Afghan Lathe by Vik Olliver

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Vik Olliver's "Afghan Lathe" technique offers an ingenious solution for those lacking space or funds to invest in a conventional lathe. This method involves using a Bosch hand drill with handle adapter clamped in a Black and Decker Workmate, while the chuck from a drill press is G-clamped to a small vice. The idea originated from observing Afghan gunsmiths who used similar techniques to produce counterfeit firearms with remarkable precision. Detailed instructions can be found at http://staff.bath.ac.uk/ensab/replicator/Downloads/Afghan_lathe/Afghan_Lathe.html, and a blog post by Vik is available at http://blog.reprap.org/2005/07/afghan-lathe-technique-updated.html. A PDF of the instructions can be accessed at http://diamondage.co.nz/research_docs/Afghan_Lathe.pdf. The technique has been successfully employed for drilling a 55mm brass bolt for a reprap hot end, despite some challenges such as an unsteady wooden block holding the second chuck and an eccentrically running drill press chuck. An engineer's vice (£11) was later purchased to address these issues, offering increased security and stability in the process. Please remember that this is not the original idea of the user who posted it; it was published by Vik Olliver, Diamond Age Solutions Ltd. and can be assumed to be in public domain. However, if the original author wishes for it to be removed, the user will gladly oblige. The document states that it is released under the GFDL for free reproduction, hopefully this extends to pictures as well.