How to Build Your Own Lathe Out of Wood

A lathe—useful for making anything from a table leg to a small custom component for robots—is one of the most handy machines that a metal or woodworker can own. Unfortunately, the steel tools can also be heavy and expensive. In the video above, highlighted by Popular Mechanics, YouTuber Matthias Wandel avoids those issues by creating his own woodturning lathe from scratch, using reused plywood.

Wandel shows how all the major components are pieced together and explains everything from what each section is to why he is rounding edges and making cuts. By the end, the makeshift wooden machine is ready to create other DIY wooden projects. Still, if you struggled with building a bird house in shop class, you may not want to take on this ambitious project.

For a more in-depth look at each step of the process, visit the builder's blog.

[h/t Popular Mechanics]

Images courtesy of Youtube.