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New challenge! Make an easy plan to turn an old bike into a lathe!

 
pollinator
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Hello,

I would like to challenge the inventor of the Rocket oven and his team, to Design a blue print for a very easy and effective lathe, made really cheap!

It has to be human powered!
Has to be able for anyone to make, following pictures!
It has to be able to be able to put together and store!

Again all sourced from ready materials found anywhere on the planet!


Sincere regards,
Alex

 
pollinator
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It's been done.



Pole lathes have existed for hundreds of years. The only metal needed is in the headstock to hold the work piece, and the tooling itself.
 
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While a person could take a stationary bike, remove the rear tire and place a belt around the rim and then around the piece, I believe it would be an uncomfortable combo to pedal as well as use both hand in a forward position to handle the tools.

The treadle method shown above would work better in my opinion, as you can switch feet and move around as needed, and it's less gear needed in the same spot.
 
Michael Cox
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I think it would probably require a second person to pedal while you work, which makes it untenable compared to the single person setups.
 
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I've seen spring poles lathes made with leaf springs as well.  I like the idea of the weighted flywheel with a constant one way spin.

https://www.instructables.com/Foot-Powered-Lathe/
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=pedal+lathe&view=detail&mid=DAA24B86DBC5D753F133DAA24B86DBC5D753F133&FORM=VIRE
 
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Step one - move the back wheel to the front since its got the sprocket.  
Step two - add second sprocket to the front wheel (other side maybe)
Step three -add sprocket to the spindle/chuck/spinny bit
Step four - use chain to connect sprocket 1 and 2 (pedals to front wheel), use another chain to connect 3 and 4 (front wheel to chuck/spindle/spinny part)

You should be able to get all the bits you need off old bicycles and you'll be facing the work piece so it should be a one person operation.  Might not be super fast, but you could get say a geared sprocket and gear controls, it might end up being quite nice.
 
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Michael Cox wrote:It's been done.



Pole lathes have existed for hundreds of years. The only metal needed is in the headstock to hold the work piece, and the tooling itself.



Just watched a video on this!
 
Alex Mowbray
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Hello,

Thank you to all above responders,

Also Would really Like blue prints and instructions! Sizes and scales would be great names of each part! Ikea or better please!
 
Michael Cox
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There are literally thousands of different sets of plans and instructions all over the internet. Spend an hour or so watching videos/reading etc... so you get a sense of what they are. Users of these lathes typically customise them to suit their materials and personal needs, so they often look quite varied.
 
Michael Cox
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Lisa Sampson wrote:Step one - move the back wheel to the front since its got the sprocket.  
Step two - add second sprocket to the front wheel (other side maybe)
Step three -add sprocket to the spindle/chuck/spinny bit
Step four - use chain to connect sprocket 1 and 2 (pedals to front wheel), use another chain to connect 3 and 4 (front wheel to chuck/spindle/spinny part)

You should be able to get all the bits you need off old bicycles and you'll be facing the work piece so it should be a one person operation.  Might not be super fast, but you could get say a geared sprocket and gear controls, it might end up being quite nice.



Technically possible, yes. Desirable? I'm not so sure.

Working a lathe requires steady hands, and the motion of pedalling a bike typically puts a reasonable amount of motion into the rider. The traditional pole lathe gives the worker a firm foundation for the tool, the workpiece and their own body. Potters wheels also need to spin, and manual wheels typically use a pedal system as well, rather than a bike style arrangement.
 
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