Grey iron(3-4% carbon) Failure takes place along the weak cementite plates.Cast iron has good damping property which absorb the vibrations. Hence ther are used for making bed for the machines.This particular property of cast iron to damp vibration can be understood by considering cast iron as a composite with pearlite as matrix and graphite as dispersed phase.These dispersed phase Cause a number of internal reflection of the vibration which cause vibration to fade away with time.Ans.1- Why Cast Iron :- Structural rigidity High strength, especially in compression, Good strength to weight ratio, High machinability, Corrosion resistance, Inherently sound absorbing, Excellent castability, making it easy to cast into complex shapes with simple and inexpensive patterns and Relative abundance or raw materials1. GCI has exceptionally high damping capacity than steel.2. GCI is way more cheaper than steel.So Economy wise and Property required wise it fits the top slot. The aim of this instructable is to make a wood lathe from recycled and scrap materials and use it to make some lovely things.
You can use it to make beautiful birthday and Christmas pressies for family and friends and to craft all manner of things to help in other projects. To make yourself a load of wooden kitchen bowls, plates, utensils, etc. To make arrows, door and draw knobs, staffs, axles, beautiful ornaments, flower pots, light shades... The list is endless. Making a lathe is fun! Designing one yourself and using free or cheap materials is even better. This instructable shows how I did it. I got ideas from lots of places on the internet (including other instructables - do a search for 'lathe') and formulated my design as I collected materials. This lathe is made almost exclusively from stuff other people threw away or didn't have use for anymore, and a big part of the challenge is creatively using these readily available materials. You will probably want to vary your own design from mine, as you will inevitably find you can get your hands on different bits. Don't worry though I will try my best to offer techniques and advice (including where the best places are to get stuff), anyway it is much more exciting when you have a hand in the design process.
I would love to hear what you guys use to make your designs.A more complete and up to date set of instructions for this project and videos of the lathe, and other bits and bobs can be found on our blog at: http://www.floweringelbow.co.uk I use some basic power tools in making this, and I meddled (carefully!) with mains voltage, so the usual safety precautions must apply. Always wear eye and ear protection when using power tools and lung protection when making dust. Be very careful and get qualified help (if you need it) with main voltage etc. The lathe itself can be very dangerous, following good practice, and designing in safety, is the best method of staying out of harms way. I will hopefully cover some of these points, but ultimately you're doing this at your own risk, so please take care!Step 1: Acquiring the motorShow All Items For this you are either going to buy a motor, or scavenge and reuse one. Favouring the latter and more environmentally-friendly option, this instructable assumes you will scavenge one.
The picture shows an old washing machine motor salvaged from a machine my parents were throwing out. These tend to be a good and surprisingly plentiful (keep your eyes out) source of one horsepower series wound commutator motors. It should provide plenty enough power to drive a small wood lathe like the one I am planning. If you do get a washing machine motor try and grab the whole machine - then in the comfort of your own home you can take your time to work out how the wiring went. If like me you were on a time budget to get it away from your parents sub-Arctic outside shed just cut it out and get as much of the electronics as possible. To extract the motor, turn the machine upside-down and you should be able to see the motor. It is now simply a case of unbolting it from its mountings. These motors can be run off both DC and AC making them quite versatile little beasties. In the picture I am testing the motor with a DC bench supply, made from an old computer PSU (power supply unit - check out Sitnalta's instructable).
DO NOT CONNECT THE MOTOR TO MAINS VOLTAGE without any load attached. Series wound motors have no theoretical limit to their speed and the centrifugal forces can fling the motor armature apart! Even with a modest load a direct connection to 240V mains is a bad idea, as the speeds are likely to strain the bearings, brushes and frame - all of which are not designed for unlimited power without a hefty mechanical load. Another way to test a motor of this sort without a bench-top supply is to attach a 1000W electric heater wire between the brushes. The current passing through the resistance wire should be enough to limit the speed of the motor.Step 9: The Lathe BedShow All Items« PreviousNext »View All Steps Download New (3) from $127.42 Delta Industrial 46-463 Modular Midi-Lathe Bed ExtensionDetailsDelta Industrial 46-464 Midi-Lathe Modular Stand Extension FREE Shipping. DetailsDelta Industrial 46-460 12-1/2-Inch Variable-Speed Midi Lathe FREE Shipping. Includes Midi-Lathe Bed Extension - 46-463.
29.4 x 11.3 x 9.5 inches #243,555 in Home Improvements (See top 100) #290 in Home Improvement > Power & Hand Tools > Power Tool Parts & Accessories > Lathe Parts & Accessories > Accessories 40.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Item can be shipped within U.S. This item can be shipped to select countries outside of the U.S. Learn More 5 star71%4 star21%3 star4%2 star4%See all verified purchase reviewsTop Customer ReviewsWell made, stout and rock solidFirst the finsh was rough it definitely dies not have the polished bed like the latheSolid extensionMidi Lathe bed extensionTurned baseball bats on my Midi-Lathe with this extension. ...seems like a simple hunk of metalFour StarsGood addition Learn more about Amazon GiveawayUser ReviewedHow to Use a Wood Lathe Wood lathes can be used to create functional furniture components, beautiful decorative wood projects such as candlesticks and bowls, or even toys such as tops and yo yos. These machines range in size from hobby models that fit on a work bench to large industrial-sized machines weighing hundreds of pounds, but they all share some basic elements.
Here are some instructions for using these unique machines. Select a lathe suitable for your project. Bench top lathes can be ideal for turning small projects like ink pens and yo-yos, larger machines may be used for making spindles used in furniture and handrail styles. Here are some differences in wood lathe specifications: Bed length is the distance between centers, or the maximum length of the stock that can be turned. Swing is the term used to describe the largest diameter stock that can be turned. Horsepower is the amount of torque the lathe motor develops, which in turn will determine how heavy an item can be turned without overloading this critical component. RPMs are the revolutions per minute the stock can be turned. Here, note that most, if not all lathes have variable speed capabilities. A lathe with a very low speed range allows the user to start a piece of odd shaped, unbalanced stock without excessive vibration, and high speed machines can speed the work while making obtaining a fine, smooth finish easier to achieve.
Heavier machines with cast iron beds and steel frames offer a good, solid work platform, but can be difficult to move if you are operating it in a crowded workshop where you will be storing it when it is not in use. Choose the lathe operation you are going to begin with. A simple task might be to turn a square or irregularly shaped piece of wood to a true cylindrical shape, often the first step to forming a spindle or other round item. Select the correct cutting tools for your objective. Lathe tools are called chisels. They feature long, round, curved handles to afford a solid grip and sufficient leverage to enable the turner to control the cutting edge accurately with minimal fatigue. Common wood chisels simply are too short and are ill-designed for this purpose. Here are a few of the many types turning tools you may find:These usually have specially shaped cutting edges for performing particular cuts, such as bowl gouges, with concave, curved cutting edges to form the smooth, curved surface of a bowl, or vee, or knurling gouges for cutting grooves or knurls in wooden spindles.
These are often flat or slightly curved chisels for removing wood from flat or cylindrical shapes, or for roughing out a shape.These are thin, vee tipped tools for cutting off work pieces. Spoon cutters have a spoon shaped cutting edge and are also often used for shaping bowls. Other tools you may encounter are skew chisels, fluted gouges, spindle gouges, and nose chisels. Learn the components of your lathe. A basic wood lathe consists of a bed, headstock, tailstock, and tool rest. Here are the functions of each of these parts. The headstock consists of the drive train, including the motor, pulleys, belts, and spindle, and for a right handed turner, will be located on the left end of the lathe. Mounted on the end of the headstock facing the tailstock is the spindle and the spur center or for face turning such as bowls and plates, or other flat or face work, the face plate assembly. The tail stock is the free spinning end of the lathe, and has the tailstock spindle and the cup center, as well as a hand-wheel or other feature for clamping or securing the work piece between the lathe centers.
The tool rest is similar to a mechanical arm with a metal guide bar to support the chisel used for turning the work piece. It usually can be adjusted by sliding the length of the bed at its base, with an intermediate arm that can swing from a parallel to a perpendicular position in relation to the lathe bed, and the upper arm, which holds the actual tool rest bar. This assembly has as many as three swivel joints, all of which tighten with a setscrew or clamp to keep it secure while turning is in progress. Read your owner's manual before proceeding with actual lathe work for specific instructions, features and detailed safety instructions. Select a suitable piece of wood for your project.Never turn a split piece of stock, or one with loose knots Cut the stock to the desired length. Mark the center of each end of your stock, and position it between the lathe centers. Position the tool rest parallel to the length of the work piece, keeping it far enough back to allow the work piece to rotate without hitting it, but as close as possible.
Free spin, or hand turn the work piece to make sure it doesn't hit the tool rest. Choose the chisel you will use for the turning operation.roughing gougein Turn the lathe on, making sure it is at the lowest speed setting.easing Feel the resistance of the cutting edge and watch the size of the chips being cut from the work piece. Begin moving the cutting edge parallel to the rotation of the work piece, continuing to make a light cut along its length.cant Continue pushing the tool into the stock gradually, in passes, so that you remove a roughly equal amount of wood with each pass. Stop the lathe frequently when you are just beginning, to check your progress, look for stress cracks in the wood, and clear debris which may begin to accumulate on the lathe bed. You may want to use a pair of calipers to check the diameter of your work piece along its length so you finish with the desired diameter. Smooth the finished round work piece by increasing your lathe speed, and holding your cutting tool so it barely contacts the wood, then moving it slowly along the work piece’s length.finer
Sand the work piece when you are finished cutting if desired. Show more unanswered questions Use measuring tools for repeat projects. Calipers and templates allow you to reproduce a design repeatedly. Keep your chisels sharp! Stop your work piece frequently to inspect, measure, and make comparisons to templates while turning. Once you have removed too much wood from the work piece, you have a very labor intensive piece of firewood. Choose appropriate woods for your projects. Woods with excessive resinous oil sap, knotty, splinter nature, or very high moisture contents do not tend to give good results for beginner wood turners. Allow lots of practice time. This is machine-assisted hand work, and perfect results cannot be expected overnight. Look for non-typical wood for turning. Tree limbs, gnarly wood too tough to split, scrap lumber, and other sources can give you an excellent variety of turning stock. Keep your work area brightly lit and clean.
Buy the highest quality turning tools you can afford, and buy an assortment for different turning tasks. Always keep close watch in case of an emergency. Start small, projects like yo yos, tops, and drumsticks use small, inexpensive piece of lumber. Be aware of loose clothing or hanging strings or ties, keep all clothing well away from spinning project.. Do not operate the lathe if excessive vibration is noticed. Consider a turner's smock, a heavy, full body apron when turning large work pieces and making heavy cuts. Turn off the lathe and allow it to come to a complete stop before leaving the machine. Observe all safety tips found on the machine. Free spin your work pieces before turning the lathe on to make sure they clear the tool rest. Wear eye protection, preferably a face shield, when turning. Wear a respirator when working with woods that create fine dust (such as junipers, cedars, and very tight-grained hardwoods like black walnut) or woods you may be allergic to.