I was reading another thread mentioning lathes... and which one to buy. I'm so new to metalworking (I'm just beginning welding hehe) that I had to go look up what a lathe even was. I see that it's for shaping/carving/whatever metals to make a desired shape... but can anybody provide an example or 2 of what a lathe is used for? Thanks! Curiousity got the best of me ;). Happy Holidays!
-Mike
-- A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT Cold air intake FRPP 3.73 gears Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo) Hi-speed fan switch
Yesterday, I sliced the heads and threads off three 5/8" bolts. Stuck them in the lathe and turned, faced and drilled them. Viola! from scrap hardware to six 0.6" OD x 0.3" ID spacers muy pronto, for cheap.
Day before that, I turned down an acrylic dowel to plug a non- critical hole in an acrylic panel.
Day before that, used a boring bar to open an existing hole in a spacer.
Some lathes allow you to create your own nuts and bolts by 'single point threading'.
Here are a few of the things you can do with even a simple lathe:
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Do like I did. Sign up for a machining course at the local JC and learn the quick, painless way. Mucho fun!
As you say..lathes make round things round (usually) and of the size and shape you want.
Need some jets for a carburetor? Lathe. Need to make bushings? Lathe Need to make nuts and bolts? Lathe
Im building a new welding cart for my Mig welder, for rough terrain. So far..the axles have been turned to diameter and threaded on the ends for nylocks...Lathe The steering gear spindle, lathe king arms, lathe Bottle holder clamp, lathe
Yesterday: New mig tip for my wire feeder. Lathe (ID bore, turn and thread out of copper) spare Defuser for the torch tip, lathe, (brass)
Tommorow. Brass electrical buss bar for friends sandrail, Lathe Standoffs for aftermarket electrical radiator fan for friends 'stang, lathe
Lots of stuff. http:/home.lightspeed.net/~gunner/myshop some commercial examples of small stuff on lathes
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( I service, install and set up the machines that cut these parts)
Gunner
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wrote in news:DZuzd.3113$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com:
About anything round that has a shape to it. A bolt or screw. Your car wheels. Your FRPP 3.73 gears.
Now all you need is to jerk out that puny motor, and put in a real one :)
How about an old 406FE. :)
63-1/2 Galaxy 500
406 FE Factory 3-2bbl Balanced, blueprinted Forged pistons Crower dual-pattern Cam, Crower dual springs Harland Sharp roller rockers Mild port clean up Top-Loader 4-speed
31 spline 9-inch with 4:11 gears - limited slip with hi-rate springs Dyno Results: 565 hp @ 5820, 710 lb-ft of torque @ 3790 Car weight: ~2 tons + (It is made of real STEEL) Drag strip results: Best of 7.99 ET-1/8 mile on P265/60-R15 Eagle ST street tires (never tried slicks..hard enough to keep axles in it as it was). Number of 9-inch 31-spline axles wrung in two: 4 (short side all 4 times in 2nd gear, at ~3800 RPM) Current state of vehicle: Mostly disassembled for restoration/modification (slight tubbing - shorter/larger axles to deal with the breakage problem), and it will go on a serious diet. Should be able to remove up to 1500 lbs via fiberglass replacement panels, etc (the bumpers alone weight well over 100 lbs each). Gotta get the garage finished first tho :/
-- A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT Cold air intake FRPP 3.73 gears Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo) Hi-speed fan switch
Wow! A bit easier to understand... that's pretty cool!
-Mike
-- A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT Cold air intake FRPP 3.73 gears Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo) Hi-speed fan switch
Not only that, but tapers, offsets, and you can even turn flats by facing off on a faceplate. Then add a mill attachment, mount the work on a toolpost (basically) and a cutter in the headstock and you can mill anything.
Or get a mill. A purpose-built machine is always more solid.
Tim
-- "I've got more trophies than Wayne Gretsky and the Pope combined!" - Homer Simpson Website @
Well it seems that lathes have tons of possible uses ;). I appreciate all of the fantastic examples! And I appreciate even more than you all managed to resist making fun of me for asking such a newbie question :). Have a good one!
-Mike
-- A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT Cold air intake FRPP 3.73 gears Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers (self-installed woohoo) Hi-speed fan switch
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