I’ve been on the pole lathe turning a pile of parts for upcoming 18th-Century Chairmaking classes. I’ve turned a few hundred parts on the pole lathe before, but this is the first time I’ve turned this many – 75 legs or so – on the pole lathe in one go. I’m really enjoying it.
Batch production like this is one of the best ways to develop skills. My surfaces are getting smoother and my work more efficient. It’s also forced me to make a few changes to my lathe treadle. Body positions that were passable for an hour became unbearable after a day. Now, I’ll benefit from the changes every time I use the lathe.
This time at the lathe has also reinforced what I already knew: turning on the pole lathe can be just as fast as a power lathe. I’ve been turning Samuel Wing’s simple chair legs in less than four minutes, starting with turned cylinders (I used the power lathe for roughing these cylinders, which is much faster for this). Could I turn the legs faster on the power lathe? Maybe, but I doubt it. Would the surfaces be smoother on the power lathe? Probably. But then again I’ve spent the last 25 years turning on the power lathe, so that’s a unfair comparison.
Another good way to develop skills is by watching people who know what they are doing. So I’ve been revisiting videos of the old English chair bodgers, trying to learn their secrets. A few videos I’ve posted here before. But there’s at least two I haven’t, and they’re some of the best:
This first one is from the BBC, ca. 1950. It’s of a pair of brothers, Owen and Alexander Dean, some of the last chair-leg turners in England. Watching this again, I saw something new: the chisel can stay put when the treadle stroke ends. I’ve been backing it up slightly before the next cut, but there’s no need for that – just leave it in place and begin again on the next treadle stroke. Saves a lot of energy.
The second video is from 1941 and is of Albert Carter, chair-leg turner. The narrator says he works 14-hour days and turns out about 10 gross per week, or 1440 legs. If he’s working 6 days per week, and doesn’t break for lunch or tea or anything, that’s 3.5 minutes per leg. Was he splitting and shaving all those legs himself? If so, he’s doing pretty well for a 75-year-old.
You mentioned that you’ve made some changes to your treadle lathe. I’d be curious to learn more about it. I made a treadle lathe last year based on one of Roy Underhill’s designs, and have been tweaking it significantly since then, trying to get something I don’t have to fight with, but it’s a challenge.
In the old bodger videos, the treadles themselves are A-frames, and the men position their foot about halfway up the treadle. When the video cuts to the workpiece, they seem to be getting pretty good rpm. I’ve found that a) in order to get a decent number of rotations, the tip of the treadle needs to come up pretty high on the return (almost touching the workpiece itself), and b) when I position my foot halfway up the treadle (as the old bodgers seem to have done), I need to lift my knee uncomfortably high in order to get a full stroke. So maybe it’s possible to do decent work with only four or five rotations per stroke?
Basically, while I’ve been able to turn a few small pieces, I’m struggling to get a good initial setup, and it’s tough to find examples of people who are actually using treadle lathes as a reference (most are built as novelties).
Your woodturning video was helpful for a beginner like me. A short demo video of your treadle lathe operation and tweaks–or even a picture of your lathe–would be helpful if you ever get the chance.
Either way, thanks for sharing these old videos!
That’s a great idea. I’ll try to do a video like that soon. My upcoming book will also have plans for a pole lathe with detailed info about the treadle.
You should be able to get 6-8 revolutions on a 1″ diameter turning. Lather height is critical – the centers should be a couple inches above your elbow. There’s lots of adjustments that are equally important with the treadle, but too complicated to write about now.
I’ll try to post more info soon,
Elia
I’m always left wondering if there was much of an issue with warping because the legs were turned green. When you turn your legs Elia, do you worry about the legs turning more “oval” or do anything to avoid it? Do you have to turn them again at all or just the tenon?
I simply return the tenon after drying. The legs do go oval as they dry, but it’s not noticeable nor a problem. They occasionally warp, but it’s rarely bad enough to be an issue.
The bodgers are wearing ties. I think that is the key to their efficiency.
I’ll have to try that.
Thank you! And thank goodness these old films were archived, ready for your ingenious detective work, to unearth them and bring them to us!
I agree!