Don't fancy risking the "car lathe".....

Personally, I think the car lathe is less risky.

There is more chance of getting something stuck in that belt than with a wheel spinning on a car (where the wheel is vertical so anything that might drop falls to the floor, not towards the belt on that horizontal set-up)

I think the only time using a car lathe is dangerous is when the 'user' doesn't support the car properly and it risks coming off the stands/supports. Obviously whichever method is used, a good degree of common sense is needed and I think this is the thing that some people lack.

I'd happily use the above set-up but I certainly don't see it being less risky particularly. (awaits the flak from anti-car lathe people)

[edited because I somehow said 'do' see it being less risky rather than 'don't' ]

Looks GR9 for getting your plums wound round an alloy!

i would usually have my plums covered up while working machinery

anything you want to tell us?

you could put the hub at the bottom with an extension and another hub on top to bolt the wheel on and run the motor up the other way with the belt under a cover

I cant say that I think either method is safer than the other both of which require care on the part of the user. I'm quite happy to use a car as a lathe but tend to have the car on a 2 post lift so all 4 wheels are off the ground not really sure a lift is any safer than axle stands but it seems like it should be to me + that method is very good for balancing wheels on a 2CV which have no centrebores.

There is a tool you can buy that clamps on to the wheel and spins it. It then tells you where to fit balancing weights in the same manner as a conventional machine, we have one at college as my tutor drives a 2CV. To a certain extent it can be done by eye as well. You don't need the lift to use one it just makes it easier. There is also a slight advantage to balancing wheels on the car as you take into account hubs and driveshafts.

generic example pictured below.

Rubbish. Worst case: Car falls off stands and engine stalls. There's over half a car length to the next car.

I think if I was to build one of these, it would be a vertical wheel mount, driven by a driveshaft - it would look very much like a conventional wood turning lathe, but with a hub bolted on.
Depending on the speeds involved in the one above, an uncovered belt could be dangerous, but with no resistance in the spinning hub, if properly mounted with bearings, means the belt could actually work without being tight, and that would make it safer a little. However it still could catch something and drag it round.

FWIW I never have and never will use a car in gear as a lathe. At least a ton of metal is too much to take any kind of a chance with.

I normally drop the car on to a couple of spare wheels each side when using it as a lathe, it would take nothing short of the will of god for it to fall off that.


I've thought about converting a old cement mixer into a wheel polishing machine in the past so I could do it in the shed. Replace the drum with a hub and I'd imagine it would need the gearing adjusted to suit, but it should be fairly sturdy and already have safety features like guards over most moving parts and a kill switch. I haven't done more than ponder it through in my mind tho so there maybe some obvious reasons not to use one that I haven't considered?