Drill press as a lathe

[Eshmiel]

NO, not a proper one and only for small items like tool handles and drawer knobs, honest!

But are they truly useable? I have a large floor standing drill press (Nova Voyager) that has plenty of power and a variable speed, electronically controlled, from 50 - 5,500 rpm. But is a gubbins to provide a vertical tool rest and a bearing steadying the chuck to prevent sideways forced on a workpiece undoing the morse taper a safe and effective thing?

At present I'm making quite a few tool handles; and I like to make my own knobs for boxes, drawers, cupboards and such. I have no room for a lathe so I've been carving handles & knobs, which takes time and never produces truly symmetrical items. I've use small rasps to make some very small knobs and that seems safe enough although I worry about the chuck falling out of the motor arbour.

Any advice, especially from those who've tried such a thing, is welcome.

 

[Amplidyne]

Before I had a lathe, I used to do this for knobs and so on in my inherited Walker Turner drill. It's 35 years ago or more, and so I've forgotten exactly how I set it up. I do remember it being awkward though.

 

[Katomi woodsmith]

I used one on my pillar drill… ruined the bearings as there is side ways pressure

 

[Stigmorgan]

The whole design of a drill press is for vertical pressure, the horizontal pressures you'll apply by using it as a lathe will quickly damage the bearings

 

[Eshmiel]

I'll accept that advice and avoid the thing.

Does the same apply to sanding drums, even with a bottom bearing to keep the whole caboodle vertical? I have such a thing but rarely use it. Perhaps "rarely" is a good idea!

 

[mwinfrance]

if you want to use a drill as a lathe for small things , you are as well off getting a cheap power drill with variable speed, mounting it horizontal on a board and using it as a tail stock less lathe, You could even knock up a tailstock and some rails w and a toolrest with some tube and some bar stock and a couple of bearings. Youtube has loads of videos by people who have made "small things" lathes from horizontal mounted drill.A Japanese guy ( whose name escapes me ) has done some very neat ones, as has someone from South America. I think that the Canadian who makes wooden band saws may also have done an "alternative" lathe.

Re the drum sander, I'd put a bearing on the top and some metal supports out to the frame on that , would last far longer.

 

[Richard_C]

if you want to use a drill as a lathe for small things , you are as well off getting a cheap power drill with variable speed, mounting it horizontal on a board and using it as a tail stock less lathe

My first "lathe" which I used to make many small items was an old 2 speed Wolf drill in an equally ancient horizontal drill stand. The drive centre was one of those 2 pronged 6mm hex screwdriver bits you get in the sets you use for dismantling things that aren't designed to be dismantled. The tailstock was a wooden block with some threaded bar and 2 wing nuts out of my bits box, so it could be adjusted, the live centre was a the writy-end of a metal bodied ball point pen. Tool rest was a length of aluminium angle I had lying around. It's easy to make up a mini faceplate that fits in the drill chuck, I adapted a Meccano brass wheel with holes. No proper gouges, I used 2 reground old chisels scraper style. Cost=nothing. Hours of fun. My 80+ year old wooden desk had knobs on all its drawers.

Then I bought a real one ....

 

[Eshmiel]

My first "lathe" which I used to make many small items was an old 2 speed Wolf drill in an equally ancient horizontal drill stand. The drive centre was one of those 2 pronged 6mm hex screwdriver bits you get in the sets you use for dismantling things that aren't designed to be dismantled. The tailstock was a wooden block with some threaded bar and 2 wing nuts out of my bits box, so it could be adjusted, the live centre was a the writy-end of a metal bodied ball point pen. Tool rest was a length of aluminium angle I had lying around. It's easy to make up a mini faceplate that fits in the drill chuck, I adapted a Meccano brass wheel with holes. No proper gouges, I used 2 reground old chisels scraper style. Cost=nothing. Hours of fun. My 80+ year old wooden desk had knobs on all its drawers.

Then I bought a real one ....

As it happens, I too have an old Wolf drill, probably from the early 70s. It has multispeeds, reverse and a hammer action, all switchable. It also has a knackered bearing ahind the chuck, making it wobble; and I can't get the bluddy chuck off. Well, now I must, to use it in a drill-lathe as described by you and MWinF.

I also have a Metabo drill I no longer use as a drill but have clamped to a bench for use with spongey sanding discs on the spoons & bowls and as a means to twirl MDF discs charged with honing paste, to sharpen knives. That has one speed of around 500 rpm but an enormous torque (for a hand drill) of 70 Nm. It too might form the power for a drill lathe thingy with bearings to make all steady and precise.

You have distracted me from my relief carving intentions now!

 

[Katomi woodsmith]

I had one of those black and decker lathes that you put the drill into. They made sanders and criclur saw attachments
The lathe bounced like anything