Hand Turned Lathe

[Saxon Violence]

Friends,

A few months ago someone was selling a bunch of single purpose hand turned lathes intended to be used on PT Boats during WWII but the war ended before they got distributed.

At any rate, it got me to thinking.

I would like to have a small bench mounted and hand turned lathe. I would like for it to have auto feed at a reasonably slow pace so as I turned it with one hand it would reduce the diameter of the workpiece with good clean cuts. If it only takes .003"—.005" per cut, I can live with that.

It would have only two necessary tasks—to turn cylinders of Chrome-Moly down to the desired diameter to become Cylinders or Barrels on Scratch-built Revolvers. On my design the Barrel doesn't need to be threaded and any other necessary threads can be done with taps and dies.

It isn't essential but turning tapers would be a plus as would having an auto-feed for facing off work pieces.

I have a picture of an old Wilson Hand Turned Sewing Machine that looks much like I envision. I intend to include the Wilson Patent because it might be of interest to some. There is also a Photo of some heavy-duty cast iron flywheels that were available back then, but may not be around now.

I'd like to have some input as to how this could be put together using plate metal, ACME Thread Rod and Nuts; perhaps using barbell plates for flywheels and requiring a minimum of welding.

I'd appreciate any input.

The patent didn't want to attach. I guess that it is too big. It is Patent Number is 7776 Patented Nov 12, 1850.


Saxon Violence

[Frank S]

Saxson Violence you might consider a build that would use a foot treadle and a flywheel in your build this way both your hands are freed up and you will not tire out nearly as fast.
Several years ago I started to design a small bench top lathe but never finished the design completely it would probably have been larger than what you are thinking about I had planned on making it a 4inch swing over the carriage with 18" between the centers.
I was planning on using a 3/4" 10 tpi for a lead screw and drive it from a series of bicycle sprockets and chains 3 or 18 sp sprockets sets of different sizes could have given me enough gear changes to do many of the more common threads as well.
I wanted to have a 15 to 25 lb flywheel to help smooth out the spinning rate a coaster setup from a bicycle would have been incorporated to the treadle so I could rock it back and forth or briefly allow my feet to rest.
Now that yo have brought this up I might think about building one myself if I ever run out of anything to do.

[Saxon Violence]

Friend,

Yes, plans for Treadle wood lathes are legion, but I've yet to see a good metal lathe build. I believe that if one is going to go to all the trouble to build a metal cutting treadle lathe, auto feed and a compound feed should be part of the package. I can live very well without thread cutting but would find cause to use it if I had it.

I wish that I could have gotten one of the larger Goodell-Prat lathes along with all their accessories—I have their 1926 Catalog in my Hard drive—but can't send it to anyone—way too large.

Anyway, my father was born about halfway through 1926 but he couldn't be bothered to stop nursing, soiling his diapers and crying long enough to order me a lathe and put it in mothballs for me. What a slacker!

If it comes through:

Here is a link to a "U" Tube video showing an old Brittania Lathe at work.

That went well. Here is one of the Pittler "B" Ornamental Lathe.

I wouldn't turn either of these Lathes down but I'd prefer a Goodel-Prat. It was cheaper and it looks to be simpler and more robust as a result.

I thought that the Hand Turned Lathe would be simpler and hopefully more robust.

At any rate, thank you for your input. I'd begun to think that my tree had fallen in an empty forest…


Saxon Violence

[Frank S]

There are no empty forests here but the trees do get covered with leaves very quickly sometimes

[Geffre]

I found this about the Barnes metal lathe on Roy Underhill's show.

"On the Woodwright's Shop with Roy Underhill today was a foot pedal powered Barnes 4 1/2 metal lathe. Sold for $50 in 18??. He was showing making a brass screw and a tapered brass pin for a bow saw. Thought it was interesting and hope some of you had seen it."