Hi there. I was wondering how good drill press lathes are. I was
thinking of turning a couple of egg holders as part of a Christmas
gift. I don't have the money for a full lathe, so I was wondering if
a drill press lathe might be up to the task.

Thanks

John

On Oct 20, 8:12*am, julvr wrote:
Hi there. *I was wondering how good drill press lathes are. *I was
thinking of turning a couple of egg holders as part of a Christmas
gift. *I don't have the money for a full lathe, so I was wondering if
a drill press lathe might be up to the task.

Thanks

John

They can work for small items, but you need to remember that the
bearings in a drill press are not made for side thrust forces, so will
wear out more quickly.

On Oct 20, 8:12*am, julvr wrote:
Hi there. *I was wondering how good drill press lathes are. *

I tried a drill press "lathe" once and didn't like it at all. I found
that the drill press seemed to be able to turn the wood OK, but the
tool rest was much too flimsy to hold the cutting tool firmly enough
to make a good cut. A gouge, etc would vibrate too much. With a lot
of care, you might be able to turn a rough shape, but I think fine
work would be difficult or impossible. The tool wasn't worth the $20
that I paid for it. Also, I found that attempting to turn something
that was rotating on a vertical axis was ungainly at best.

Instead of investing time and money in this inadequate and awkward
imitation lathe, I would borrow time on a friend's lathe or rent time
on a lathe in a craft center. Or maybe take a mini course in a
woodworking store, if that is handy for you. You could learn
something new and meet a number of other woodturners, too.

Bob

Stuart wrote:

In article

,
Bob in NC wrote:
Also, I found that attempting to turn something
that was rotating on a vertical axis was ungainly at best.

Ah, sorry, I think I must have misunderstood. The device I have
is horizontal and you fix an ordinary electric drill to it as
the power source.

I was not aware you could obtain a device to turn a vertical
drill into a lathe. I agree it would be very strange trying to
use it.

I've done it when I needed to make some pins from a 3/8" dowel. I
put the dowel in the chuck, and for a tool rest I put a piece of
scrap wood in a vice to hold it parallel to the dowel. It wasn't
fun, but it did work. I bought a small lathe shortly after that.

In article ,
darkon wrote:

Stuart wrote:

In article

,
Bob in NC wrote:
Also, I found that attempting to turn something
that was rotating on a vertical axis was ungainly at best.

Ah, sorry, I think I must have misunderstood. The device I have
is horizontal and you fix an ordinary electric drill to it as
the power source.

I was not aware you could obtain a device to turn a vertical
drill into a lathe. I agree it would be very strange trying to
use it.

I've done it when I needed to make some pins from a 3/8" dowel. I
put the dowel in the chuck, and for a tool rest I put a piece of
scrap wood in a vice to hold it parallel to the dowel. It wasn't
fun, but it did work. I bought a small lathe shortly after that.

I built a toolrest from scrap 3/4" pine and made a dead center from 1/4"
soft iron rod. Both parts clamp to the DP table. The dead center helps a
lot. This rig works ok for making tool handles. Yes, the vertical
orientation is a pain. For occasional small jobs it's adequate.

--
"Keep your ass behind you."