I’m not sure of this is the right category to put this under but recently I’ve been interested in trying to machine my own yoyo and would like some insight on choosing a lathe. I would like to find one that can automatically machine a yoyo using a design from a computer as using a hand one seems like it’d be much more difficult to make a decent, non-vibey yoyo. If anyone has advice on this I’d appreciate the help. Thanks!
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Uhhhh, what you are referring to is a CNC lathe. My first question is what the heck is your budget? CNC lathes are several thousands of dollars.
My suggestion if you want to attempt to make your own yoyo is to pick up either a wood lathe or a mini lathe. You’ll have to turn it by hand without the aid of a computer program but the former option will set you back several thousands of dollars assuming you know how to program one of those machines already.
Another option is to draw up the CAD and hit up a machine shop, either YoyoEmpire or YoyoFriends, that’s what every start up company does now.
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Word. Yeah my budget isn’t that big lol
If you’re primarily interested in a more DIY approach to the design and prototyping aspects, vs production runs, you could check to see if there are any hackerspaces or makerspaces (or possibly universities or trade schools) near you that have a CNC lathe. Typically makerspaces charge a monthly membership fee or sometimes offer day rates, although they will often charge an additional fee per machine hour for certain machines like cnc lathes and mills. You’ll also have to supply your own materials typically. But this approach would allow you to design and work at your own speed and at a very small scale, a handful of one-offs and prototypes, compared to a commercial machine shop which is going to be more inclined to take on design work intended for full production runs.
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I didn’t even think about looking into local universities. I’ll ask my college about it. Thanks!
How much?
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Whew! That is expensive.
Thank you.
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Not sure why the immediate response was CNC. You can certainly make and machine your own yoyos with a wood or metal lathe you don’t NEED a CNC. If you’re wanting to do aluminum, then a metal lathe would be the choice. You can get a decent one for around $450 - 700. Granted, it’s still expensive but no where near as expensive as a CNC.
Some brands to look at:
Sherline
Taig
Harbor Freight metal lathe
If you’re looking to machine wood, you can get wood lathes much cheaper. Really it all boils down to what you want to do. You can turn aluminum on a wood lathe with a chuck but it’s not going to be as precise as a dedicated metal lathe with a tool holder. Second hand market is a good place to look as well. Craigslist, offerup, and, sigh… facebook marketplace are all good resources for used lathes and other tools. You can attache an auto feed and it’ll do the machining for you but anything computer aided is going to cost bukkobucks. Kyo and many other modders started out on simple taig style lathes. So it can totally be done. Epsecially on the cheaper side, now days these types of machines are a littler eaiser to come by.
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I think for this…
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or for high precision
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Maybe because he was asking for a lathe that would automatically machine a yoyo from a CAD design? 
I’ve never heard of a manual lathe being equipped for that.
More like several hundred thousands…
For hobby lathes as mentioned above, here’s a post with some good advice on what to buy and the ancillary pieces you will need. It may be a bit dated as to product availability and pricing but is a good starting point.
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First it’s good to see anyone still interested in making things themselves.
The guide linked is certainly outdated in some respects, the models have been updated since then and prices have gone up a bit, but the basics are still correct.
“Hobby” cnc lathes do exist, but you’re looking at thousands for sure and they come with a huge list of drawbacks. CNC also does NOT mean automatic. Running and programming a cnc requires a huge amount of skill and knowledge… it’s not a push button magic solution.
I still use my Taig for certain things even though I own a larger lathe now. I’d still recommend them for anyone starting out. Be warned that to turn larger aluminum stock and remove large amounts of material is going to take serious pantience on a hobby machine… I’d mostly stick to delrin/acetal to start out.
More powerful machines are going to require a much larger budget, not only in machine cost, but tooling and work holding solutions get MUCH more expensive as well.
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I guess I should have worded my post differently. I just meant why was CNC was the first thing OP was wanting to get into since a ton can be done on a regular benchtop metal lathe with an autofeed. I didn’t necessarily mean why was everyone else talking about CNC. Poor wording choice on my part.
I’ve never heard of a manual lathe being equipped for that.
To be fair, there are cnc conversion kits for a few of the more popular bench top hobbyist metal lathes. Several models of the taig are now coming cnc ready and they have a conversion kits available. Sherline also sells a conversion kit for their lathes too. They are actually pretty cool. It’s nice to have this option available on a manual lathe, it ads a lot of value and the ability to grow with the tool and it’s not as expensive as a full blown cnc mill or lathe that the yoyo manufacturers use.
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Are you just wanting to make one throw completely made and designed by you? What’s your budget and/or main goal here? Lathe machines are thousands of dollars man, not to mention the knowledge of programming and what not that you need to run them. Not saying you don’t have the money or knowledge AT ALL, I don’t know you lol. But just a heads up on that man cuz it’s actually a very expensive and more complicated process than people realize. You may wanna try a place that already has some machines and a dude that knows how to run them first, watch and learn from them, and take it from there!
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Update: I reached out to the head of my universities’ mechanical engineering department after someone suggested to contact local colleges and turns out, my uni does have a cnc lathe that I might be able to run something on. I also was able to get a student version of Solidworks. I’m planning to 3D print prototypes (my uni also has 3D printers I can use) to get a feel for how its going to be in my hands, maybe make tweaks, and then try to get it machined. I’m still going to look into getting my own lathe eventually and thank you to everyone who offered advice. I’m really glad people on here are willing to help so much.
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good luck! 
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CNCs don’t automatically take your CAD and push out your part. There is a skill set that takes years and is a career and that is programing and setting up a CNC machine. I’ve been part of our shop for 20 years and I can’t do it.
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