New Mini Lathe!
- Thread starter Hogosha
- Start date
DS Operative
Sr Member
I've never heard of such an item but wondered if one could be fashioned out of a dremel?
I had been thinking about using something like this to shape the tip of an LED to look almost like a "nipple" for use as Millenium Falcon headlights and underside floodlights. Could something like that be done with your mini lathe?
I had been thinking about using something like this to shape the tip of an LED to look almost like a "nipple" for use as Millenium Falcon headlights and underside floodlights. Could something like that be done with your mini lathe?
CJS
Well-Known Member
You could carefully put the LED into a drill chock with some electrical tape around the base and use some fine grade sandpaper. Just a thought.
How about some pics or info on this. Sounds like a cool little device.
trekriffic
Sr Member
I've used my dremel as a lathe several times; most recently on my current build. Your limited in the diameter of the stock you can fit in the collet obviously and I've never tried inserting an LED into one, usually I'm turning plastic rod.
It helps to have the type of scribing tool seen in this photo:
Here is a link to the Harbor Freight lathe i bought. On sale for $499, and I had a 20% off coupon, so not a bad deal. I plan on doing a few modifications to bring it up to snuff. There is quite a following for these lathes.
http://www.harborfreight.com/7-inch-x-10-inch-precision-mini-lathe-93212.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/7-inch-x-10-inch-precision-mini-lathe-93212.html
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Don't I know it!:lol My first purchase is going to be a quick change tool post. other than that, I actually have enough to get me started.
DS Operative,
Dremel used to make a micro lathe years ago, but it has since been discontinued. You can still find them used on The Bay’.
Many years ago, I constructed a “Crudimentary” lathe out of Sears rotary tool (Sears version of the Dremel). Everything I used was in my Dads garage, or from the local Mom & Pop hardware store. I mounted the head of the tool into a PVC coupler that I threaded to match the collar of the tool. I then glued that into a hole drilled into a short scrap of 2 X 4, this was my head stock. I made a similar setup for the tailstock, but pressed a bearing into another PVC coupler (I heated the PVC up with a torch to soften it). Into the bearing I put a drill chuck that I scavenged out of an old, broken drill (I brought the shaft of the drill to the hardware store, and they matched the bearing to it). I mounted the tailstock onto a scrap 4” board which had 2 small carriage bolts mounted about 2” apart from one another, with small washers on the ends. These slid into tracks on the “bed”. The tracks were a piece of bracket for mounting shelves, that I cut in half, and turned upside down, and screwed them to a piece of wood. A long carriage bolt rand through the base of the headstock to a corresponding hole in the base of the tailstock as “feed”. A live center was made from a spike taken off of a spiked bracelet (this was the 80’s you know). I greased up the rails. I adjusted the speed by running the cord to the tool through a dimmer switch.
Now, by today’s, standards, or by the amazing works done here on the RPF, seems ridiculous, but the concept is sound. Check out Instructables, and YouTube for people building lathes. Some are even using there 3-D Printers to print lathes!
After doing some internet searching I came across this article for building a “FONLY Lathe” for your Dremel. Named for “I could do that If-only-I-had-a-lathe”. I think this could be just the thing for many of the people here who have a dremel, but cant afford a lathe. I may build one just for fun.
http://www.btinternet.com/~two.mm/articles/fonly/fonlypt1.htm
Dremel used to make a micro lathe years ago, but it has since been discontinued. You can still find them used on The Bay’.
Many years ago, I constructed a “Crudimentary” lathe out of Sears rotary tool (Sears version of the Dremel). Everything I used was in my Dads garage, or from the local Mom & Pop hardware store. I mounted the head of the tool into a PVC coupler that I threaded to match the collar of the tool. I then glued that into a hole drilled into a short scrap of 2 X 4, this was my head stock. I made a similar setup for the tailstock, but pressed a bearing into another PVC coupler (I heated the PVC up with a torch to soften it). Into the bearing I put a drill chuck that I scavenged out of an old, broken drill (I brought the shaft of the drill to the hardware store, and they matched the bearing to it). I mounted the tailstock onto a scrap 4” board which had 2 small carriage bolts mounted about 2” apart from one another, with small washers on the ends. These slid into tracks on the “bed”. The tracks were a piece of bracket for mounting shelves, that I cut in half, and turned upside down, and screwed them to a piece of wood. A long carriage bolt rand through the base of the headstock to a corresponding hole in the base of the tailstock as “feed”. A live center was made from a spike taken off of a spiked bracelet (this was the 80’s you know). I greased up the rails. I adjusted the speed by running the cord to the tool through a dimmer switch.
Now, by today’s, standards, or by the amazing works done here on the RPF, seems ridiculous, but the concept is sound. Check out Instructables, and YouTube for people building lathes. Some are even using there 3-D Printers to print lathes!
After doing some internet searching I came across this article for building a “FONLY Lathe” for your Dremel. Named for “I could do that If-only-I-had-a-lathe”. I think this could be just the thing for many of the people here who have a dremel, but cant afford a lathe. I may build one just for fun.
http://www.btinternet.com/~two.mm/articles/fonly/fonlypt1.htm
robn1
Master Member
That looks very cool! I may try to build one. I've thought about doing one with a drill, but this gives me some good ideas.
wm6929
New Member
um..I was looking at purchasing the same lathe.
Yesterday, I noticed in Small Machine magazine at Barnes and Noble, there is a coupon for this lathe. $399
If you can still apply a 20% off coupon to that....I would snag it! If you do not have a coupon, I can send you one. The coupon alone will pay for a quick channel tool post, which believe me you want. BUT do not buy the HF tool post.
