet bounty towels within arms reach of the lathe and clean the ways before and after every job, first dry then lightly oiled. My Maximat is a pristine today as when I brought it home in 1990. GOOD LUCK LEARNING.
