Ad Hoc Lathe for Polystyrene
A simple as hoc lathe can be made in a matter of hours to turn polystyrene foam. You will need access to a MIG welder, metalwork tools and some scrap RHS steel to make the frame and bracket to mount the drive motor.The size of the frame of the simple lathe will depend on the size of the block of polystyrene you will be working with. Fitting polystyrene to the simple lathe Prepare the polystyrene block for the simple lathe by glueing two circular pieces of 12mm plywood on both the ends of the block. This gives a solid mounting point to fit the polystyrene into the lathe. The long edges of the block are trimmed at 45 degrees to make it easier for the initial turning. Step 1 The heart of the lathe is an electric motor that has a small pulley fitted to its shaft. I used an electric motor from an old gem tumbling machine but any electric motor that is available is suitable as long as it has enough torque to turn the polystyrene block. A larger pulley on a short shaft is fitted thro