There is something remarkable, and beautiful, about turning things on a lathe. There is a bit of magic in it. Here I have a variety of lathe and lathe related projects for you including how to make an inexpensive lathe using a hand drill.

And if you are interested in more lathe stuff I have opened up a whole new section of the website here: Lathe Projects

• Make pens and pencils on a lathe - Step-by-step tutorial on how to turn pens and pencils on a lathe.
• How to Make a Drill Powered lathe - This is a step-by-step tutorial on how to make a functional lathe using a drill as the power source.
• Some notes about small lathes that use a drill (Notes on using a drill-powered lathe) They are an inexpensive way to start but they do have some drawbacks.
• Pens made on a lathe - Pictures of various pens and pencils made on a lathe, including from a variety of woods.
• Turning an acrylic pen blank on a lathe - Interesting project and acrylic pens look amazing. Paul makes one and fits a fountain pen into it.
• Easily upgrading a lathe for better performance
• Lathes, tools and supplies -

Safety Warning: Being safe, is the most important thing. And keep good practices particularly when operating machinery. Wear eye protection, either full face or safety lens glasses. And don't wear ties or loose clothing that can be pulled into the machinery.

When polishing pens, or anything on the lathe with a lint free cloth be extra careful that it doesn't catch the turning piece as it can wrap around it quickly and damage the piece or anything loose near moving parts!