Thread: Manual lathes???

Gday Richard, try googling pole lathe , here's one.


Cheers................Sean

Thanks Sean. I hadn't thought that making one myself would be realistic, I was expecting to start scouring ebay, but this looks good. I was thinking of treadle lathes - in the way of the treadle sewing machines that used to be around.

The problem with a spring-pole lathe is you only cut on the down stroke; similar to a scroll saw.

Here's a source of plans for a DIY treadle lathe:

http://www.manytracks.com/lathe/default.htm

Free E-book or pdf, or $ for a CD.

Joe

OK, you got my attention.

In the past I posted this thread showing my li'l treadle powered baby... so what do you want to know?

Originally Posted by joe greiner

The problem with a spring-pole lathe is you only cut on the down stroke; similar to a scroll saw.

Joe, I saw an old bodger making mugs on a pole lathe and he was cutting on both strokes. However, to do the outside he positioned a stop block to prevent the blank from turning a full revolution, which left a segment of material behind that he carved a handle into. WIth less than one revolution per stroke, I can't say he was getting any great RPMs up, but he was certainly removing material quickly...

Amazing stuff to watch.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

OK, you got my attention.

In the past I posted this thread showing my li'l treadle powered baby... so what do you want to know?

I suppose, are they any good to use? How does it compare to using an electric lathe? Is there anything they can / can't do? Your treadle lathe is what I was thinking of, having grown up with Singer treadle sewing machines. I want to avoid buying more power tools if possible, and I don't envisage doing a lot of work on it, more to 'play' at making chisel handles, drawer knobs and tops for the kids.

There is no comparison between a powered lathe and any manual lathe.

lets start with the power.
maximum human power output.... superfit cyclist..... using both legs.... peak output..... somewhere arround 600 watts.... for about 30 sec.

power output of my mini lathe......tiny little motor.... 400-500 watts all day.

A human powered lathe is certainly a novelty..... under some circumstances a practicality.
But
there is no way a human powered lathe can compete with one powered by an electric motor.

You will end up with fabulous legs though

cheers

Originally Posted by soundman

There is no comparison between a powered lathe and any manual lathe.

lets start with the power.
maximum human power output.... superfit cyclist..... using both legs.... peak output..... somewhere arround 600 watts.... for about 30 sec.

power output of my mini lathe......tiny little motor.... 400-500 watts all day.

A human powered lathe is certainly a novelty..... under some circumstances a practicality.
But
there is no way a human powered lathe can compete with one powered by an electric motor.

You will end up with fabulous legs though

cheers

But on the same reckoning there's no comparison between a hand plane and an electric one, or a hand saw and a circular saw. I agree there's no comparison, but I don't get the c-saw out to cut the end off a piece of dowel, and the electric plane makes a real mess of the edge of a window. And how about comparing the torque in your average cordless drill against a decent brace?

Somewhere I read how power tools make life faster and easier. I'm not looking to make life faster, and not necessarily easier either.

Oh, and although I won't claim to be superfit, I cycle 30km every week.

A little thing called the industrial revolution took over I guess.
Steam and eventually electricity.
What about solar panels and an inverter if you have concerns for the environment?
Or a water driven lathe? Although we are experiencing a drought at the moment!
I think I would prefer to focus on my bowl gauge and the bowl, rather than how tired my legs are getting!
I did use a brace the other day though, with my trusy adjustable Irwin bit. Twas a joy to use- Occasionaly

You asked what they can and cant do.

One factor is waht you can and cant do.

you wont have the power or torque to spin a large bowl
you wont be able to achieve many of the tool presentations requierd for many types of work
you wont be able to spend hours turning

pole lathes generaly are limited to spindle work

most of the use of pole lathes was on softer timbers and worked green

As I said there is a level of practicality with man powered lathes but there are significant limitations

If interest is a book "jack hill... country chair making".... you will find it interesting as pole lathes are discussed.

Don't be discouraged..... having a pole lathe in your back yard would be a super cool dark side thing to do. & it'll cost you squat.

cheers

Squat is definitely interesting right now! Anything which costs more than $25 has to be approved by committee including the Rt Hon P Costello, Scrooge and SWMBO... and I don't get a vote so Mr Costello doesn't care what I think of him.

I won't be turning bowls, just tops for the kids, door knobs, probably the hardest project would be chisel handles. Although th environment is a concern, I like the idea of being able to do something the 'old fashioned' way. I also don't like noise. I won't be turning for hours. I don't have hours. Maybe one or two every week or two.
"you wont be able to achieve many of the tool presentations requierd for many types of work" I don't understand this statement! Can you be more specific?

I'm already beginning to think that pole lathes are too restrictive - perpetual lathes, with a big / heavy flywheel and a treadle seem to be more what I want.

My woodworking philosophy is a zen one!

Hi Richard the guy who may be able to get you on the pole lathe path is Howard Archbold - the "Rare Chairs" man. I notice he is on the exhibitors list for the 2007 Sydney WWW show.
Cant seem to find him listed in the directories but I think he is from NSW or ACT
try (02) 6546 3173 or 0408 964 078

Originally Posted by rhancock

I suppose, are they any good to use? How does it compare to using an electric lathe? Is there anything they can / can't do?

Hmmm... downsides... well... it's a lot harder to apply a friction polish, for starters. And they're not the best tool in the world if you want to hog out a lot of material quickly. Mine has a limited throw over, only a few inches, but I believe that one could be made to turn a fairly large blank... I'd think that one could handle a 3' diameter bowl easily enough once it's spun up to speed. Getting it started would be a bit of an effort, but you're only talking in the area of 60-120RPM in the first place, and the rotational momentum would probably make it easier to keep spinning once you get around to applying the tool.

I wouldn't want to try and turn a largish bowl in one session though! Soundman's right about tool presentation though... you need to develop some new techniques. You can still get the "turner's tango" happening (the sway from side to side) but there are some positions where it's awkward to both treadle and cut at the same time. Mainly in deep hollowing, so if you're only planning on doing spindle work, then don't worry about it!

Mine's remarkably quiet if maintained correctly, quiet enough that you can almost hear each fibre cut. All in all, a pleasure to use and I won't be putting mine back on the market any time soon... if ever.

Ever seen this guy on the tube in Oz? Or read any of his books? I don't think he'd touch a power tool of any kind.

http://www.pbs.org/wws/

Joe

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Hmmma friction polish, for starters.... a limited throw over... tool presentation ... You can still get the "turner's tango" happening (the sway from side to side)

I don't know what these mean so I'll do some more lurking on the woodturning forum!

Quiet is definitely what I'm after, and I don't need to work quickly. I don't think I want to make any bowls, only spindle work. I'll also only use it from time to time, so I figure enthusiasm will keep the wheel spinning!