looking for a low-cost ersatz metal "lathe"

[wallymann]

often times i need to hold a larger piece of bar or pipe stock so i can turn it...either for grinding or shaping or other finish work. for small stuff, up to 1/2" material, a large-chuck drill works. but i want something bigger...up to 2" material.

of course, i can buy a lathe, but i dont need that level of precision (yet) and cost. basically, i'd like a large-sized adjustable but not particularly precise 3-jaw chuck i can attach to a drill. although something that is self-powered and not too expensive is fine.

i've been googling, but the word combos i'm coming up with arent yielding anything like what i want. whats out there?

edit...i may fab something up like this...

[unterhausen]

there are some cheap 3 jaw chucks on amazon or ebay.

[FriarQuade]

You're tripping over hundreds to pick up nickles. If you're patient you can find clapped out machine tools for dirt cheap. They'll do a really good job of things like this.

[martl]

Sounds like you could use something like a simple rotary welding table? You might find a used one on Craigslist, maybe a homemade one. Or there is someone in your neighborhood who likes to tinker with mechanical stuff and can make one for you?

[wallymann]

found a very small 3 jaw chuck i can put in a drill.

it's very small, the drill is very small, which makes the chuck look bigger than it is!

[obrentharris]

I believe the drills that have heavy enough bearings to take that type of radial loading are called "mill drills" and they don't seem to be any cheaper than a small lathe. If you use a regular drill this way very much it's probably going to start wobbling pretty quickly.
Brent