Copier for wood lathe

Lathes and copying machines are the most common turning equipment in the woodworking industry, since their design, distinguished by reliability and durability, convenience and safety of operation, allows the production of products of complex profiles and configurations with perfect accuracy. The copying devices that are standardly equipped with these lathes guarantee accurate reading of the template (stencil) configuration and its reproduction for a long time on the surfaces of rotating workpieces. This type of equipment is in demand in enterprises and workshops engaged in the serial production of similar carpentry and furniture products: balusters, legs for chairs and tables, elements of cabinet furniture, etc.

The stencil (template) is installed on the upper surface of the frame using reliable fixing devices. A special rolling roller, rigidly connected to the processing tool, moves along the outer surface of the template. This design ensures high-precision movement of the cutter in accordance with the configuration of the stencil used, guaranteeing the ideal accuracy of the profile created on the workpiece.

By ordering turning and copying machines in, you purchase high-quality woodworking equipment at affordable prices. Contact us by phone or place an order on the website.

Equipment such as wood lathes with a copier for the manufacture of many parts in mass production. How to make a copier with your own hands.

Lathes are special equipment that is used to process various wood parts. They are used to produce furniture legs, balusters, and door handles. Wood lathes with a copier are used to create a series of identical products through cutting.

Classification of lathes with a copier

The machines are widely used in the woodworking industry. Important aspects of the classification are process manufacturability and design features. There are many different models available, which can be divided into four categories:

Classic. A cutter is used as a cutting tool. The machines are not designed for large-scale mass production.
Copying. They work according to templates that make the task easier when creating similar variants. In small-scale production, models with manual control are in demand.
Milling. We are in demand for the production of volumetric and flat workpieces.
CNC. Units with numerical control are required in large quantities when supplying expensive models.

Copy wood lathes are equipped with improved characteristics and are therefore in demand for use in workshops.

Classic machine design

The machines are equipped with a sophisticated design system. These include CNC models that operate in an automated mode. Such devices are obtained by using drawings and a copying device. The classic design consists of five nodes:

The main element is a metal frame; individual parts are connected by welding. The bed has different heights, so when creating a homemade machine, this particular parameter is selected.
The front and tailstock are needed to store the box, drive and electric motor. The rear one fixes the workpiece to obtain dimensional parts.
An electric motor and drive rotate the workpiece.
A tool rest is needed for the best quality work. The cut site is protected to prevent injury.
The master and slave centers secure the part.

A homemade lathe-copier for wood makes it possible to carry out high-quality cutting of workpieces no worse than production models.

Homemade wood turning and copying machine with your own hands

Industrial types of copiers are not cheap, so craftsmen choose the option of constructing a homemade machine. It requires little investment of money and effort.

Performance generally depends on the specifications of the copier. The main task of a self-made device is to create parts according to a template without additional energy consumption.

Required Tools

You won’t need many tools; all of them are publicly available and available to every master:

Manual frezer.
The cutter is placed on a support, which can be made of plywood 12 mm thick. Metal is used to improve performance. The dimensions of the platform are about 50x20 cm.
Bolts.
Thrust bars.
A pipe with a diameter of 25 mm will allow you to set the direction of movement of the support platform.

The fundamental cutting tool when constructing a lathe with a copier is considered to be a hand cutter. Even though the copier is made of plywood, it is capable of creating many copies.

Design elements

The simplest and most affordable model of the unit is made from a standard drill. Main equipment spare parts:

Bed.
Front, rear grandma.
Electrical engine.
Leading, driven center.
Support for equipment.

Making a lathe

homemade turning and copying machine
The most primitive model of a lathe is made from an ordinary drill. But this is not the only solution. Main parts of the future device:

bed;
front and rear pillars (headstocks);
electric motor;
master and slave centers;
tool rest.

The bed is the base for placing all elements and mechanisms. Therefore, it is made of thick timber or metal. The headstock is securely fixed to the base; the part will be attached to it. The front pillar houses a device that transmits movement from the electric motor to the driving center and then to the part.

The rear post (headstock) moves along a guide on the bed; it holds the free end of the workpiece. A tool rest is placed between the headstocks. The headstocks must be positioned strictly along a single axis.

For a do-it-yourself machine, an electric motor with a power of 200 - 250 W, with a speed of no more than 1500, is suitable. If you plan to process large parts, a more powerful motor is required.

A faceplate is placed on the electric motor pulley, which secures large workpieces. The faceplate contains points on which the part is pressed. The opposite end of the part is fixed with a corner.

To turn a regular lathe into a copying machine, an additional device is required - a copier.

Safety precautions when working with a turning and copying machine

Following the advice of experts when working with a copying lathe will make it possible to avoid numerous unpleasant situations and damage:

Always check the fastening of elements and protective parts.
It is necessary to remove unnecessary objects from the machine.
Tools must be in their place.
The cutting tool is checked for correct sharpness and proper design.
The feeding of the equipment is carried out smoothly and without pressure, only after reaching the full rotation speed.

If any malfunctions occur, it is recommended to contact a specialist or carefully inspect all components.

A variety of equipment, including machines, can be used to work with wood. Through the use of such equipment, it accelerates the process of mechanical processing of wooden blanks. A wood lathe with a copier is in great demand, which greatly simplifies the execution of tasks: making furniture legs, door handles and balusters.

Copier for lathe

guide pipe

The basis of the copier will be an unnecessary manual router. It is placed on a surface made of 12 mm plywood, the size of the platform is 20 x 50 cm. Holes are made in the platform for fasteners and cutters, and stops are installed - bars for fixing the cutter. The router is placed between the clamps and secured with a pair of large nails.

The remote part of the platform moves along the frame along a guide - a pipe. Its ends are fixed in wooden blocks. The bars are attached to the frame with self-tapping screws. When fixing the pipe, you must use a level and align the axis of the pipe with the center of the machine. Before installation, a pair of bars with holes are put on the pipe and can be easily moved along the guide. A platform on which the router is placed is attached to the bars.

stop-copier

The second important element is installed with your own hands directly on the lathe - a block in a horizontal position on which the templates will be attached. A 7 x 3 cm beam is suitable; it is attached to the vertical stands with self-tapping screws. The stands are screwed to the frame. The top surface of the block must clearly coincide with the axis of the machine.

When the copier is not in use, the block is dismantled, the platform with the milling cutter is moved back and the machine turns into a regular lathe.

The stop is made of thick plywood and is attached to the work surface. In fact, the stop plays the role of a copier in this design. It is fixed vertically and fixed to the end of the working surface on a transition beam made of wood. The copier can be removed, it is installed on the stand with self-tapping screws. The stand must be fixed firmly, without the possibility of removal.

The templates are made of plywood and are screwed to the front surface of the block using self-tapping screws. The upper surface of the beam should be aligned with the axis of the template.

Disadvantages of the proposed design

The working surface with the router has to be moved with both hands, since during operation it warps and jams;
You can only copy fairly simple elements, for example, it is impossible to repeat twisted patterns on posts;
to move the cutter it is more convenient to provide a screw drive;
It’s better to replace the cutter with a circular saw; such a device will be more universal.

Videos demonstrating the operation of homemade turning and copying machines:

Classification of lathes

Many people decide to buy and install lathes in their own workshop because of their possible use in the manufacture of cylindrical products. There are quite a large number of different models; they can be divided into several groups:

Classic equipment, when the workpiece is located in a chuck or faceplate. A cutter is used as a cutting tool. The workpiece can rotate at different speeds. However, the equipment is not suitable for mass production.
Copying machines can be used to work from a template. By using a template, you can simplify the task of manufacturing similar products. For small-scale production, a manually operated machine is suitable, as it is low cost and easy to use.
Milling machines are extremely common today. This is due to the fact that they are widely used in the production of cabinet and flat parts made of wood and metal. There is also a wood turning and milling machine, which can be used to perform various operations.
Models with numerical control. In mass production or the manufacture of expensive products, equipment that has a CNC unit can be used. However, the use of a copier significantly reduces the cost of the product.

The copying device for a wood lathe has very attractive characteristics, due to which they began to be installed in private and other workshops.

How to make a copier for a wood lathe?

In order to make a copier for a wood lathe, you will need the following components that will be necessary in the manufacturing process:

electric motor with a power of approximately 800W;
metal shaft with a nozzle for changing the saw blade;
metal profile of square section, metal corners;
wooden sheet;
furniture guides;
metal marker;
fastening materials.
welding machine, grinder.

First you need to make metal guides.

They will allow you to move the entire copier structure in the longitudinal plane. In this case, two metal corners are used, which are turned over with the sharp side down. The corners are welded together into pieces of metal profile.

This approach allows us to provide the necessary mechanical strength and eliminate the possibility of the guides bending under the weight of the copier. In practice, any other metal profile can be suitable for the manufacture of longitudinal guides, the main thing is that its mechanical parameters allow it to carry out the assigned tasks.

In this case, a wooden box and board were used to make the base of the future copier. The board is sized to allow movement inside the box in a perpendicular plane.

For fastening and subsequent movement, ordinary furniture guides are used.

The engine is attached to the board on top. In this case, the power of the electric motor is 800 W and the speed is 3000 rpm. Depending on your needs, you can use a motor with other parameters.

Next, the shaft should be secured to the board at such a distance that the belt drive normally connects two pulleys, one of which is located at the end of the motor shaft, and the second on the horse shafts of the saw blade. A homemade shaft with one bearing is used here.

A U-shaped structure must be made from a square metal profile. In the upper part of the U-shaped structure, a special metal holder of square cross-section is welded to the horizontal bar. The length of the holder must be less than the length of the marker.

To secure the marker in the holder, holes are drilled on the top plate. A metal nut is welded onto each hole and a bolt is screwed into it. Two bolts will be enough for reliable fixation. The adjustable marker is very convenient when changing saw blades of different diameters.

Simply install the desired disk and use a plumb line to align the marker with the edge of the disk. The marker mount must correspond to the position of the saw blade in all planes. This allows you to simply move the marker along the prepared template to coaxially move the disk along the rotating workpiece.

The entire machine is assembled from two channels and metal corners for the sheath. On which a motor is mounted that rotates a wooden piece. In this case, an electric motor with a power of 1200 W is used.

You can use an old frame from some other machine as a frame. For ease of operation, it is better to place the engine on a removable metal plate, which allows you to move the structure with the workpiece, both in the vertical and horizontal planes.

The clamping head is made of four metal plates in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. Two nuts are welded into the end walls of the clamping head, into which a metal screw is screwed. A cone with a cartridge is installed at the end of the screw.

In cases where you need to eliminate the possibility of contamination of the surrounding space with sawdust from the operation of the machine or to minimize the percentage of contamination, you should make a hood.

The saw blade is covered with a metal casing, to which a flexible corrugated hose and a compressor unit are connected to create an air flow of a given power.

Video: making a copier for a wood lathe.

Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Classic design

Industrial machines have a rather complex design, especially CNC versions, which can carry out processing automatically. The required product can also be obtained using copying equipment. The classic design is represented by a combination of the following main components:

The bed acts as a base and connecting element. The structure is made using metal, the individual elements are connected by welding. The bed can have different heights. Each craftsman chooses his own height when making a homemade structure.
The headstock and tailstock are also an integral part of the machine. The headstock is used to house the gearbox and drive, as well as the electric motor. The tailstock is used to fix the workpiece, which makes it possible to produce longer products.
The main rotation is received by the workpiece. It is transmitted from an electric motor through a drive.
The tool rest also allows for high-quality processing. It is worth securing the cutting area to eliminate the possibility of injury to your hands or contact with a foreign element.
Leading and driven centers used to secure the workpiece.

A homemade copier for a wood lathe also allows for high-quality processing of workpieces.

DIY making

Industrial versions of machines are expensive. That is why many are considering the possibility of assembling the machine with their own hands. Recommendations for carrying out the work are as follows:

First, you should develop or download a drawing according to which the assembly will be carried out. As a rule, a drawing of a conventional lathe is taken, which is modified to accommodate the installation of a copier.
Work begins with the creation of the bed. This will require corners, as well as sheets of metal. The connection of individual elements is carried out using a welding machine. It is worth considering that screw connections are characterized by less rigidity. The bed must be strong and resistant to vibration.
The main component is the electric motor. In order to increase the functionality of the equipment, an electric motor with a power of 200-250 W at 1500 rpm is installed. If you plan to process large workpieces, then a more powerful motor is installed. The motor should be protected from environmental influences.
To fix the workpiece, a faceplate is attached to the output shaft. It has several sharp elements that it hits. Due to the sharp elements, rotation is transmitted, but fixation is carried out due to the tailstock with centers.

Most attention is paid to the production of the copier. This is what distinguishes a lathe from a copying machine.

Creating a copier

The copier is used to produce similar products. Due to its use, the productivity indicator is significantly increased. Among the features associated with creating a copier, the following points are noted:

DIY making

A simple model of a lathe with a copier is made on the basis of a drill. To construct a wood turning and copying machine with your own hands, you need the following tools and components:

manual frezer;
welding machine;
metal sheets;
corners;
fasteners (bolts, nails and screws);
thrust bars;
headstock and headstock;
power unit;
cutter stop.

The machine is manufactured in several stages:

Drawing development. It will be used to assemble the elements of the woodworking device. Most often, a ready-made drawing of turning equipment is taken and modified depending on the features of the copier.
Creation of a bed. It is necessary to connect metal sheets and corners using a welding machine. It is important that the homemade frame is resistant to physical impacts and vibrations.
Installation of an electric motor. For processing small products, it is recommended to use a motor with a power of up to 250 W. It is important to protect the engine from environmental influences.
Fastening the faceplate. It must be secured to the drive wheel of the electric motor.

After installing the main parts of the turning equipment, you can proceed to creating a copier.

Creating a copier

In the process of making a homemade copier for a wood lathe, the following rules must be taken into account:

Requires a hand router. To install it, you need to make a surface from plywood.
In the area where the copier will be located, you need to make several holes and attach horizontal bars to it.
In order for processing to be carried out along the entire length of the workpiece, it is necessary to ensure the movement of the platform along the entire bed.
It is recommended to use a level during installation work. It is important that the bars do not deviate from the horizontal position. Otherwise, errors may occur when processing parts.

After creating the copier, you need to attach the template to the block using self-tapping screws. It is important that the copier can be moved away or completely dismantled. In this case, the mill can be used for standard turning operations.

After installation work, it is recommended to test the lathe by processing a test part. During turning, safety precautions must be observed. You cannot press yourself against the lathe or lean on it. The master must work in protective glasses and special clothing.

Wood cutting machine Proma DSL-1200

The model in question is intended for processing wooden products that can be used as decorative elements. Experts call a distinctive feature of the design the presence of two incisors:

The first is designed for processing cylindrical workpieces; more than 10 mm can be removed in one pass. Using the first cutter, you can get a round workpiece, just like on a conventional lathe.
The second cutter is designed for copier work. It is this that allows you to produce various products using a copier.

This machine model can be used to work with large workpieces. To do this, the structure is equipped with a steady rest, which is mounted on rods that act as guides. The installed faceplate allows processing multi-faceted products.

Main characteristics of the model:

The installed electric motor operates from a three-phase network with a voltage of 380 V. That is why the machine is not purchased for installation in a private workshop.
The maximum length of the workpiece is 1200 mm.
The layout is represented by a combination of two columns, between which the workpiece is placed. Note that the machine has a compact size, due to which it does not take up much space in the workshop.

The disadvantage of this proposal, like many others, is the rather high cost.

Copy model CL-1201

To produce wood products, a machine model CL-1201 or CL-1500b can be used. The first version has very attractive performance characteristics:

The spindle used can change the direction of rotation. Due to this, the scope of application of the model is significantly expanded. Changing the direction of rotation of the spindle is carried out with a special handle.
The machine allows you to select the spindle rotation speed with high precision. Due to this, it is possible to provide the most favorable conditions for turning wood based on the weight, dimensions and type of wood.
There is a remote control to set basic parameters. The design can be installed on the headstock or tailstock, depending on the preference of the master. The remote control is represented by a combination of several keys.
Cast iron is used in the manufacture of the column. In addition, the frame is manufactured using high-quality steel. By combining these materials, the degree of vibration of the structure during operation is reduced.
The basic delivery includes a copier, which can be used for processing. Due to this, costs are reduced and the machine becomes more functional in use.
The design of the machine has a milling attachment, which can be used to produce longitudinal grooves.
The tailstock is used for more precise fixation of the workpiece. Its position may also change. The supply includes centers, which are selected depending on the characteristics of the workpiece.
The support is characterized by high mobility. The cutting depth of the tool can be adjusted using a lever.

In addition, the manufacturer paid quite a lot of attention to the degree of protection of the machine from environmental influences. For example, the engine has a protection system against overheating or overload, all electronic parts are also protected from moisture and dust.

The only but significant drawback is the high cost of the proposal. A homemade design will cost several times less.