My Homemade Metal Lathe Project

If you want to see a video series of someone making this lathe design from scratch (right from casting aluminum), here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBuUOO3qn30

I was amazed at the accuracy and surface finish he could achieve with homemade parts.

If you enjoy absurd precision and accuracy, have a look at Dan Gelbart's older videos where he fabricobbles together a custom milling machine and grinder with air bearings that can work parts down to 1 micron. No lapping needed.

https://youtu.be/sFrVdoOhu1Q

PS: More power to the professors who go into business and reach "F everyone money".

https://www.bctechnology.com/news/2021/2/11/Vancouver-based-...

I like the idea at least of the late Dave Gingery's books: start with a home-made foundry, progress to a lathe.

I don't think I could suffer the janky gimcrack I would come up with though — I suspect even the bargain Harbor Freight lathes would put mine to shame.

There's also this: http://opensourcemachinetools.org/concrete-lathe/

Living my dream. I hope I can afford to start doing this some day. I work on small antique machines and would love to cast small replacement parts.

Careful with that lathe Eugene!