Treadle lathe

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Finally managed to get my treadle lathe unearthed today. . .

It's still foot powered but with the crank, flywheel and pulley it spins around the same way all the time rather than back and forth and there's quite a nice story how I came by it.

I was at the Alexandra Palace Woodwork Show and chatting to Stuart King who was demonstrating on his treadle lathe . . .

Stuart showing how to make flowers on a
treadle lathe at a craft show somewhere.

I was fascinated and asked him if I could get one ? were they still around ?

We chatted for quite a while and when I turned round to leave there was a guy standing behind me who asked if I wanted his ! ! !

The upshot was I went and picked it up from Ampthill, Bedfordshire and have had a bit of a saga with it ever since.

It was made in Luton, late 19thC apparently and was previously back-geared to work off a line-shaft - there are two headstocks, two tailstocks and toolrests - also a sliding rest for metal turning and a pillar drill attachment but there is no makers name on it anywhere. If anyone has any ideas please let me know.

I'll post some more decent photos and tell you a bit more of the saga sometime in the future.

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