treadle lathe

Despite Andre’s concerns, it actually works.

For those who didn’t follow the link to André’s comments, he said:

Nice work on the original structure.
But I fear that the treadle lathe is not going to work. The large drive wheel is not heavy enough to have enough strength to get on the rotation axis. The large drive wheel must weigh 35kg minimum for easy turning.
This weight is for a wheel diameter of 600mm.
Myself early this year a treadle lathe built, pictures can be found here: http://hout-en-boten.blogspot.com

Overview: The plan, the design choice, construction details, and various improvements.

As with most projects, this one was not built strictly to plan. I already have a huge bench, so did not include the bench details from Shepherd’s plan. The rest is upgrades to modern bearings and other simplifications because the local blacksmith left long ago.

Shepherd’s original plan can be had from Stephen’s store.

Update (Oct, 2022): Stephen Shepherd’s website has disappeared from the interwebs. A couple of years ago, I heard he was having health problems. I certainly wish him well and will leave his link here in case he gets back on the air.

An Improvement. The tool rest was “built to plan.” The only adjustment I made was to change the height commensurate with how much my centers varied in height above ways from the original plan.

It worked. Yet, it felt like I was always creeping up on the work from underneath. In other words, the tool rest was too low. I temporarily shimmed it up with various bits from the scrap bin. Better!

OK. Let’s keep going. Make it adjustable. Cut off the top inch or so. Just for interest, cut a couple of nice semi-circles in the remaining base.

Drill 1/4″ holes at the centers of the semi-circles. Make a new piece, same width. Cut it’s upper edge to 45 degrees and attach the metal rest plate. Cut two 1/4″ slots. Assemble with 1/4″ carriage bolts and wing nuts. Think about replacing the wing nuts with something prettier some day.

Molto meglio! Benissimo!

Oh! Before you ask about the first project, Ralph. I’m still learning how to address spinning objects with sharp chisels. So far, and for a bit more time, all I’m making is mulch.