Kate wrote:

| For me where I am having the trouble is the stand, and the piece
| that should tighten onto the piece to hold it in. and then turn...
|
| If you have any brainstorms for this sort of thing, I would be
| tickled pink to hear from you

If you're looking for someone who knows a little about building
lathes, I reckon I know as little as anyone... :-)

I like the idea of picking up an inexpensive used lathe, it's an
option I hadn't considered.

I also like the DIY approach. I'd guess that for something as light as
cribbage pegs, it should be possible to build a tiny lathe on a piece
of 3/4" ply. There needs to be a secure motor support, a toolrest, and
a tailstock with a center that lines up with the center of the motor
shaft.

I think I'd try a pair of gizmos "sorta like" the attached sketch -
one on the motor shaft, and one on a piece of all-thread through the
tailstock. I'd paint the cone at the motor end with something to
prevent work slippage (mix of grit and glue?) and the cone at the
tailstock end with something that promotes slippage (beeswax?).

You probably wouldn't want to turn anything much bigger than cribbage
pegs on something like this, but it might provide a really economical
way to get started and learn from experience what features you'd
really like to have in a factory machine...

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/