Just bought a metal lathe, what can i make?

fettster

Sr Member
hi all. I finally have invested in a metal lathe to make eyeballs and im trying to think of what else i can use it for.

so far im thinking brass hellboy samaritan spent shells, pulse rifle grenade, lightsabers and maybe a terminator arm if i get the verticle mill attachment.

anyone got any ideas?
 
Barrels, flash suppressors, scopes, sonic screwdrivers, Total Recall nose bugs, various greeblies, lightsabers, etc. Honestly anything you want as long as it's round. Once you get the mill attachment, then pretty much anything that will fit the throat of the mill. With a threading tool, you can make sections and screw them together and make a piece as long as you need with the lathe.
 
To be honest, out of the box ..... not so much.

Not only that you probably have none practice (don´t panic,you will get it :cool - you have to) - nonetheless these small china-machines are not that bad, they usually come VERY misadjusted. Then all parts have to much play, or not enough - that makes them very hard to use with a proper result.

Do you have you any mechanic skills/experience? Then dissassemble it, degrease it. Control the fit and make of every part, fix what has to be fixed, grease it, assemble it, take care every bolt is tight enough (they often have loose bolts, where you don´t see it). Make some modifications.

There are countless things what have to be done to get a good functionating lathe, but it is worth it.

Just take your time - read, learn to fix it, and then ...... use it, use it much. That is needed to get a feel for it, these small machines are harder to handle than a big professional one, due to their limitations in stability and power. Where a big one with 2 tons and some KW just diggs through, if you made a mistakes, these small can produce nasty problems.

Oh, and be assured - you will have to spend more than the price of the lathe for additional needed parts.

I hope these lines don´t frighten you - it´s just stuff that has to be said. ;)

Time to start:

mini-lathe.com home page

GadgetBuilder's MiniLathe Site

Varmint Al's Mini Lathe Page

LittleMachineShop.com - Product Categories

Now it´s up to you. :)
 
An aluminum version of this:

bat_1.jpg
 
I used this evening to search helpfull sites for you to start with your new hobby (if you are able to bring the lathe in a good condition, it will grow as a hobby on it´s own to you :) ).

Here is another site, maybe the most general information for a beginner you can find. Read carefully, you can learn a lot there. Take your time, noone is a pro from the beginning. ;)

A basic introduction to using and buying a mini-lathe.
 
I had a 1945 Atlas steel lathe years ago. I started by turning steel stilletto knives, I didn't have to make "precision cuts" as it was all freehand, and it taught me just what the lathe 'could' and "could not" do, very quickly!
Grind down an old fencing sword blade, screw it into your turned handle and guard, and it's a good $100 in your pocket for a few hours of fun!
Good luck!
 
high tech metal harry potter wand :p,
I know harry potter and technology dont mix but with a metal lathe and imagination they can :D
 
Oh, and be assured - you will have to spend more than the price of the lathe for additional needed parts.

A truer statement has never been said. Every time I start working on something I realize there is some new tool I require to accomplish what I want :lol:lol:lol.

I am also a beginner machinest, one thing that has really helped me is to make a little chart that converts knob turns to measurements (until I have it memorized). They are a blast, just look for something simple to try and work your way up from there.
 
Terminator hand,comes to mind ,Aliens pulse rifle barrel vent and barrel ,the stock ,Oh ok, well..........just make the whole gun................
 
Cool suggestions guys. Thanks.

Lichtbrunger, thanks for the links and comments, don't worry, I'm not a complete novice. I have been using a lathe for some time but thought I'd stump up and buy my own and yes, I also bought a load of extras.
 
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