Small Lathe

[Dar Kuma]

I have a spare router and thought about trying to make a small lathe out of it, The problem is actually sorting a suitable base for

it to sit on while I try to make the other part to hold the wood.

 

For the base I will be using aluminium tube or box section, It's the clamps which are going to be tricky.

any other ideas to make this work?

[Chalky]

Have a google at DIY / Home made lathes. There's lots of ideas out there.

[magnetman]

Is it a 3g or a 4g router

 

coat

[Timleech]

I would have thought that a router would spin too fast for any sort of turning, even wood? May be wrong, the only wood turning I've ever done has been on a metal lathe!

 

Tim

[madcat]

Makes for a big clean up job after, I'm banned from using our Myford for wood butchering.

 

 

Edit to add , I think Aldi has had wood lathes as special offers a couple of times.

Edited December 14, 2014 by madcat

[Timleech]

Makes for a big clean up job after, I'm banned from using our Myford for wood butchering.

 

 

 

 

Yes, wood turning on a metal lathe is best avoided if possible. Just occasionally there's no realistic alternative.

 

Tim

[Dar Kuma]

Tim, if i had to I would wire in a variable controller

 

very good magnetman....

[Victor Vectis]

Makes for a big clean up job after, I'm banned from using our Myford for wood butchering.

And I should think so too!

 

 

Didn't Myford make a woodturning lathe? ML8 IIRC.

[RLWP]

Tim, if i had to I would wire in a variable controller

 

very good magnetman....

 

I think you'd then find you didn't have enough torque to turn with

 

Richard

[system 4-50]

A router turns much too fast. A no-no I would think.

[system 4-50]

But then again Trend sell or used to sell something they called a routerlathe.

[the barnacle]

it will be ok for small items even at high speed like draw handles if you can attach the wood ok, but for anything larger i wouldnt try it - i have a graduate bowl lathe even with the large face plate or chuck i struggle with large items, i would get a lathe off ebay with the chuck and tools if you wish to turn,

[carlt]

But then again Trend sell or used to sell something they called a routerlathe.

This was a very strange animal to use though.

 

I bought one when they first came out and the router is rotated around and moved along the stationary wood.

 

I managed with some faffing to produce one passable length of barley-twist before sticking it in the free-ads for the next gadget hunter to play with.

[nb Innisfree]

A router is designed to cut narrow grooves in wood directly with a small diameter bit, trying to turn a large dia piece while then cutting will overload the motor and probably burn it out. For it to work the piece would have to be geared down in the order of 10:1 or so

 

Or you could arrange for the router to be mounted on a slide so that it travels along the rotating workpiece with the ability to move in and out at 90 deg to the workpiece axis.

 

Both methods would take quite a bit of designing and building.

Edited December 14, 2014 by nb Innisfree

[RLWP]

Both methods would take quite a bit of designing and building.

 

They would indeed - and wood lathes on Ebay aren't expensive. Here's one for £50: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Draper-wood-lathe-model-wtl12a-stock-no-34573-/121515967804

 

It wouldn't take long to spend that on gears and stuff to make a poor lathe

 

On the other hand, a superfluous router might sell easily and part finance a lathe

 

Richard

[nb Innisfree]

https://www.google.co.uk/search?redir_esc=&client=ms-android-samsung&hl=en-GB&safe=images&oe=utf-8&q=router%20as%20a%20lathe&source=android-browser-type&qsubts=1418574405913

[Dar Kuma]

RWLP, The router didn't cost a lot, its just that after I bought it I found a table mounted one some time later.

[Arthur Brown]

I'd look for a real lathe for whatever your purpose. Myford used to produce a treadle lathe specifically for submarines,

[Timleech]

I'd look for a real lathe for whatever your purpose. Myford used to produce a treadle lathe specifically for submarines,

 

You'd need to have strong legs to turn a submarine.

 

Tim

[ukdiggerboy]

A router turns much too fast. A no-no I would think.

 

defo

[SamKingfisher]

I do all my work on a ML8. With the compound slide I can even turn reamers, though it spins a bit quick. I love my ML8! Bin the router idea, my ML8 was only 175 quid.

 

It makes all the stuff at www.hunterpipes.co.uk.

 

There is no trouble turning at high speed, in fact the faster the better, that's why routers go so quick. You could be gentle with the cutting tool and listen to the motor note, I think it could work but why bother when real lathes are so cheap.

 

Actually doesn't a good router do 10,000 rpm or so? That's probably a bit quick!

 

Looked it up, my lathe does almost 3000 rpm in top gear.

Edited December 14, 2014 by SamKingfisher

[RLWP]

Yes. I wouldn't like to get the wood mounted wrong at that speed. 3000 on my lathe is scary enough

 

Richard

[SamKingfisher]

A few times I've had delicate drones just disappear from in front of my eyes, and turn up in all corners of the workshop in bits. Wear goggles folks.

[RLWP]

A few times I've had delicate drones just disappear from in front of my eyes, and turn up in all corners of the workshop in bits. Wear goggles folks.

I have just checked your website. Please come to a banter and bring some pipes with you

 

Richard

[nb Innisfree]

 

 

Actually doesn't a good router do 10,000 rpm or so? That's probably a bit quick!

 

 

24,000 rpm actually.