Pole Lathe Class
In 2005 I taught a Pole Lathe class up at Cinton war. It was only possible to teach this class up at Clinton due to the multi-day event left enough time to set it up, and the property owners permission to cut down multiple poplar trees for the spring poles. I never took images of the set-up but thanks Isabelle de Lacey I finally have pictures to share. This picture shows the set up of all four lathes (one is hiding behind the bodgers lathe~yellow lathe).
I found a super deal on sets of 10 turning tools for $8. I bought four sets, so I didn’t have to share my good tools with the students. They are cheap, and pretty brutal, and are inconstant need of sharpening. That said I still use the parting and side skews from the set. Once they get too short from sharpening, I just grab another from the sets. Please ignore the shoes and the nasty hair. I had been camping for almost two weeks at this point and the period shoes were killing me.
One of my students hard at work. This was my primary lathe for quite a while. It originally started out as a trestle table I built. One day after removing the table top I struck me as an easy conversion to a lathe. Make poppets, and away you go.
The lathe I am working on is my uber cheap lathe. Using a sawhorse as my base I screwed an upright into the horse. Sticking out of the upright is a furniture hanger that I filled the one end to a point. Another upright also had a the filed down hanger, but this one got clamped into place with c-clamps. You place the blank between the uprights and lash (or clamp) the uprights tight. I included this kind of lathe to demostrate that you can build a lathe using very little money or tools.
My tudor house was the base for the class. The sun shade was built out of the remains of my original tudor house and a couple of 2×4′s
Your uber-cheap lathe is great! You could even period-ize that design, with iron pins instead of c-clamps and a Spanish windlass to replace the pipe clamp tensioner.
What are you using for a toolrest? Another crossbar clamped on?
Ulfhedinn
Thank you. I am thinking about teaching it again, but doing nothing but the uber cheap lathe set up. Everyone who takes the course has the option of buying a kit from me…dirt cheap. That way no one has an excuse not to turn. I’ll be posting my electric pole lathe set up in the next few days.
I had use a windlass at home to test the idea, but decided to use a pipe clamp as it was easier for the victims…err…students to set it up. Tool rest is a 2×4 screwed on the upright. At home I had lashed it in place. It worked, but some people have issues with tying knots.
I also had plans to do ludicris low tech turning this year using nothing but two metal points, a saw, reams of rope,a drill bit, and a gouge. The whole idea of walking into the woods with next to nothing, and walk out with triangular stool, trestle table…etc appeals to the hard core crazy in me.
Some of the English chair bodgers did pretty close to that..I think you might want an axe and a knife too, but I agree completely that it’s a cool concept. There are some blacksmiths back in Ontario/NY who are promoting what they call “sole authorship.” By which they mean smelting iron ore to make tools as needed, and going on from there. I believe one of them has worked in Newfoundland at the Viking settlement site there, L’Anse aux Meadows if I have the spelling right. (As a French speaker I make a damn good Icelander!)
Just back from the Oregon Country Fair, without my tools. It rained Sunday, and the road in front of our booth became a lake of glop. The resulting coed mud wrestling was entertaining, and sales were good before the downpour, but we’re still waiting for word as to when the roads in there will reopen. It took two hours and a tow team just to get the van from the parking lot to the highway.
Hoping your own tools are more accessible,
Ulfhedinn
I didn’t include a knife in the list…as a knife in the SCA is pretty much an automatic. Axe is a good idea,, but so is a froe.
The whole idea of walking into the woods and walking out with furniture was inspired by the chair badgers. The whole idea just make a goofy grin spread all over my face.
Glad the Fare was good, and mud wrestling is always fun.
May the rain on your shoulders always be woodchips.