# Poor man's lathe



## grungerockjeepe (Jan 8, 2007)

Most of us dont have access to the kind of expensive equipment and fully stocked workshops as some of the high rollers out there. But necessity is the mother of invention, right? 

Ive been using this technique to cut down wheels and true tires for a little while now. Basically you chuck an axle into a small drill with whatever part of the tire/wheel you want to modify positioned to the outside. Then choose the proper bit for your dremel to work on the part. Here, Im cutting down the 'shoulder' from a set of AFX 4-gear wheels and just leaving a thin flange so I can use them on a Tyco HP-2 front and rear. I usually set the tools to counter rotate for more effective and even cutting. Just hold the drill on (this one has 2 speeds) to rotate the part steadily while you cut it down with the dremel. Its a freehand technique so it takes a little practice to get a good evenly cut part. And youre basically roughing it out so you may still need to file or sand the parts to fine tune them. But in the end, it works great, and MUCH better than chucking the part into one tool or the other and turning it against a stationary file or piece of sandpaper.


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

*I am just a poor boy, a stranger in this town.................*

where are all the good times, who's gonna show this poor boy around?

Ooooooooooooooooooh I need a dirty.............. Oooooooooooooh I need a dirty........................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grunge,

I knew we had lots of things in common. We are both Poor...dang, 

Love your poormans lathe idea! Here is my $5.00 Poormans Lathe that got picked up this summer at a car swap meet. The guy never put power to it as the original power sorce pack was missing. He said this came in a large Paybay lot he won and he didn't want this...Oh Yeah!

This didn't come with a power sorce so, an Aurora power pack was used. The red metal cover was made by me at my work. Bob is my name and metal is my game.










Here I have my Dremel saw blade going full blast. Wrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr and it makes for nice cuts while giving me both hands free to make percise cuts rrrrrrrrrrrrr, rrrrrrrrrrrr, rrrrrrrrrrrr










This got wired up just like a slot car track does. Aurora controler gives me forward and reverse, variable speed ( full speed most of the time ) and a brake too.










This is the info for anyone that wants to try and find one of these on Paybay. It isn't the best but, not the worst either.

I also used this to polish Aluminum rims with a scotch bright pad and some 1/1 Aluminum mag polish.

Soon will be using it to make some Moon Dish rims on stripped down original t-jet skinney rims with some goop and the magic liquid Testors glue. Will let you know how that goes later on.

Still need to cut the wires and solder things together electricaly, mount this up ( It is just sitting on this board now and give it more KOOL look overall. 










Bob...I love screwing around with stuff like this...zilla


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## WesJY (Mar 4, 2004)

YYEEAAHHH!!! looks like alot of FUN!!! 

Wes


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

Thanks for the demo pic Grunger!!! Cool invention there Bob...using what ya got...zilla!!! Ya'll be careful, "You'll put your eye out"...RM


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## grungerockjeepe (Jan 8, 2007)

Now THATS a cool looking rig, bob!


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

*Not near dangerous enough!!!!*

I dunno Jeeper, the dueling banjo...er....dremel trick is too much like juggling chainsaws for my comfort level.  I much prefer the more sedate art of the jabbing of sharp exacto blades into a spinning mass!:roll:

[ame]http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/?action=view&current=MOV05628.flv[/ame]

Kinda fergot about this one and dont remember if I ever posted this one previously. For the record thats not blood on my fingers....it should be...but it is only the remnants of some red gooping I had done earlier that day.


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

:thumbsup::thumbsup: rr


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Geez, Bill!! All this time I thought you had bloody battle scars from milling wheels down!!! Now I find out it's only red goop!!! :tongue: I'm glad you posted this up again. I've been doing it backwards, (Into the rotation as opposed to with it) which would explain the lousy job I've been experiencing with my wheel experiments. Thanks for the refresher!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

*this is TURNING out to be a great thread...*



grungerockjeepe said:


> Now THATS a cool looking rig, bob!


Yeah sometimes even I get lucky.

Notice Bill says that that isn't blood on his hands. I seem to always get red goop or paint on my hands too. I work with sheetmetal and maybee the owner will think I work my fingers to the bone if he sees a little red. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm I may need to get some red paint and take it to work. Naaaaaaaaaaah it won't get me a raise...dang.

Bob...what ever it takes to get the job done...zilla


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

O'course, when _*I*_ were a lad, 
we dit'n 'ave no fancy Dremels and store-bought blades. 

No. We'd just stick the axle in the tiny 'ole 
in the center of the electric fan hub, 
an' turn down the wheel with our _*teeth*_.

An' we were *glad* o' th' chance t' _*do*_ it.

!


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Dslot said:


> O'course, when _*I*_ were a lad,
> we dit'n 'ave no fancy Dremels and store-bought blades.
> 
> No. We'd just stick the axle in the tiny 'ole
> ...


When you were a lad...they were turning rims with hand knapped flint. :tongue:


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