Micro Wood-Lathe: How to Make It With a SEWING MACHINE MOTOR
Intro: Micro Wood-Lathe: How to Make It With a SEWING MACHINE MOTOR
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A How-to-make video I made showing the process of building a micro wood-lathe with a sewing machine motor. It uses the foot treadle that came with the sewing machine as the on/off/speed adjustment.
This lathe is direct drive, so it's very precise.
Happy making!
-Calvin
Oh, the epoxy I used is JB WELD
A How-to-make video I made showing the process of building a micro wood-lathe with a sewing machine motor. It uses the foot treadle that came with the sewing machine as the on/off/speed adjustment.
This lathe is direct drive, so it's very precise.
Happy making!
-Calvin
Oh, the epoxy I used is JB WELD
32 Comments
DIYwithLaura 8 years ago
lsimonalle 9 years ago
Spent $40 for a machine [in a table]. Next day it's a mini lathe! I ground off 2 welds holding the iron body & base plate together [Dremel - pink grinding stone]. Self-tapping screws hold the lathe parts on the iron base plate. JB Weld worked perfectly as shown in video. Aligning the motor/spindle with the Dead Center bolt assembly was the hardest part - probably because my motor was a cylinder with 2 small flattened sides instead of an easy to clamp/align brick shape. I used a tiny magnetic laser level [cost ~$10] on the iron base plate & turned the 3/8" square drive of the socket-mandrel so the diagonal of the square made a vertical line. This gave me a reference line for installing the Dead Center assembly.
The lathe works great but now I need to make a hood to catch some of the flying sawdust & chips!
Will try to remember to post pics later...
lsimonalle 9 years ago
WOW! Amazing & amazingly simple construction. Looks perfect for dollhouse scale [1" = 12"] lathe work. Great job on the video...
changorey 11 years ago
WerdnaN 13 years ago
nepheron 13 years ago
cookie51 12 years ago
I would really love to build one of these for myself for turning wooden bobbins for myself or even Whorls for making my own Hand Spindles. I'm a Spinner and Weaver and it will be fun to create my own turned spinning and weaving tools. I don't have $ 400 to afford a small lathe, but making one would be fun. Thank you for sharing your video!
nepheron 12 years ago
-Nepheron
cookie51 12 years ago
Also what lenth and width the base you glue the Sewing Machine Motor to?
I want to make a lathe with a capacity to turn pieces no larger than 4" in diameter and no longer than 12" in lengh.. I like spinning my own yarn and it will be fun to turn my own "Whorls" and "Shafts" for hand spindles.
I also would like to turn small bowls for support spindles, bobbins for my "Boat Shuttles" , Spinning Wheel or bobbin lace making. My other interests are textile crafts like weaving, knitting and crocheting.
I would also like to build the lathe adjustable.
nepheron 12 years ago
I don't have the lathe anymore, so i don't know the exact dimensions. However, its easy to figure them out.
The dead center needs to be pretty much at a height that allows it to be inline with the motor's shaft, and the socket.
The length of the base is really not critical. Make it long enough that when you put your motor on it, and your dead center, there is enough space for the thing to want to turn.
If you will be turning things as large as 4", you will need a more powerful and perhaps larger electric motor. Go to a pawn shop or a thrift store and get an electric hand-drill. Those have more torque than a sewing machine motor.
Good luck!
-Nepheron
Golftester 13 years ago
I think I had the same sewing machine - for 20 yrs in the bottom of the utility room :)
http://obscurecreationsbytyla.blogspot.com/p/means-to-ends.html
nepheron 13 years ago
whisperonthewind 13 years ago
I was wondering if you could use it to make bowl shaped things, or round boxes. And I saw an Instructable on using the Dremel tool in a similar manner. So this same question applies to that.
HeyMimi 13 years ago
Thanks!
Atrophius 13 years ago
josh333 13 years ago
Mindhunt3r 13 years ago
nepheron 13 years ago
zipzapper859 13 years ago
nepheron 13 years ago