How to Make a Miniature Lathe in Just 3 Minutes

This is just too simple and fun not to try, so as soon as I can round up the supplies and set aside a few minutes, I’m going to build myself one of these!

This miniature lathe was built by YouTuber Roman UrsuHack to create foam fishing floats – of bobbers as we call them here in the south – out of foam. With the torque on hand that this drill offers, it can likely handle some wood working use too, as long as your project is small and the wood is relatively soft. The process is surprisingly simple, yet clearly effective. Start with a small piece of plywood and outline your drill, making a hole for the drill’s grip to pass through the plywood. This will serve as the anchor, so you may want to add a large flat washer to spread the pressure around the hole a little.

After that’s mounted, you want to glue a brace for the other end of the project to brace it as the drill spins, allowing you to use both hands for the lathing process. This simple life-hack style project is very simple and looks to be inexpensive, especially if you already have a drill on hand. Maybe some of you guys can build one and show us what you create with it!