This project is unfinished for the moment
i am still working on:
1. the cutterhead
2. the audiochain
3. the build documentation that pertains to those unfinished parts
however the overhead stucture is finished and fully funtional
with that in mind proceed at own risk ;)
This page aims to help build a DIY record-lathe for collective
studios and artist workspaces.
It is motivated by my involvement in Drukkerij de Boog in Rotterdam, a cooperative printshop and band practice space: I wanted to build a lathe that members of this cooperative can use.
Commercial lathe’s and cutting heads are expensive and the financial risk involved does not encourage sharing your machine with other users.
This DIY lathe is relatively inexpensive and the cutter-head (probably the most at risk part) is specifically designed to be easily repaired. It is set up for embossing, in stead of cutting, for the same reason that this is more accessible to novices and less expensive.
These choices, the cheapo head and embossing, are fidelity and loudness trade-offs, however the project is fully upgradeable to a more hi-fi cutting set up at a later point in time.
On this page you can find, a full print set and instructions to build the exact overhead I built, as well as a set of OpenSCAD files of the parts I made that you can use to modify my design to your specific needs.
You can also download my arduino code, that will run the motor of the overhead.
Before building and/or using this lathe I suggest you read A Beginners Guide To Lathe Cutting by Spinner Town Blanks, a simple guide that will familiarize you with the lingo and functionality of lathe’s → https://spinnertownblanks.com/pages/a-beginners-guide-to-lathe-cutting
Good luck and have fun building a lathe!
W.K., september 2026
Acknowledgments:
My parts and design rely heavily on the 3d models, description and re- search provided by pentlandsound on the Lathe Trolls forum →https:// www.lathetrolls.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=9187 and →https://github.com/ dn784533/lathe_guide/
His project was my inspiration, and numerous parts on my lathe are re- mixes of STL’S he shared.
Like his projects, the files and description I share here are free and open source.
My prototyping and work on this build document was partly made possible by a grant from the CBK Rotterdam
It is motivated by my involvement in Drukkerij de Boog in Rotterdam, a cooperative printshop and band practice space: I wanted to build a lathe that members of this cooperative can use.
Commercial lathe’s and cutting heads are expensive and the financial risk involved does not encourage sharing your machine with other users.
This DIY lathe is relatively inexpensive and the cutter-head (probably the most at risk part) is specifically designed to be easily repaired. It is set up for embossing, in stead of cutting, for the same reason that this is more accessible to novices and less expensive.
These choices, the cheapo head and embossing, are fidelity and loudness trade-offs, however the project is fully upgradeable to a more hi-fi cutting set up at a later point in time.
On this page you can find, a full print set and instructions to build the exact overhead I built, as well as a set of OpenSCAD files of the parts I made that you can use to modify my design to your specific needs.
You can also download my arduino code, that will run the motor of the overhead.
Before building and/or using this lathe I suggest you read A Beginners Guide To Lathe Cutting by Spinner Town Blanks, a simple guide that will familiarize you with the lingo and functionality of lathe’s → https://spinnertownblanks.com/pages/a-beginners-guide-to-lathe-cutting
Good luck and have fun building a lathe!
W.K., september 2026
Acknowledgments:
My parts and design rely heavily on the 3d models, description and re- search provided by pentlandsound on the Lathe Trolls forum →https:// www.lathetrolls.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=9187 and →https://github.com/ dn784533/lathe_guide/
His project was my inspiration, and numerous parts on my lathe are re- mixes of STL’S he shared.
Like his projects, the files and description I share here are free and open source.
My prototyping and work on this build document was partly made possible by a grant from the CBK Rotterdam
