MultiMachine

The MultiMachine is an accurate all-purpose machine tool that can be used as a metal or wood lathe, end mill, horizontal mill, drill press, wood or metal saw or sander, surface grinder and sheet metal "spinner". It can be built by a mechanic using just common hand tools. For machine construction, electricity can be replaced with "elbow grease" and all the necessary material can come from discarded vehicle parts and steel bar.

Quick build order

1. Use pipe, hacksaw and drill bits plus found wood to make a Cole drill
2. Cole Drill lets you put holes in metal
3. Putting holes in metal plus other wood gives you the ability to build a 'bootstrap' wood lathe
4. Use the wood lathe to make parts for making a metal working lathe, knowing that the wood will wear out quickly, but at least you can run it long enough to get to the metal lathe
5. Use the metal lathe to do the machining you have to do to get an MM running
6. Experience total happiness and joy

Misc

Direction of turning (spindle)

When you build your machine the shaft must turn in direction to keep the chuck tight against the shoulder on the spindle. If the machine has a normal right hand thread on the spindle,when you look at it it should be turning conterclockwise.
This is lookin at it on the chuck mounting end.

A machine with a threaded shaft the chuck is the same as a nut on a bolt.
If you turn a bolt in a nut the wrong direction it loosen instead of tighteing up.

Tip when buying a spinde

From a safety perspective a cam lock chuck can spin in either direction without problems and if you need to purchase a chuck they are pretty much equal in cost to a direct mounting threaded chuck.

External links

• The main discussion(s)/documentation around this concept is at a yahoo group