The Pole Lathe Thread

As requested by @Sandy Ground

, please feel free to post about your pole in here



Latest stuff today, trying out a bit of Ash wood..



Workable but hard going, taking too long to make for any sort of profit





Got Sycamore and Lime to try out next.

 

Am I right in thinking that in the old days pole lathes were used on mainly pretty green wood?

It cuts much easier than when dry, Ash is pretty hard stuff, think lime might be good for cutting.

 

You'm right Pete, just gotta find a source of green wood, working on it

 

Looks like the lathe itself is made of green wood

 

No, that's all well seasoned. Main bits are from one girt bit of oak that took days to rip down the middle and the tree trunk bits are off last years wood pile

 

When I was a kid, my dad 'invented' something like that. He attached an old fishing rod to the shed ceiling, and that served as a spring. Thin rope was attached to the end, dangled down, and had a loop in the end for his foot. He built himself a seat, and a spindle thing on a bench. The result was a lathe, but using a concept he thought was uniquely his.

He was very proud of his invention, right up until a few days later when we saw a documentary about technology used by the Vikings. Turns out they'd been doing it about 2000 years before my dad thought of it

 

I have a lathe. But not a pole one.... Mr Jane has a ww1 treadle lathe though

 

So the only way he could have built that is if he's a time traveller

 

Nah he got it off of fleabay. One day he will repaint it.

 

Looks good

 

As I understand things, pole lathes were developed as a portable lathe, and used by Bodgers. Back then, the term was a positive one. I remember reading an article years ago, and there was very little waste from the wood they used. Oversimplified, they did use green wood, turned in the forest or wherever they cut it down.

Even if I dont have a pole lathe, I do have a wood lathe. Amongst other things, I've just done a large bowl in oak. Rather special in a way, as the wood came from a tree in the recipients garden. I did not realise how much that meant to them until I saw the look on their faces when it was given to them just before Christmas.

 

That's lovely of you Sandy, bet they were well pleased

I've got a sub aqua lathe again this morning Just when I thought the floods were going down

Didn't The Eagles do a song called "Life in the flood plain" ?

 

I spent weeks building a solar powered steam turbine to produce electric, only to find the Germans had already built one

 

The afore mentioned bowl...

 

That's smashing Sandy

Flooded out twice yesterday, but it's strangely drained away this morning Can't see how at the pill box is lower than the field and that's still flooded