# Possible to convert wood lathe to metal lathe?



## Negeltu (Feb 17, 2005)

I've heard of people doing it. How does a person go about using their wood lathe for metal working?


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## PEU (Feb 17, 2005)

I do the opposite: use my minilathe for turning wood from time to time.

I guess wood lathes miss an important part: the compound.

So if you need to build that part from scratch, it would be easier to buy a minilathe for $300.

What Im sure you can do is metal spinning, which is shaping sheet metal to make bowls, reflectors and the like.

my 2 cents (of peso)


Pablo


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## Anglepoise (Feb 17, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*Negeltu said:*
How does a person go about using their wood lathe for metal working? 

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't spend even one second thinking about it.

It just does not work.


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## gadget_lover (Feb 17, 2005)

The wood lathe appears to be made without the rigidity that you find in a metal lathe. You'd have a lot of chatter. I doubt that you'll find the same level of precision in the ways and the tailstock simply because it's not needed for turning wood.

Daniel


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## Negeltu (Feb 17, 2005)

Well, I know people DO do it. I was thinking the same thing you guys are saying about the precision. Ah well, I guess I will try and sell some of my turnings to get a small metal lathe. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


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## mahoney (Feb 17, 2005)

It's possible, but if it's worth it depends on how much time you want to spend messing with it. For example, you could adapt a compound feed drill press vise into a compound feed tool holder. If your wood lathe is "big iron" with good bearings, you could work to reasonable precision. Single point threading will still be out of the question unless you rig up a power feed with gearing, and at that point it's way simpler to just buy a proper metal lathe.

But...if all you want to turn is brass or aluminium for an occasional flashlight body, use your lathe as is. Use sharp gouges and scrapers and take small cuts. The hardest part for me is getting a straight cylinder, a file helps here. 
Buy a die and holder for the threading. If you can chuck your workpiece and support the face of the die on the tailstock while starting the cut it will help keep the threads straight. Don't use a tap in a chuck in the tailstock unless you allow a way for the tap to thread in at the proper pitch. 
I use a plier type knurling tool and although I can't slide it along the workpiece without the compound feed, I can make overlaping narrow bands of knurling if I am carefull. 
This works OK for little "one-offs" like the switch guard ring I made for my A2 recently. It took two tries and about an hour, but it's not something I could find for sale anyway so...


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## Anglepoise (Feb 18, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*mahoney said:*


But...if all you want to turn is brass or aluminium for an occasional flashlight body, use your lathe as is. 

[/ QUOTE ]

I admire people that make do with what they have on hand. My first metal lathe was a 3/8 hand drill. It could spin very small pieces of metal and I could rub them with a file or abrasive paper.

However I think it bad advise to give the impression that
the average member can take a wood lathe and actually , turn , bore, and knurl with it.
The time spent mucking around with a wood lathe would be better spent with a second job earning the extra money to buy what you want in the first place......a metal lathe.


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## wasabe64 (Feb 18, 2005)

A perfectly good wood lathe would be a barely adequate metal lathe.

Worse yet, I'd be VERY concerned about safety with regards to trying to cut metal on a machine that was not adequately rigid, did not have a proper toolpost to secure toolbits, or enough power to ensure clean cuts. Don't even entertain holding tools by hand.

Most of the guys here with metal cutting experience have all posted towards the 'Not a Good Idea' end of the spectrum for good reason. Best case, you would only ruin your wood lathe and workpiece, worst case, puncture wounds, broken bones...

Are you really saving a couple hundred of bucks?

Just read the $1500 Lathe thread, and you will begin to see that shaping metal has a lot of financial commitment involved. The machine is only one part of the equation.


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## Negeltu (Feb 18, 2005)

Yes, I understand that. Wood turning is the same way. The machine turns out to be one of the least expensive investments.


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## mahoney (Feb 18, 2005)

I am not advising anyone that they can take a wood lathe and cut steel without doing a proper conversion. It's been done, the information is out there, and given the price of import metal lathes, it's probably not worth the time. And FWIW I have experience with both wood and metal lathes.

But soft metals like brass and silver have been cut on "wood" lathes with hand held tooling for centuries. Some woodturning texts have chapters devoted to decorative metal turning. I don't recommend it for a begining turner. For someone who's turning skills are sufficient to ask money for them ("try and sell some of my turnings to get a small metal lathe") it should pose no more risk than other challenging lathe skills like deep hollowing or interupted cutting. I fear for my safety less when turning a small brass part than when starting on a big out-of-round bowl blank.

A proper metal lathe will be faster, more versatile, and more accurate, but I would suggest doing some research into the full capabilities of your wood lathe before dismissing it as a tool for working soft metals.


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## Negeltu (Feb 18, 2005)

I've turned many bowls some up to 14" in diameter. Deep hollowing into quite a few hollow forms... It is the large bowl blanks that cause me to feel a bit uncomfortable sometimes... I'm not a "pro", but I'm not anywhere near a beginner either. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I was more interested in turning small pieces out of soft metals. I have M2 hss tools and Chrome Vanadium tools.


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## ABTOMAT (Feb 21, 2005)

For proper metal turning you can stick on a cross and compound. Companies used to supply kits for wood lathes years ago. You can turn soft metals well enough, or steel if you slow the machine down and take _really_ light cuts.

You still won't be able to make continuous cuts longer than a couple inches, or thread, or do anything finely.


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## TheJCat54 (Sep 11, 2009)

ok folks here is a link to a guide to build your own compound that is very good. If you actually spend your time on it a build it right you will have a very very good piece. Tool Slide Converts Wood Turning Lathe for Metal Work


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## hp84117 (Sep 11, 2009)

I don't have the experience to even comment on the subject, but this Drill Press Milling Vise looks like it would be a lot easier than building it yourself.


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## precisionworks (Sep 11, 2009)

Almost anyone can turn a good drill press into the worst milling machine imaginable. If you spend enough time & money, the same can be done with a wood lathe. IMO, the only reason for doing this is if you live on a mountain top in Katmandu, and you have to do every operation on the wood lathe. Other than that, you'll end up with broken tools or a trip to the Emergency Room - which would pay for a good part of a metal lathe purchase.


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## gadget_lover (Sep 12, 2009)

I think Barry and I are old enough to have forgotten the days when we had almost nothing. When I was young I could not afford ANY tools. Food took priority.

When your tools consist of a few garage sale leftovers and you are working in the carport of an apartment, makeshift tools may be the only option. They certainly were for me.

I dare say that for real small parts, the wood lathe with a compound will be about as useful as the Taig micro lathe. The danger would be to try to use a 48 inch wood lathe for parts larger than a few inches in length. The temptation would be to think it really is a 8x48. 

It would generally be much better to watch craigslist many times a day till someone lists a used machine for less than the cost of the compound. Then pounce on it.

Daniel


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