Guest Post by WoodChux
Here's an inexpensive, portable treadle lathe design that you can make in a couple of weekends, out of scrap wood, and some relatively inexpensive hardware. But don't let the quick build time fool you. The simple design of this heavy duty shop built lathe makes it as easy to use as it is to build. Whether you are looking for a daily use lathe, a conversation piece, or want to turn using the sweat of your brow, this is the lathe for you.
Woodworking has been a lifelong passion of mine. It all started one cold Christmas morning when I was 6 years old. Santa Clause left a present under the tree that sparked a fire in me that still burns. Wrapped in paper with his image, topped with a golden bow, my first tool kit awaited. My first set of tools consisted of a tiny tack hammer, and what I know now as a coping saw. To a 6 year old boy in footed pajamas', it was everything. The kit also included a few pieces of 1/4 plywood, tacks, and plans for a birdhouse. My Father, with unforetold patients, helped me build my first project. I was amazed to finally see the lopsided masterpiece that was described by some to be a birdhouse.
Over the last 25+ years, the tools have gotten bigger, better, and more expensive. I bought my first lathe about 10 years ago. I used it mainly for table legs for furniture in my house. Before long, I began to versify my turnings to include bowls, boxes, bottle stoppers, pens, pencils, and plates. I shortly realized I was hooked.
Whenever possible, I go straight to the lathe to search for the form resting in a piece of green wood. To me, there is no greater pleasure, in terms of woodworking, then turning a freshly cut log. The wood peels away like butter. As the long shavings pile up on my arm and shoulder, the stresses and worries of the day seem to melt away.
Today, most of the items that I turn I sell on my website or at local craft show. I do around 4 shows a year and love every second of it. Meeting people who enjoy my work is extremely rewarding. I like to see the puzzled look on people's faces when they try to imagine how I create some of my pieces, or when they pick up a pen made out of a pine cone and try to imagine what it could be made from. I enjoy sharing my ideas and knowledge with other people. At shows, I spend a great deal of time explaining how I create my pieces on the lathe. In that light, I decided I need a lathe to take with me and demonstrate my craft. Unfortunately, some of the shows that I attend do not provide electricity to the booths.
This dilemma was on my mind during last year's family trip. I took my wife and son to colonial Williamsburg Virginia. Walking through the brick streets, we came across a small cabinetmakers shop. There, just inside the door, against the wall, stood an old treadle lathe and the answer to my problem. I decided then that I needed to build one.
After research the different types of human powered lathes, bow, pole, and even some using bungee cords, I decided on a treadle lathe using a flywheel. The continuous action treadle lathe, also known as a flywheel treadle lathe, is an old design. Leonardo Da Vinci was the first to design such a lathe almost 500 years ago. His design included a 6' flywheel to drive the spindle. Although highly effective and efficient, a 6' wheel is not practical for limited space. In this case however, bigger is better. The flywheel transforms your energy, the up and down motion of your leg, into rotational motion. Once the wheel is in motion, it stores your energy. This means that the larger the wheel diameter, the greater the energy storage potential is for that machine. Additionally, adding mass around the rim of the wheel increases the energy of a wheel. So Leo's machine would make for a very nice lathe.
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| Continuous Motion Treadle Lathe |
Woodworking has been a lifelong passion of mine. It all started one cold Christmas morning when I was 6 years old. Santa Clause left a present under the tree that sparked a fire in me that still burns. Wrapped in paper with his image, topped with a golden bow, my first tool kit awaited. My first set of tools consisted of a tiny tack hammer, and what I know now as a coping saw. To a 6 year old boy in footed pajamas', it was everything. The kit also included a few pieces of 1/4 plywood, tacks, and plans for a birdhouse. My Father, with unforetold patients, helped me build my first project. I was amazed to finally see the lopsided masterpiece that was described by some to be a birdhouse.
Over the last 25+ years, the tools have gotten bigger, better, and more expensive. I bought my first lathe about 10 years ago. I used it mainly for table legs for furniture in my house. Before long, I began to versify my turnings to include bowls, boxes, bottle stoppers, pens, pencils, and plates. I shortly realized I was hooked. Whenever possible, I go straight to the lathe to search for the form resting in a piece of green wood. To me, there is no greater pleasure, in terms of woodworking, then turning a freshly cut log. The wood peels away like butter. As the long shavings pile up on my arm and shoulder, the stresses and worries of the day seem to melt away.
Today, most of the items that I turn I sell on my website or at local craft show. I do around 4 shows a year and love every second of it. Meeting people who enjoy my work is extremely rewarding. I like to see the puzzled look on people's faces when they try to imagine how I create some of my pieces, or when they pick up a pen made out of a pine cone and try to imagine what it could be made from. I enjoy sharing my ideas and knowledge with other people. At shows, I spend a great deal of time explaining how I create my pieces on the lathe. In that light, I decided I need a lathe to take with me and demonstrate my craft. Unfortunately, some of the shows that I attend do not provide electricity to the booths.
After research the different types of human powered lathes, bow, pole, and even some using bungee cords, I decided on a treadle lathe using a flywheel. The continuous action treadle lathe, also known as a flywheel treadle lathe, is an old design. Leonardo Da Vinci was the first to design such a lathe almost 500 years ago. His design included a 6' flywheel to drive the spindle. Although highly effective and efficient, a 6' wheel is not practical for limited space. In this case however, bigger is better. The flywheel transforms your energy, the up and down motion of your leg, into rotational motion. Once the wheel is in motion, it stores your energy. This means that the larger the wheel diameter, the greater the energy storage potential is for that machine. Additionally, adding mass around the rim of the wheel increases the energy of a wheel. So Leo's machine would make for a very nice lathe.
For more information about Easy to build Continuous Motion Treadle Lathe go to this article about Easy to build Continuous Motion Treadle Lathe
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