SpudFiles

i have a wood lathe, it looks something like this <img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000 ... ZZZZZZ.jpg">
i want to know if i can use PVC on it. my dads keep on telling me iff i use pvc on it the pvc will just shater. so can i use pvc on it or not?

You can use ABS. PVC will just shater

Can I ask why it will shatter?

PVC wouldn't shatter on a wood lathe, if you know what you're doing. But you won't be able to do any precision cuts (piston, valve, etc.) besides maybe a muzzle knife I don't really see any use.

all i want to do is decrease the OD some pipe, will i be able to do that? how much does a nice lathe cost anyway?

It all depends on the size you want. There is a small one that will handle up to 4" http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/D ... mber=44859

And the one that I hope iam getting will handel 7" stock. http://www.mikestools.com/321100k-Jet-B ... Stand.aspx
There are some that can handel 24". I would buy one that you need. I say go with the bigger one if price in not a issue.

I suppose the PVC will not shatter if a slow feed rate is used. Although not sure how easy that is on a wood lathe.

WOW, that first link to the HF lathe you have will accept up to 8" stock Well that is if you have a big enough chuck. Strange enough, I ordered that lathe and its in the mail right now! IDK why you would need that 1,300$ lathe you posted. Surely its proably a bit more "heavy-duty", but I mean most of us wont venture out of plastic and AL. That in comparision is like a chainsaw to butter.

No, I think that means a 8" swing and 12" to the centers. I might be wrong. And the reason I was going to get it is becasue I work a mechine shop part time and have to get my own tools for it. So later on Iam going to need a lathe.

"No, I think that means a 8" swing and 12" to the centers."~WOW!!

Thats what ive been saying... The 8" measurement is how much "space" it has before for the material will hit the bed of the lathe. AKA the measurement from the center of the spindle to the base of the bed times two to get the diameter. Sure its not that much if you need to get the your tooling perpindcular to the work peice, but just the measurement before your work peice will be obstructed by the bed. 12" as you well know is from the chuck to the tail stock, which means if using the tailstock you can only work things up to ~12". Although one of those steady rests or whatever can be added to allow you to work with longer peices.

You work at a machine shop for any amount of time and you dont know what swing on a lathe is? *Pssssh!* lol What some people take for granite...

I've used PVC on a wood lathe and it has never shattered.

As it has been mentioned here already. Precision is difficult. Aligning the pipe requires something cone shaped on each end to center into the pipe and even then, turning it down is hard.

"something cone shaped" ~sgort87

Bull-nose live center.

Bought one of them for my lathe after BLB suggested it.

Pimp, Iam not allowed to get near the mechine becasue if I get hurt of something they are fucked. So I just sweep floors. SOMETIMES I get to use the CNC but not all the time.
*Pssssh!* lol What some people take for granite... Trust me, If i was able to get near them I would learn as much as I could. So no I dont take things for granted because one day you could have it and the next day it could be gone.

irwinner wrote:all i want to do is decrease the OD some pipe, will i be able to do that? how much does a nice lathe cost anyway?

I don't think you would be able to lathe down the diameter of your pipe with a wood lathe because there would be almost no way to control the cut that accurately.

You can find a good metal cutting lathe for between $300-$500 for smaller machines try EBay or Harbor Fright Tools.

Yea you can, just get a caliper and take a little off at a time and keep checking the O.D.

Sure you can check the size, but how are you going to get a straight cut all the way along a piece of pipe.