I’m thinking about trying to either mod or make my own yoyos(not commercially) and was wondering what lathes and tools are good for getting the job done!
It all depends. Do you want to make wood/plastics? or metals?
I actually just got a lathe a few days ago, and I sent a pm to landon balk, and he was incredibly helpful.
First check out this thread http://www.yoyonation.com/talk/index.php/topic,23001.0.html
Other tools you’ll need are good calipers, a dial indicator, bench grinder (to sharpen tools), sand paper, tail stock drill and drill bits/taps.
I actually just made a spread sheet based on that! It tallies up to 630 total without that discount. But is this a good setup… What do you use?
Contact a guy on this forum via 3YO3
Tell him you want a lathe for doing so and so and he should help you.
That same lathe guide is posted on this board as well, I believe it’s inside one of the reference stickies ont his board.
It still is perfectly applicable, and it’s the basic setup of what i’ve been using for many, many years now.
If you have a little extra cash, that same lathe is now offered with a power feed option as well which can be very useful but certainly not necessary.
Kyle
Yeah, but the Lathe Buying guide is a guide to buy all the parts. It’s cheaper I think to just buy a lathe itself.
Maddog, you…need those parts. Lathes themselves don’t cut the yo-yo
I mean, buy a Lathe, then get the tools. Not buy the parts to build a lathe.
Maddog, a decent metal lathe is huge ad Heavy. how would he transport it whole? Like, just stating that, cause…yeah.
Uhh, manpower and muscle 
Okay i quit the argument. But you can buy them in stores.
But it’s hard, my friend who is extremely talented at making wooden yoyos and all sorts of mods ok his lathe, is having a little trouble with a metal yoyo. (Not saying your not good or doing bad ____)
But metal is a little harder…
Ill start with wood and when I get the workings of it down I might try metal
Are you planning on turning metal on a wood lathe?
I was thinking of a metal lathe which would do all of the materials… I think?
People have spun metal on a wood lathe, and they’ve spun wood on a metal lathe. You’re better off though just getting a metal lathe.
Ok seems like they could get a bit more power or torque to
Well, the main difference between a metal and a wood lathe is that metal lathe tools are mounted to a tool holder, which is moved using cranks and wheels, whereas wood lathe tools are handheld and are rested on a T-shaped tool rest.
Do a bit of research on the subject though before trying it, I’m sure there are plenty of lathe forums where people have discussed at length why you should or shouldn’t spin x material on y lathe.
Seriously people, stop posting if you don’t actually know what you’re talking about. I know you want to help, but you just end up supplying bad and often confusing information… which doesn’t help anybody.
That guide is geared towards a metal lathe. I laid out the simplest, cheapest way to get started.
You can choose a wood lathe as well, and it has some advantages… and you can simply go buy one at woodcraft or wherever, but they have some massive disadvantages as well.
If you want high precision, metal lathes can’t be topped when it comes to yoyos. It can be more difficult to produce sweeping curves on a metal lathe, but there are ways around that.
If you want an easy way to make curves in relatively soft materials like wood or plastic (not metal), wood lathes are nice. They are FAR more difficult to get precision with however, especially in areas like bearing seats. You can do basic cuts in metal with the right tools, but you won’t be doing much more than that with metal.
Wood lathes are going to, in general, be more expensive than the setup I listed. The lathe itself could cost $300-500+ for a simple one, then you’re going to need a good chuck which could run anywhere from $100-300… then you’ll need tools, which can easily be $100 each or more… you’ll need at least 3 or 4 basic ones.
You can’t just ‘buy a lathe’ and start making yoyos… you need to buy everything that goes with them. They are designed to be base units that you adapt to whatever use you have for them… in our case yoyos.
If anybody has an specific questions I’d be happy to offer more details/advice/whatever.
Kyle
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