This is work in progress! Check back to see this project as it move along!
I want a lathe for my shop. I also want a spring pole lathe. I get both with this project!
I’m building a double spring pole lathe from a design by Roy Underhill, which he devised from an Early-Modern German design. I like this style because it has a small footprint, you can break it down for storage, it’s not overly complicated, and it will be fun and straightforward to use!
Click on the images to enlarge.
This is the wood for all the pieces, including springs. I’m making the frame, poppet, and tool rest from pine. The rocker arm and pedal are Douglas fir. The springs are of hickory.
The next step is flattening and squaring the lumber. The pine I’m using is locally milled and left rough, so I have to clean it up! I used both hand tools and a power thickness planer to do this work.
Layout is next! I took my time to carefully lay out the mortises, tenons, decorative shoulders, & etc.
I hand cut all the tenons in the cross pieces and then the mortises in the uprights. I then cut the tenons for the feet and bored out the holes and slots for the springs.
Cutting out the feet! I mortised them for the uprights, cut the decorative ogees on the edges, and cleaned everything up at the shave horse.
I next finished cutting out the uprights. This included decorative ogees on the top corners and shoulders. When sawing the edges of the tall upright, I used wedges to open up the kerfs to prevent the saw blade from binding.
The feet are attached by drawboring. This is a process where you bore a hole through the mortise walls, then insert the tenon and mark the center of the hole. You then remove the tenon and mark slightly closer to the shoulder to bore a hole through it. The offset you create draws the mortise tight against the tenon’s shoulder when you drive in a peg.
You can learn more about drawboring here.
The frame is held together by wedged tenons. This is where you leave the tenons for the cross pieces long enough to stick out beyond the uprights. You then cut a tapered mortise into which you insert a wedge. Wedging the tenons like this creates a nice, tight fit and allows you to break down the frame for storage. My wedges are made of ash for durability.
I personally tested the frame for strength. No wobble whatsoever!
The next steps are to make and install the moving parts! Check back to see how this progresses!
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