# Home Made Lathe Omg



## tomh (Jan 31, 2016)

Found this by accident while surfing utube. If you watch all 6 parts you will be amazed what some people will see in a pile of scrap and what their imagination can do, as they don't see problems they see solutions.
safety Nazis beware! 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-As4...


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## great white (Jan 31, 2016)

if it works, it works. 

On the plus side, he'll never have to worry about getting parts for it!



The drill press he was using was also interesting....I'm guessing a walk through his shop would be interesting.....


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## RJSakowski (Jan 31, 2016)

Molten metal + sandals + shorts = disaster waiting to happen.


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## tomh (Jan 31, 2016)

Molten metal + sandals + shorts = disaster waiting to happen.

ROLMAO   yeah I saw that to and thought  He will catch hell for that.
MY dad had a small  foundry just under a city block size so NO you wont catch me doing that LOL
*But isn't it amazing what some folks see in a pile of scrap.*
But on the other hand some folks love flirting with disaster, you know here hold my beer bobThe drill press he was using was also interesting....I'm guessing a walk through his shop would be interesting.....


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## ogberi (Jan 31, 2016)

Aside from the cringe worthy safety issues, that's excellent work.  I didn't see any precision measuring equipment in evidence, so I do wonder if he takes the "cut, try to fit, cut, try to fit" route.  Most of the machines look homemade, and at the very least, usable.  And a usable tool lets you refine your tools.  I'm surprised he hasn't built the "engine block universal machine" yet.  I would.  Uses engine blocks as the bed and column/headstock.  The bores of the cylinders on the headstock/column are used for the spindle.  It can be used as a lathe (imagine getting another 5-6" of swing by simply moving your spindle to a higher bore!), a horizontal milling machine, and with some structural tubing bolted to the column to hold a spindle, a vertical mill.  

Kudos to him for making usable machines out of scrap.  Makes you wander out to your shop, see all the mass-produced stuff, and say, 'Wow.  I got it easy!'


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## tomh (Jan 31, 2016)

The lathe must work pretty good as he uses it to make parts for his tractor, which is down rite amazing to say the least!!
like you I would love to see his shop in action and it appears that he is Fairley young also.


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## hermetic (Jan 31, 2016)

It demonstrates the difference between the accuracy actually needed to make something work, and the accuracy some people think is needed to make anything work!


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## tomh (Jan 31, 2016)

hemetic
YOU are spot on


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## hman (Feb 1, 2016)

hermetic said:


> It demonstrates the difference between the accuracy actually needed to make something work, and the accuracy some people think is needed to make anything work!


I'm reminded of what I've heard was a motto of the Russian arms industry (possibly originated during WW2) - perfect is the enemy of good enough.  
Especially liked the way this guy made use of scrap-yard parts like old motorcycle and other(?) transmissions.  Wonder how he got the lathe bed rods and the cross slide rods parallel???


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## hermetic (Feb 1, 2016)

he will have put the saddle on to the bed rods (motorcyclr fork legs









he will have put the saddle on to the bed tubes (motorcycle fork legs) and then fixed them at either end, so that the bushings on the saddle held them parralell . I built a little machine for my brothers leather business which cut a v notch in e piece of leather to fold box corners, and used two round bars for it to slide on. I did it the same way. I will try to get a pic of it and post it up.


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## chips&more (Feb 1, 2016)

Noticed the person also used the shopmade lathe to “climb mill”!


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## hermetic (Feb 1, 2016)

This is the device I meant uses the same two long parallel bars. You slide the handle along and it "skives" a 90 deg slot in the surface of a piece of leather which is then filled with glue and a corner formed. used for making cases. Unfortunately he seems to have neglected it a little!
Phil


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## easttex (Feb 1, 2016)

I went to his YouTube channel this morning it looks like he's in Ukraine.  I'm sure he's lacking access to proper tools and education and making do as best he can.  I've got to hand it to him for being this creative though.  Just imagine what he could do if he access to real equipment and a solid training course on how to run them!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk


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## brino (Feb 1, 2016)

tomh said:


> Found this by accident while surfing utube.



Thanks for sharing it!
-brino


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## hermetic (Feb 2, 2016)

.  Just imagine what he could do if he access to real equipment and a solid training course on how to run them!


Well I know where you are coming from, but how many people do you know, who, having had access to real equipment and training, would go on to make their own equipment without the use or availability of a lathe! I think sometimes the burning desire to do something overcomes all obstacles and achieves that end, whereas the training would tend to convince the trainee that it couldn't be done accurately enough to be usefull, which is obviously wrong!

Phil


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## ebgb68 (Feb 2, 2016)

Thanks for sharing . 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk


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## Smithdoor (Feb 2, 2016)

I like the safety shoes AKA Flip Flops

Dave


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## hman (Feb 2, 2016)

What we have in this video is _almost_ a demonstration of the old adage that the lathe is the only tool that can be used to reproduce all its own parts.  Thanks again, tomh, for posting it!


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## 63redtudor (Feb 4, 2016)

Having been to several 3rd world countries its actually impressive at what people with nothing can make. Deffinately not the safest way to do things however! Unfortunately what I have seen (also in 3rd world countries) is the way people can come up with way to kill each other. 
I see similar things with older, depression-era made tools. Much of my lathe tooling was made by my grandfather who grew up in that era. I also have a power-hacksaw from that era and while it can (and eventually I hope to) be improved, it works and thats the main thing. At the begining of most of my 'how to run a lathe' books there's a comment that's basically along the lines of - "work holding and/or tooling has more to do with the skill and imagination of the operator..."


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## Downunder Bob (Mar 7, 2017)

easttex said:


> I went to his YouTube channel this morning it looks like he's in Ukraine.  I'm sure he's lacking access to proper tools and education and making do as best he can.  I've got to hand it to him for being this creative though.  Just imagine what he could do if he access to real equipment and a solid training course on how to run them!
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk



He might lack access to sophisticated tools, but i suspect he has had some formal training, possibly in the military, He obviously knows how to go about what he needs to do, and is familiar with how machines work.. Nonetheless a most amazing achievement with much made from little.

I take my hat off to him, a true achiever.


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## f350ca (Mar 7, 2017)

Now thats impressive !!!!

Greg


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## dlane (Mar 7, 2017)

I'm impressed, 
Home made mill, surface grinder, lathe's 
Bet there's more,
 I'm guessing he started off welding and the fabrication continued .


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## Charles Spencer (Mar 7, 2017)

I like his lathe milling attachment:


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## Downunder Bob (Mar 8, 2017)

chips&more said:


> Noticed the person also used the shopmade lathe to “climb mill”!



That shop made lathe / mill must be pretty tight the way he is climb milling on it , no sign of chatter or grabbing.


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## FOMOGO (Mar 8, 2017)

Pretty inspiring video, thanks for posting Tom. Also what makes us the most dangerous animal on the planet, and as noted above we are awfully good at using it against each other. Just imagine what an amazing world we could have if we all worked together toward common goals. Kinda like this forum, but on a much grander scale. Well, I 'm going to hold onto that thought, and continue to ignore the "news". Cheers, Mike


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## wildo (Mar 8, 2017)

This video series reminds me of a book series (that I don't own- it's in my amazon wish list!) called "Build Your Own Metalworking Shop From Scrap" by David Gingery. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1878087355/

Some of you might already have it. Some of you might enjoy it if you don't have it already. And some of you might wish for it (like I do) and put it on a list somewhere...


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## 12bolts (Mar 10, 2017)

I saw some plastic calipers when he was making his aluminium donut in the 1st. And some steel verniers in the 4th. Interestingly he improved on the tool post design on his smaller lathe

Cheers Phil


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## Tim9 (Feb 16, 2019)

tomh said:


> Found this by accident while surfing utube. If you watch all 6 parts you will be amazed what some people will see in a pile of scrap and what their imagination can do, as they don't see problems they see solutions.
> safety Nazis beware!
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-As4...


I sa that guys videos and watched all of them a while back. He's a skilled craftsman. Makes one realize how good we have things in the USA. In some parts of the world... Finding a used lathe requires a father-in law who is a high ranking *Politburo Official. *


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## cathead (Feb 17, 2019)

I watched the casting video and the lathe assembly video and was impressed with his dogged perseverance to build a lathe 
out of what he had at hand.  I wouldn't be too quick to judge him by his apparel.


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## Janderso (Feb 17, 2019)

Incredible


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## Diecutter (Feb 17, 2019)

I built the Gingery lathe (see avatar) and various other of his designs, all of which work.  His books were the inspiration for my diy vertical mill build described on this site.  Recommend Dave Gingery's books highly.  The guy in the video seems to have wide ranging interests and a lot of drive.


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## Norseman C.B. (Feb 18, 2019)

I too saw these vids a year or three ago
I also found it very inspiring as I too make do with what I have available ............


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## garthkh (Aug 19, 2019)

Love it!  A man after my own heart - finding things (junk or other) and seeing it used for something it probably was never intended to be use for. A pioneer and a survivor.
I have plans to make myself a small aluminium foundry - it will open up all sorts of possibilities.


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