What do you use your lathe for?

What's the main thing you use your lathe for?

Mine is for my model and toy steam engine hobby/addiction.

Turning things.

I too use my lathe primarily for making model steam engines and tools for my machines.

Thor

My Myford is used for making parts or the tooling to make the parts for the motorcycles I rebuild, it may get used for other thinks when I am too old to ride.

Colin

I make/repair parts for my Lister engines I restore, make new parts for friends and repair anything else thats broken.

Martin P

As Colin above, I use my lathe for making motorcycle parts and tooling. I also help a mate out when he is repairing ground keeping equipment for the local football club. Seem to do more bits for other peoples bikes than my own, with a lathe and Bridgeport mill you get a lot of friends.

Self education by experimentation!

Peter G. Shaw

I,m with Peter Shaw on this one, and like Magpie, for turning things and cutting threads ,boring ect ,ect in fact for loads of things.

I make engineering models, toys, wooden and delrin parts for salt/pepper grinders, batts for the missus' pottery wheel, keyring fobs, metal lightswitch pulls, pendants, and various parts as a volunteer for the local steam railway, such as brass or bronze pipe unions and cones in 'obsolete' sizes, bleed screws with titchy holes in them, steel suspension bushes for locos, refurb bits for various complicated valves - in fact anything that'll fit on my lathe that they can reasonably trust a volunteer to do - whenever they ask.

You'll see most of the range in my album.

It's in use somehow or other most days.

Edited By Mick B1 on 03/07/2019 10:03:52

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Hi, my initial answer when I read the title was exactly the same as Magpie's post. However they all get used for anything and every thing that needs turning. Today for instance, I will be finishing off another bush made from a piece of water pipe, to fit in a new hinge for my sisters shed door. These hinges are meant for a larger pin really, but I don't have any pins for them and anyway her pins are both OK and would make more work than needed to replace them.

Regards Nick.

Plus I just made a new 4,3mm shaft for the little nylon wheel that supports the RH runner in our big kitchen drawer, 'cos the original pin just broke - thus saving about a day's frustrating work trying to find, buy and fit a new runner of the right size and type...

Next job on the list is to repair a set of Highland Bag Pipes. I have not been working on my hot air motors of late, but I have an open crank IC motor that I should get finished to see if it will go, it only needs the ignition coil wired up, the timing sorted out.

The big V pulley is to drive an old computer cooling fan, hoping it will as well as cooling the motor will work as an alternator, possibly enough to operate the ignition, I need at least 3V.

Ian S C

Edited By Ian S C on 03/07/2019 11:28:21

Edited By Ian S C on 03/07/2019 11:33:54

Usually repairing things that were originally plastic and are now metal (or sometimes a machinable plastic). I prefer repairing things to building stuff from scratch but that is about to change as I have decided to build a stationary engine from castings (not decided on specific model yet). Over the years I recon my lathe & mill will have saved thousands in fixing things rather than buying new ones (even the things that are allegedly non fixable).

I think the main thing a lathe does is give you a sense of satisfaction and that of being capable to not rely on availability of bits for repair.

+ one more, here. Perhaps I am lucky that I don’t need to use it as a milling machine?

Some good and interesting answers.

Me, maintenance, all things indoors and outdoors.

Most recent, lawnmower and garden shredder.

Making mechanical parts for the electronics hobby.

Enjoy working with acetal & similar.

Thread turning is very rewarding and therapeutic.

If you are having a bad day, a burst of the lathe is a tonic.

Bear..

Varies according to which one.

Andrew

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I 'only' make clocks,....but while I have been making them I have also used the lathes to make clock-making tools, target airpistol parts, specific piping components, parts for brass musical instruments, a long list of camera parts including prototype technical camera, parts for two-stroke engines, and.......a set of small plastic wheels for a shower enclosure after the manufacturers washed their hands of parts or moral duty......if i scratch my head there's a lot more besides!

That happened to me too. Eventually I realised that I could do everything that I could on the wood lathe on the metal lathe too; and the wood lathe had been a pointless sidetrack. It went.