Lathe for home metal with a vertical drill

[Eloy Workshop]

[Frank S]

There have been times in my past when i didn't have access to a lathe where I was at the time. so make do's had to be done I've used a hand drill a vice and a grinder to make do sometimes. This drill press conversion is a great work around.

[DIYer]

Thanks Eloy Workshop! We've added your Lathe to our Lathes category,
as well as to your builder page: Eloy Workshop's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Lathe by Eloy Workshop

tags: lathe, drill press

[Daturat100r]

Unfortunately a drill presses quill bearing arrangement is really only suited to axial loading pushing a drill through the work ,not really set up or designed for radial loads that a majority of the work done on a metal lathe imparts on the machine but 10 points for innovation

[suther51]

Mt2 Chuck? Watch that it does not come free with vibration, did you come up with a draw bar work around? Good work, thanks for posting.
Eric

[blkadder]

I have been thinking of doing this with a small bench top drill press that I replaced with a floor mount model. I know it is not a real replacement for a proper lathe, but I think for small jobs it would work just fine, and now you have done it. Thanks for posting.

[Ed Weldon]

My first serious machine tool was a 7x30 jet mill and I made do with small lathe jobs for a couple of years before I found a nice 6" atlas lathe. In that interim time I usef the mill as a lathe able to hold round stock up to 7/8" dia. Kinda awkward position for turning work; but the mill spindle could handle heavy cuts and the maximum speed was way up there. Looking at the small R-8 spindle table top mills available today I can readily see Eloy's idea work with such a mill. Although the process ofrotating it on a "hinge" base might require the addition of some creative hoist/lever system. The remaining creative effort would be coming up with larger and more accurate bed and carriage system. Another thought on doing a lathe involved how to power an incomplete lathe when all you have is the headstock but no motor and pulley setup. Inexpensive benchtop imported drill presses usually have 4 belt drive speeds and a reversible motor. So just use the headstock and the top of the column mounted on its side on the table behind the lathe headstock. Put a pulley on a short shaft in the drill chuck and use one of those link together type belts to drive the headstock via its built in pulleys.