Hand Powered Bow Lathe

After several years of demonstrating a foot-powered lathe, in my research I started finding illustrations of much smaller hand-powered lathes, and decided to try to build something similar. Here is a short look at my bow lathe as I turn a small piece of bone.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• wood
• woodworking
• lathe
• woodturning
• turning
• bow
• hand
• powered
• history
• bone
• turner
• bodger

[TheFirearmEnthusiast]

Were the lathes used in the 17 century to turn gun barrel similar to this, but on a larger scale?

[macgames]

@TheFirearmEnthusiast By then I believe most cannons were being cast in large molds, and the barrels were drilled out using boring machines that were basically large animal or water-powered lathes.

[macgames]

As of today there are 6 people who have given this a thumbs-down. How about some feedback on what you didn't like?

[macgames]

It's loosely inspired by tiny lathes that were used for making tiny things like hand-made watch parts and similar items. This is a little larger so I mostly make things like lace-making bobbins, or pegs for games like cribbage. I've been able to document the use of a simple bow-powered lathe for turning chess pieces as early as the 13th century in Alphonso X's "Book of Games"

[richardkelltoolmaker]

Thats one of my fav Bach cello suites. I applaud your effort and hold you in high regard, yet I wish I could have helped you on making your 'turns' .......it needs to be more bottom heavy to develop mass and eliminate deflection under cutting pressure. Good vid.

[macgames]

Normally there's not that much movement to the lathe itself as I work. The bench it is mounted it was about 5 years old at the time I filmed myself and needed a little repair work to tighten it ;-)

[TheFirearmEnthusiast]

@macgames Cool, thanks MACGAMES!

[robthatguyx]

what would you make on this?

[NuDawgontheblock]

Cool man.

[disturbedone5009]

Wow that is awesome. I love when people build stuff from scratch and show that it actually works.