Wood Lathe for Light Artsy Metal Shaping

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Just thinking out loud...I see a bunch of wood lathes for less than $100 on Craigslist. I'm looking at an old Craftsman that is old school, pretty stout.All I'd probably do is cut decorative grooves into metal bar stock, maybe taper ends to a dull point, etc.Using carbide tipped wood working chisels and the tool rest - is there any reason it wouldn't work?Yeswelder MIG-205DS(3) Angle Grinders at the ReadyJust a hobbyist trying to improve
Reply:Reasons why it wouldn't work. No rigidity, too fast of spindle speed, no set depth of cut and probably a lot more things that make this a bad idea.
Reply:probably a lot more things that make this a bad idea.
Reply:add me to the list of advising against. unless of course you have intentions of perhaps turning some wood. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk:
Reply:I dunno, I remember reading an article in an early 60's Popular Mechanics magazine about people doing just that with cast iron and non ferrous metals on a wood lathe using centers, a faceplate, and drive dog. Mostly for decorative pieces without dimensional tolerances, you definitely want long sturdy chisels.
Reply:I'll start a list of saying "film it". Could be an interesting watch.Lincoln 330MPXLincoln Power Mig 256Lincoln LN-25X Wire FeederMagnum PRO 250LX GT Spool GunLincoln AC/DC 225¼ Ton of Torches OFC-A OFG-AAir Carbon Arc Gouging CAC-AEverlast 62i Plasma CutterIngersoll Rand T-30 14hpInstagram: #Freebird Welds
Reply:I have a nice variable speed wood lathe and on a few occasions I have chucked up a piece of metal to do similar to what you are suggesting. Nothing critical nor precise nor requiring a lot of machining. Example- a piece of round rod that I want a pointed end. I turned it slow and used an angle grinder to shape the end. I was careful no sparks hit the headstock or motor. I agree I would not misuse it for quantities or precision but it can handy for decorative stuff like you do. If you find a cheap lathe and that is your intended purpose for it, try it out. Protection equipment is a given!Burt _____________________Miller Syncrowave 250Millermatic 211Miller 375 Plasma Cutter Hobart Handler 120www.10FtDrillBit.comwww.MyWelds.com - pictures of my work
Reply:Not likely enough horsepower for spinning and I wouldn't try machining metal with hand held tools. Maybe if you could mount a cross slide securely to the bed you could mount lathe tools to it. Maybe. But it won't be real handy without a longitudinal feed as well. Ever seen a chisel fly past your head(hopefully past) at 120 mph? Don't want to either.As wb4rt mentioned grinding could be safer.Last edited by Meltedmetal; 10 Hours Ago at 05:42 PM.---Meltedmetal
Reply:Just a lazy Sunday afternoon thought experiment. I'm in no hurry for an ER visit...

Yeswelder MIG-205DS(3) Angle Grinders at the ReadyJust a hobbyist trying to improve
Reply:I think for the purposes of what you discussed a woodworking lathe would work.  You could also use it for blending and polishing.  Having said that unless you have the experience and knowledge of using a metal cutting lathe to a high level of competency I would avoid what you are suggesting.  Without an intimate knowledge of the physics and forces involved in cutting not to mention proper cutting angles and relief angles for your tools you are creating a recipe for disaster.  And that disaster could happen in the blink of an eye and the consequences are very unforgiving.I work with a metal lathe fairly often and would not have any issues using a wood lathe for what you described.
Reply:

Originally Posted by Weld_

I think for the purposes of what you discussed a woodworking lathe would work.  You could also use it for blending and polishing.  Having said that unless you have the experience and knowledge of using a metal cutting lathe to a high level of competency I would avoid what you are suggesting.  Without an intimate knowledge of the physics and forces involved in cutting not to mention proper cutting angles and relief angles for your tools you are creating a recipe for disaster.  And that disaster could happen in the blink of an eye and the consequences are very unforgiving.I work with a metal lathe fairly often and would not have any issues using a wood lathe for what you described.
Reply:If you are using it for steel, be careful as others have mentioned. If you are going to use it for aluminum, it will be a bit easier on you and the part. Here are some pics from a guy who went to Mount Everest and recovered a bunch of the aluminum oxygen bottles. He makes really nice bells from them using a wood lathe. http://www.bellsfromeverest.com/the_...e_process.html


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