First Cordless Lathe

[Michael Bragdon]

I am new to the creek and a novice turrner
Last winter my wife and I took a trip to New Hampshire to visit her sister. We went to visit my nephew who has an old farm house with a barn attached up on the 3rd floor of the bar was this old lathe thought some of you would like to see it, Looks like all the parts are there to make it work

[Scott Hussey]

Thanks for sharing these pictures.

Amazing what the generations of old used. Makes us all look a little silly for discussions on high speed steel vs carbide tipped tools, variable speed this and thats, and other "modern" tools.

Now you need a horse or water-wheel to turn your work!:D

[Michael Bragdon]

This one has tredel for powwer

[Mark Hubl]

Michael,

Great post! Love seeing the old stuff. Amazing what can be used to turn out quality work. This kind of stuff always reminds me of one of my friends favorite sayings, "Yep, that's from a time when men were made of steel and ships of wood."

[Richard Dooling]

Great stuff, thanks!

I can't wait to see what George Wilson and Harry Strasil have to say about this.

.

[charlie knighton]

suggested reading:

Hand or Simple Turning Principles and Practice

By John Jacob Holtzapffel

copyright : This Dover edition, first published in 1976, is an unabridged republication of the work published by Holtzapffel & Co., London, in 1881, as Volume IV of the five-volume work Turning and Mechanical Manipulation. Intended as a Work of General Reference and Practical Instruction, on the Lathe, and the Various Mechanical Pursuits Followed by Amateur.

its an interesting read if you can find a copy, i 1st learned of it from a post by Peter Lamb on another board

[GLENN THOMAS]

Thanks for sharing these pictures.

Amazing what the generations of old used. Makes us all look a little silly for discussions on high speed steel vs carbide tipped tools, variable speed this and thats, and other "modern" tools.

Now you need a horse or water-wheel to turn your work!:D

When I was a kid I bought a CB radio and before I knew it my buddy bought one too. It wasn't long after and we were trying to out do each other. Who had the most power and who could pick up a signal from the farthest distance and on and on. As we started talking to more and more people I realized that the only thing everyone was talking about was there radios. It seemed like everyone bought a CB radio just so they could use it to tell everyone else how good it was. Every time a new debate comes up weather it's Oneway vs Powermatic, or Jet vs Delta, or 110 vs 220, or U shaped gouge vs V shaped gouge, and so on I get caught up in the debate and think about all the conversations I had on my CB. Its amazing what some of these old timers did with what we might consider primitive tools, and they probably didn't spend near the amount of time as we do talking about them. Looking at these old tools and what was made on them I cant help but think how it's the man and not the tool, now I feel pretty dumb when I think I could do better work if only I had better chuck, or a better gouge, or variable speed.

I guess I should get off the computer now and go practice cutting with the skew.

GT

[Harlan Barnhart]

Thanks for the pictures. It looks like there is a nice old workbench in that attic as well. Any other woodworking tools?

[Philip Allin]

Yes, my uncle had one similar to that when he introduced me to turning years ago - 60 to be exact - but he had motorized it. When he died his widow passed it on to me. I still have the cast iron head and tailstock and misc. pieces.

[Mark Hazelden]

Welcome Michael and thanks for sharing your pictures.

They remind me a trip to Colonial Williamsburg Virginia. I was especially interested in the wood working shop and the period furniture. It is very humbling to see the fine work with simple tools.

Mark

[John Keeton]

Welcome to the creek, Michael, and great thread!! Takes me back a few years, not that I am old enough to recall machinery like that mind you!!:D Simpler times, quality workmanship, and life a day at a time. Ahhhhh, the good old days!!

Great stuff, thanks!

I can't wait to see what George Wilson and Harry Strasil have to say about this.

.Richard, both of them would get a kick out of seeing this. I don't think they drift over here much, though I think both of them turn a little.

[Richard Dooling]

I posted a note in the neander area. I hope they will offer comments.

So much to learn too many days gone.

.

[Bernie Weishapl]

That is just to cool. Thanks for sharing and posting.

[Jeff Nicol]

That is an incredible piece of history and thank you so much for sharing it with us. I wish I could find someone who had some thing like that and that needed an adoptive son to leave it too!

Thank you so much for sharing it and hope to see you on the creek some more, glad to have you.

Have a great night,

Jeff

[george wilson]

Looks lik a crude but powerful treadle lathe. I think I have seen lathes with the wheel above in the past. Right now I am sick as a dog with a terrible cold. So,I can't remember much!!

I do turn,of course,but only when I'm getting paid to!!