Precision Without a Lathe?

[WXYZCIENCE]

The following plate was made without a lathe yet it is very precise. The material used here is 1/2" polyethylene (Puck board).




The bit pictured here is used for European style cabinet hinges. The drill press depth setting sets the shoulder thickness.




A very common 6202 sealed bearing fits snuggly into the hole.




Using the bearings accuracy I turned the outer edge. I clamped the bearing tight to the top of my table saw and slowly rotated the puck board. After each rotation I raised the blade height 1/8". Thus a precision end plate. I have also used aluminum, slower with cutting fluid but much harder.


Joseph.

[vawtman]

Joe what are the future plans of this puck board thing a ma bob

 Nice work

[stephent]

Could use a router table with a straight cut bit as well.

I just gotta get me a lathe though.

Those Zubbly conversions are calling me.

That bit looks kinda like a Forstner bit.

[WXYZCIENCE]

Vawtman, I am using them for end plates for the pvc stator, my RACA ( Radial Air Core Alternator) . I could have used a lathe, but not everyone has a lathe or access to one. This makes the project a challenge but not out of reach for most DIY people.


Joseph.

[powerbuoy]

Very nice! Gives me some good ideas ...

Powerbuoy

[vawtman]

Do you have any width,height,no of poles,slots,rotors material,turns,wire size,Driven turbine Planned

 Oh goodness you dont have to answer at this stage

 Love your work.

[willib]

 Joe

you could also use a dremmel on the permeter of the puck to turn its diameter , i've done that

[windstuffnow]

  Cool stuff there Joseph !  I've been making lots of projects out of scrap plastics lately, found a place that sells end cuts and odd shaped pieces by the pound at a reasonable price.  Actually my local metals supplier just started selling the stuff and I'm down there a couple times a week scarfing up on the good sheets.

  Looking forward to seeing the end result of the radial tube alternator.  

Great work !  

.

[hvirtane]

Looking forward to seeing the end result

of the radial tube alternator.

I would like to second that remark.

Very nice job really.

I will negotiate with my friends

to try doing something similar.

- Hannu

[hvirtane]

Using the bearings accuracy I turned the outer edge. I clamped the bearing tight to the top of my table saw and slowly rotated the puck board. After each rotation I raised the blade height 1/8". Thus a precision end plate. I have also used aluminum, slower with cutting fluid but much harder.

Could you, please publish even some pictures of the job?

- Hannu

[WXYZCIENCE]

Hannu, thank you for the comments. I will most certainly post more detailed pictures as my experiment proceeds.


Joseph.

[Countryboy]

You built a basic lathe.  =)

Rotating workpiece, with an external cutter.

A drill press is another method to make an improvised lathe.  Run a bolt through a center hole in the workpiece with a nut to lock the piece to the bolt, and then chuck the bolt in your drill press.  Clamp a cutter in a vise located for the correct diameter, and use the handwheel on your drill press to feed the part past the cutter.

Drill press bearings aren't designed for side thrusts of cutting like this, so be sure you take very small cuts.  It's not the most efficient way of turning a diameter, but it will work.

The origins of lathes are believed to have began by suspending a workpiece between two trees, so that it could spin.  A small sapling tree located nearby would have a rope tied to it, and the workpiece would have a wrap or two of the rope around it.  The sapling would be bent over, and when released it would spin the workpiece.  A small sapling is sometimes called a lath, which is how the name lathe is believed to have originated.  (Perhaps a flexible lath board was used instead of a sapling too.)