Using a Drill Press as Metal Lathe - Simple Life Hack

Using a drill press and my angle grinder, I turn down a decorative piece by hand. This is by no means accurate as far as machining is concerned, but it is handy if you need to make a piece fit or do something artsy, this is perfect.

This video is for entertainment purposes only and I do not endorse using your drill press as a lathe. In other words, the whole don't try this at home deal. I am not responsible for your actions.

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[bob]

Just a word of warning to anyone who want to try this, most drill presses use a morse taper to hold in the chuck so with enough radial pressure it is very possible to loosen the taper and have the whole chuck fall out on you. Same reason you never want to use endmills in a drill press. Just somthing to keep in mind if anyone else wants to try somthing like this.

[tinytonymaloney]

I did a similar thing to make a metal pin many years ago. Never had a pillar drill then, I had wedged my battery drill in the vice, used some velcro strip to hold the trigger in, it worked well. "Adaptive* was my middle name that day for sure.
I didn't realise till afterwards when I was patting myself on the back for being so clever that the sparks had caught my big hank of wire wool alight below the vice on the lower bench shelf. All I could hear was a crackling sound. Luckily the wire wool was in a cut open plastic container and I was able to grab it quick and throw it out onto the drive. Never knew until then how flammable wire wool was. I keep it in a closed container now. Garage stunk of smoke for ages afterwards, missus kept asking about the smell, never ever confessed to almost burning the garage down that day 😵😵
The DIY shop was only 10 min drive up the road where I could have bought the correct bit as well 😂😂

[keyproductions]

you don't need the grinder, just the disc, it will take a bit longer but you will gain maximum control, you could even use pieces of wood in a stack to lay the grinding disc on which will allow you to adjust the height of the cutting disc and will keep your cuts true and consistant

[mountainviews]

So so very funny seeing a guy in his garage doing metal work with his wife's jacket on thumbs up man you made my day

[asfcharters]

Try using a good file to make it even and the wet and dry paper to polish it up to a mirror finish

[flytrapjohn]

To get a more even grip on a Jacob's chuck. Tighten as usual, then use the key to tighten on the other holes in the chuck. It's surprising how much force can be added. It also centres better.

[Australia-kykx]

Impressive new use of a drill press. Thanks for posting

[bilbo_gamers]

Could you potentially put a center on the table of your drill press, drill a center hole in your workpiece, and then turn it or file it by hand like you would on a lathe?

[RustyInventions-wzir]

Just found your channel and Subscribed. Very nice work

[rosenrusev]

I have been using this method several times.Of course it is not like the lathe but for some purpose is pretty well.But now I need to to make something bigger.The detail is 20 mm diameter and the chuck is only 16mm.Some idea how to do it?

[confushiarch]

also if you buy an additional chuck you could mount that to the drillpress table to hold a piece for center drilling... with the shape you made that could work as a nozzle bit for connecting to a hose if you centre drill it... then you could tap it to screw into something... so yeah kind usable if somewhat inexact...

alternativly i think you may be able to use a cordinate table to hold a lathe tool bit and work in that way

[chandan]

instead of angle grinder if you had used a clamp with a lathe bit held in place on the bed of the drill press I think you would have got very good results.

[quellenathanar]

I purchased a 1/2 Flange Block Mounted Bearing a few years ago to try something like a DIY jerry-rigged lathe for cheap. You may have inspired me to figure out where I stored the thing. Dividing the load in half by using a fixtured bearing should mitigate the need to replace the chuck/morse for light metal turning anyway. /shrug...will see how it goes.

[paulplatosh]

You could probably use the drill press table to clamp a tool rest, maybe another piece of solid stock to steady your hand

[duminicad]

The chuck wobbles quite a bit, try to address that, you also need a tail stock, a hole in a piece of steel plate that’s aligned with the chuck and a few drops of oil would help

[thereve]

Not bad but a bit dangerous I think, but clearly you're aware of it and have accepted the risk. Might be safer to buy an old wore out wood lathe for doing this for an affordable cost. Still not rigid like a proper metal lathe but can at least take some side loading.

[greasyfingerprints]

You need somewhere to rest your arm. That will help keep the grinder straight and still.

[Felix-winb]

A guy named PostApocalypticGarage made a similar video where he also fixed the grinder to the drillprestable

[louisdellanno]

That came out awesome, I'm going to try this.

[FalconFastest]

Now use this technique to make a full set of chess pieces and that video would get a ton of views!