Turning Bench from the year 180.
Treadle Lathe Powered by the Fee.
Plans for a Treadle Lath.
Traditional 1805 Turning Bench that functions as a treadle lathe and workbench all in one unit. A total of eight pages measuring 11″ by 17″, plus four pages of instructions.
I’ve been gathering information on treadle lathes and thought the illustration provided for this one on Amazon looked good, so I purchased a copy of the book to read.
You will receive four pages of instructions/text on the history of the lathe and how to construct this device (including parts lists), as well as eight larger sheets illustrating both the individual parts and how they all fit together. In some ways, the instructions could be a little more detailed (alligator splice on belt? ), but they do recommend a variety of different woods for the various lathe parts they recommend. Several metal components are described as being something that will need to be custom-made for you.
“The Woodwright’s Guide Working with Wedge and Edge” by Roy Underhill is a pitiful failure due to the lack of instructions on how to construct a lathe—you’d need this plan set or Steve Schmeck’s “Make your own Treadle Lathe” to get by with that disaster. I’d recommend getting both of them.
Perhaps the most interesting detail in Full Chisel’s plans was the mention of turning a tabletop (the edge, I’m sure, rather than doing a lot of hand plane work)—not much detail was provided, but it was something I hadn’t seen anywhere else prior to this.
The overall effect is positive, and I believe the setup is sound.. I believe I will be able to construct it someday.
