"Cole" type drills may require a very small amount
of welding (total bead length is less than 4") but this
can be done using a simple temporary welder that
can be made by connecting two or three vehicle
batteries in series (negative on one battery to
positive on the next). The drill spindle assembly can
also be made well in advance and the chuck just
screwed on to complete construction.
By mixing and matching the ideas above you have
many ways to drill the holes needed for a
"temporary" lathe and as I said earlier such a lathe will allow you to build almost anything. Why
the "temporary" name for a machine that would be useful for years? I had to call it something at
first and this name just "stuck"
Once you have the drill the next step is to build the "temporary" lathe.
The reason we need the temporary lathe is for
the machining of bushings, spacers, adapters,
pulleys. These machined parts that can easily
be made from zinc and aluminum alloy lets the
builder save most of the money that would be
needed to build a regular MultiMachine. These
easily cast and machined parts make a much
larger machine quite easy and inexpensive
(almost free!) to build. A roller bearing with a
5.5"ID could cost thousands of dollars while
one made from homemade alloys could cost
almost nothing.
A really simple "temporary" lathe, use a hub from
a front wheel drive car. The cutting tool can be as simple as a large allen wrench (good steel)
ground to the proper shape and attached to a long handle. Blacksmiths used this technique on
iron and steel for many years and using it on zinc/aluminum alloy will be much easier. This is
another very good reason to learn the basics of tool grinding.
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