Reciprocating vs Perpetual Turning

[Gobae]

I'm looking for some one who has used a pole lathe and a conventional perpetual lathe.

Are there any notable differences in the end product that using a pole lathe would create? In other words is it possible to tell if an item was turned on a pole lathe or a perpetual lathe?

The reason I'm asking is that on a Iron Age Celtic forum we're discussing the possibility that perpetual lathes were in use at that time. The whole problem is that there are NO extant lathes of ANY type from that period just examples of turned items.

[RETIRED]

I don't think there that you could see any difference in the turned items between the 2 types.

Most pole turning lathes were used for simple cylindrical shapes, however there has been some very ornate work also turned on them. You only have to look at some of the furniture from India and Egypt where quite a few are still used due to economic reasons.

Perpetual lathes or uni directional lathes have been in existance for a long time. They generally had a large flywheel which was spun "by the boy" or operated by a treadle similar to "singer" sewing machines.

Wooturning is the oldest known form of mechanical wood machining known to man.

Have a look at the post under historical lathe site on this forum.

[bsrlee]

Get the wooden artifacts book from the York Archeological Trust - it has heaps of evidence for pole lathes, and yes, you can tell an item was turned on a pole lathe.

Continuous or fly wheel lathes seem to have been the province of metal workers until the last few centuries - the Greek 'Successors' (probably) used continuous lathes for turning coin blanks (info from one of the numismatic web sites, can't remember which computer has the URL, but well supported by example coins).

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

The only difference I can think of is celtic cups. They were apparently turned on a pole lathe with a stop-block so that although some 7/8 or so of the circumference was turned, a portion of the blank was left behind for hand-carving into a handle.

I say "apparently" because I'm not sure whether this is true or just some medieval researcher's theory. Most pole lathes I've seen rotate several times before changing direction giving reasonably usable, if short, cutting times. To have the workpiece rotate less than once "per pedal" seems to me to be a most awkward and unlikely method... but having only tried a pole lathe on rare occasions and being far from an expert, I could easily be way off base. :rolleyes:

[Gobae]

Get the wooden artifacts book from the York Archeological Trust - it has heaps of evidence for pole lathes, and yes, you can tell an item was turned on a pole lathe.

Is that the actual title ("Wooden Artifacts")? HOW can you tell the difference? Inquiring minds want to know. :)

[bsrlee]

Seems that working wood with a pole lathe & a 'hook tool' leaves a distinctive faint spiral surface pattern.


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