# can i turn a piece of nylon on a woodturning lathe



## johnphilip (5 May 2014)

one of my awning poles the nylon / plastic part has snapped i have a piece of nlyon, was wondering if i could turn it down to size on my wood lathe and what chisels would i use. ?.... Thanks for reading.











mod edit: duplicate posts merged together


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## RogerP (5 May 2014)

I've turned small pieces of nylon and even brass quite successfully by hand on my old wood lathe using sharp scrapers. Approach the nylon with the tool cutting edge at dead centre height and horizontal. Support close to the work and take very fine cuts.

I've now bolted a modified cheap compound vice to the lathe bed and cobbled-up a tool post to use metal cutting tools with brass - and made-made stuff. Within its limitations it works well enough to turn small bits and bobs. 

I use a Oneway Talon 4-jaw scroll chuck and, where necessary, a tail live centre.


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## NickWelford (5 May 2014)

Nylon is very easy to turn, just think of it as a kind of wood. You do get long streams of ribbon coming off but it cuts easily. Try to avoid generating heat though.


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## Richard863 (5 May 2014)

Hi John
Sharp tools in scraper mode and slow speed. Alternatively have you tried POLYMORPH mouldable PVC I got mine from the electrical components shop (the big M)


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## deserter (5 May 2014)

I've turned plastic pen blanks, just use normal tools but make sure they're sharp. And I found the plastic blunts them quite fast. 
I'd giver a go just keep a close eye on what's happening as you do.

Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk


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## Lons (5 May 2014)

Definitely can John.

Use your usual chisels / skew but keep the speed down as nylon doesn't like being overheated. Be wary as the shavings can come off a bit warm :lol: 
keep the tools sharp - a sharp scraper works very well btw and if you need to polish it the best way is wet sanding.

there are different grades of nylon with different properties, some harder than others and it may not even be nylon that you have as several other materials look very like it. Doesn't matter as they should serve your purpose anway.

Bob


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## johnphilip (5 May 2014)

I have started on it this evening i had to keep stopping the lathe as the curly bits kept ticking me nose as they span around  
I am using a scraper and keep retouching it on the grinder.


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## Grahamshed (6 May 2014)

johnphilip":3kiw62js said:


> I have started on it this evening i had to keep stopping the lathe as the curly bits kept ticking me nose as they span around


Is that long shavings or a long nose ?


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## chipmunk (6 May 2014)

I find that nylon cuts much better than it scrapes. 
Use a gouge or parting tool but as you say the ribbons are a bit of a nuisance and need to be cleared frequently. 

HTH
Jon


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## tekno.mage (6 May 2014)

Nylon is easy enough to turn with either a gouge or a scraper - don't go too fast or it might melt. The shavings are a real nuisance though, they wind all round the work, the tailstock, everything, and stick to your hands when you try and remove them because of the static generated.


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## ste297 (10 Jun 2015)

hi sorry to bring back an old thread but i noticed that RogerP had made a tool holder for his wooden lathe and i was wondering if anyone had done the same thing

how easy was it to do and has anyone got any pictures or plans they can upload as i would love to copy the idea so that i can turn metal etc on my wood lathe

cheers

steven


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## RogerP (10 Jun 2015)

It's only satisfactory for very simple stuff. Wood turning lathes/chucks simply aren't built to the same accuracy as a metal turning lathe. They're okay for metal spinning though (cup, dishes, goblets etc). Far as I know there aren't any plans - just cobble something up. That's what I did and it spurred me on to getting a proper metal turning lathe again (had one years ago).


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## dickm (10 Jun 2015)

Myford actually made a compound slide rest specifically for the Mystro (I've got one) and there was also one for the ML8 if memory serves me right. Easy enough for them to do, as they could just borrow from their metalworking lathes. As others say, wood lathe isn't rigid enough for precision metalworking, but they do come in handy occasionally, especially for plastics.


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