Moroccan Lathe

[Thomas Bennett]

My brother just returned from a trip throughout Morocco. He photographed this craftsman for me in one of the bazaars. He thought the spindles were for skewered meat of some sort. Notice the toe holding the tool in the detail. The blanks look like branches.
Imagine how your back would feel after a day of turning with this posture! I hope you can see the detail in these reduced photos. He shot him with a 10meg camera. If anyone is really interested in this contact me and I can privately e-mail you a larger file.

[Dan Oliphant]

It also looks like this turner only has one arm. That may be why he is using his toes.

[Andrew Derhammer]

He's got 2

[GLENN THOMAS]

The arm that appears to be missing is working the bow which turns the lathe

GT

[Rich Stewart]

My uncle was in Africa and he was telling me about the guy that had a lathe. powered by his son pulling a leather strap back and forth. He could only touch tool to work on the correct stroke. My uncle showed me some of his work. Fabulous box made out of ebony. The wood seemed like rock. Makes me wonder what he could do with a real lathe.

[Glenn Hodges]

I enjoyed viewing this. I first thought he could use a table, but he could not use his toes with a table. I am always amazed at how enjenious people are with what they have.

[Clara Koss]

great reading and viewing... this man probably makes very little from his art...the importers like pier one and such stores are the money makers here... he probably has been working at his craft since he was a boy... it becomes a father to son craft in most of these countries...love this kind of thread...0:>)

[Heather Deans]

One of the earliest versions of a lathe documented (that I know of) was ancient egyptian and was a bow lathe (like the one in the picture), except it was upright. A lathe that only turn one way didn't exist until the 1600s. Even pole lathes had that two direction spin!
Heather