Replies

1. 
   rpholland | Feb 17, 2007 05:59am | #1

   There is a detailed plan in one of the early issues of Fine Woodworking for a foot-powered treadle lathe, may give you some ideas for the design.

   Rob

2. 
   mvflaim | Feb 17, 2007 06:14am | #2

   If you can find a copy of Roy Underhill's book "The Woodwright's Workbook" there's a plan for a nice treadle lathe in it. Last year he made a nice version of a spring pole lathe on one of his shows but I've been unable to find plans for it yet.

   Mike

    

3. 
   BilljustBill | Feb 17, 2007 06:43am | #3

       Bill-B,

      Many moons ago... I loved woodworking so much I made my own wood lathe. No one had ever tried it before. Having access to green sand and a foundry that could pour 20lbs of aluminum at a time, I cast the  tailstock and had to use a sandcore when it came to the headstock.  I machined the headstock for ball bearings and press-fit a steel sleeve into the tailstock for extended wear.  Both have a #2 Morse tapers....

      I used 2" X 1/4" thick angle iron for the bed weldment.  The toolrest is 1"steel and sections of channel iron.  The banjo was cast from aluminum and used for light to medium duty turning....

      A few years ago I found a brand new Leeson 1/2hp TEFC 110v motor, and also Leeson 1hp DC motor and a speed control with a brake and reverse switch at the local flea market. Got all of it for $65.  Because the motor and speed control were of different manufacturers, I still thought I could use them when I update the lathe...  Going though Craft Supplies USA Lathe catalogue, I almost swallowed my tongue when I saw the same Lesson 1-hp DC combo for over $500.

      The lathe is part of me and it will stay in my workshop until...

      Bill

   
1. 
   dgreen | Feb 17, 2007 07:13am | #4

   Now thats DIY! Thanks for posting that, I really enjoyed it.------------------------------------

    

   "The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact, non-Westerners never do."---------------Samuel P. Huntington

1. 
   BilljustBill | Feb 19, 2007 09:35am | #12

       BillB,

      Thanks for your comments.  After I built the wood lathe, I also made a 14" band saw.  I made all the patterns from Sugar Pine.  The outer case is made in two aluminum cast halves and bolted to plate steel.  I planned the neck to be equal to one of those Spacer Blocks so it uses the longer 105" blades.

     The wheels were cast and then turned the same diameter as a Delta band saw, so I could order tires for them.  At first, the only tires I had at that time were made from cross sections of truck inner tubes.

      It has a 1hp motor with a four step pulley and V-belt drive to adjust the speeds.  I cast upper and lower blade guides holders that came from a "Do-All" bandsaw and off the shelf hardend blade guide inserts attach to it.

     Here's an old Polaroid shot of it taken 35 years ago without the metal doors.  The other picture shows it in the background still working....  The love of woodworking is still going, I finished my "T-shaped" workbench a few years ago....

      Bill

   Edited 2/19/2007 2:04 am ET by BilljustBill

   Edited 2/19/2007 2:08 am ET by BilljustBill

   
1. 
   mufti | Feb 20, 2007 10:28pm | #17

               I do think you all are here writing the articles I wish to see in FW! And they do not have to be perfect examples of journalese, just very interesting. You are an example and lesson to those of us who have to buy the latest gizmo.

4. 
   KeithNewton | Feb 17, 2007 07:29am | #5

   I built mine, but it used parts from the salvage yard. It weighs 3000# and is powered by a 5 hp 3 ph motor with a VF drive for speed control.

   It is only face-plate, I didn't make any bed for it, although I might someday. I think in its former life, it was in a locomotive shop. It looked like it was set up to grind the wheels. The Arbor is 4.5" diameter, and has two rows of taper roller bearings on each end of the shaft.

   there used to be a lathe kit like you are describing. I think it was conover.

   Here is a link. you can find a lot more by goggling it.

   http://www.lathes.co.uk/conover/

   Oh by the way, I have the tail-stock casting for my lathe out back. It would make a great lathe for someone wanting to build a monster lathe. It has a 5" bore through where the quill went, which would fit perfectly for a 2" arbor. this casting will weigh about 1000 #.

5. 
   Napie | Feb 17, 2007 04:06pm | #6

   Check FWW issue #57.  There is a great article on a home built lathe by Carlyle Lynch with a ten foot bed.  I have all the machined parts for that lathe and have never gotten around to building it.

1. 
   philip | Feb 18, 2007 04:06am | #9

   That is a crime-either finish it or sell to somebody who can finish it (;)Philip Marcou

1. 
   Napie | Feb 18, 2007 05:15am | #11

   No doubt, the parts were made for me free, including custom faceplates.  They have been in storage in two different shops, still waiting to be built, let's see, that has been at least 12 years now.....

6. 
   joinerswork | Feb 17, 2007 04:37pm | #7

   Bill,

   I built a lathe back in the 70's, and am still using it.  The bed has 4x4 oak ways, and are supported by a pair of trestle type uprights.  Headstock is a block of oak, about 6x12, held to the bed with through tenons and wedges, as are the tailstock and toolrests.  I had a buddy with a metal lathe turn a piece of shafting for the headstock spindle,  it has 1"dia 8tpi threads for a faceplate, and #2 morse taper to capture the drive cenbter or drill chuck.  Tailstock was once part of an antique lathe, donated to the project by a friend after my attempt at an all wood tailstock proved too flimsy.  It too is oak, with blacksmith made spindle, and crank.  I can turn up to 7 feet betw centers, and  up to about 14" inboard.

   I was inspired by the lathe in the Dominy shop, now at Winterthur.  Were I to do again, I'd use 2x8's instead of 4x4's for the bed, as I believe they'd be more rigid.  I had to add a prop about halfway down the length of the bed to dampen vibration/shaking in this area. 

   Ray Pine

7. 
   mike4244 | Feb 17, 2007 08:35pm | #8

   I built my lathe about 5 years ago.My first lathe was a shop built treadle lathe. After arthritis got to me I built a wood lathe powered with a 1/2 hp motor.The headstock spindle and tailstock spindles are replacement parts from Grizzly.You can get replacement parts from many tool dealers,Delta,Jet etc.

   The lathe is built from construction 2x4's mostly.I bought the 2x's ,stickered them in my shop for several months. I jointed them flat on one edge and one width,then ram them thru a planer to a thickness of 1 3/8" and width of 3 1/4".The 2x's are laminated with yellow glue to a width of about 8" (6 pieces).

   The bed rails are two 2x4's with 2 pieces of purple heart glued to the top for both strength and hardness.The bed rails are about 5'-6" long.I can turn a spindle over 4'-0" long.The depth from the centerline of the spindle to the bed is a little over 9".

   I do not recall what finish I put on the lathe, wish I had written it down as the lathe sits in a sunny window area and the purple heart is still deep purple.Many times ,if not all the time purple heart turns brown when exposed to the sun.Probably marine varnish,I had a quart left over from another job.Interlux was the brand.

   The motor slides on a piece of 1/2" black iron pipe fasten to the bed rails.I used half sections of plumbing risers clamps to fasten the motor to the pipe.This arrangement acts as a hinge and allows you to change belt position easily.A rope thru the motors plywood base and around a cam type of wooden lever bolted to the headstock makes releasing pulley tension very simple.

   Check out a taunton paperback book,there are three lathes described.The small one I believe is called a beer box lathe,there is a heavy duty steel bowl lathe and a lathe similar to the one I built.The drawings in the book are pretty clear,you could certainly use them for working drawings if you wish.

   If you use construction lumber and replacement spindles and have a usable motor lying around, you could build a lathe for about $125.00 or so.I believe The machined parts I bought from Grizzly were about $35.00 for both spindles.

   You could build this lathe almost any length you want,from a short bed to as long as you need.The fellow that built the lathe similar to mine can turn up to 8'-0" spindles if I recall.Sorry I do not recall the name of the book,I do recall that Taunton published it.Also check out MAKING AND MODIFYING MACHINES, A Fine Woodworking publication.There several lathes in this book.Come to think about it, I think the first book might be a Finewoodworking publication too.

   mike

8. 
   philip | Feb 18, 2007 04:11am | #10

   I have seen transfer boxes from certain big trucks used as headstock- you get high and low speed range that way together with robustness. Very good for bowl turning lathes in particular.

   Philip Marcou
9. 
   g_hepplewhite | Feb 20, 2007 06:10pm | #13

   Bill,

   I built my own lathe from steel plates, rectangular tubing and round stock. I have an old cast iron Craftsman that has served me well for years but I got tired of not having a long bed with a cam locking banjo and tail stock so I set off to design and build a new one from scratch. I now have 16 inches of  swing with about 50" between centers without the 36" bed extension. I am very pleased with it. I think that I still have the drawing files for it if interested but unless you are going to do the machine work yourself it would be too expensive to build. I think that I had at least 50 hours of labor and around $300 dollars in materials (less the DC motor and controller). Translation; it would be cheaper to buy a Oneway if you had to outsource the work. If you do endeavour to build a lathe please post some pictures.

   Good luck,

   Tom

   
1. 
   AndyE | Feb 20, 2007 09:20pm | #14

   Tom,Nice job. Do you find you have any stability problems? The width of the base seems a little narrow to me. Do you sleeve something through the bottom tube to counter that?I spent some time sketching out a lathe to build for myself. When I really looked at what I would need to spend time and $$ wise to get what I wanted, I decided to buy rather than build. I am waiting for the call from Oneway any day now to say it is in transit. (Both feet)Andy

1. 
   g_hepplewhite | Feb 20, 2007 10:15pm | #15

   Andy,

   Thanks. The base is close to 20" wide. The lathe does not seem tippy, however I am primarily a spindle turner. The largest stock that I have turned to date on the lathe was around 5" dia x 40" long. It did move more than I wanted it to but the stock was quit a bit out of balance and green. Once it was trued up the vibration ceased. I would guess the lathe weighs in at around 300-350 pounds. Someday I plan to fill the tubes/bed with sand  and anchor it to the floor for good measure.

   Tom 

2. 
   Turner2 | Feb 21, 2007 04:13pm | #18

   G.

   Nice looking shop made lathe, very nice spacing between front /rear headstock bearings. I see a 1:1 pulley drive, The only suggestion I would make is to use a good machined step pulley set up in addition to a variable speed drive to give you a good  torque range. With small work you need speed not torque, with large work the opposite. I have a good story dealing with a commercial lathe, and this very issue... if you'd like I'll share it with you sometime...

   Mark G. Krick

    

1. 
   AndyE | Feb 21, 2007 04:28pm | #19

   Come on, now. Do tell.Andy

1. 
   Turner2 | Feb 21, 2007 05:38pm | #21

   I bought my 1.5 hp  AC Variable drive from professional turner friend who was stalling  it out. He proceeded to purchase a 3 hp version from the same Canadian company leaving his 1.5 available. I bought it... Works great for me... It "turns" out he was on the wrong (lowest torque) pulley meaning the motor was not stalling, the belt was slipping. I got a great motor and controller for a good price and he got more power when it was not really needed.

    

   Mark

    

2. 
   g_hepplewhite | Feb 21, 2007 04:38pm | #20

   Turner2,

   Thanks. I am almost done with the step pulley. It is a five step pulley with index holes on one face. Being that the shaft diameter is 1.188" finding off the shelf pulleys is a little tough.  I have a few more things to do the lathe, mostly cosmetic.

   Take care,

   Tom

3. 
   loddie | Dec 12, 2013 12:19pm | #22

   Tom,

   Your lathe is impressive.  I'm not sure if you still have plans, but I would be interested if you do.  I have a CNC lathe and milling machine and welder, so I could make one cheaper than the Oneway.

   Sorry for responding to a very old thread, but I'm not permitted to PM as a new member.

   Best Regards,

   LeRoy

10. 
    Gene | Feb 20, 2007 10:24pm | #16

    I haven't built it, but Roy Underhill wrote a cover article for Popular Woodworking in October 2000 that described building a foot-powered treadle lathe (with a massive wooden flywheel). Maybe not as modern as you're looking for, but it looks like a good design.

    http://www.popularwoodworking.com/store/viewabstract.asp?view=74#