1. History and origin

If you refer to your dictionary, you will find it defines 'turnery' as the art of shaping wood or ivory by means of a lathe, and that a lathe is a machine for shaping wood or ivory, and that is just about right; but I think perhaps a little more explanation would make the whole business of lathes and woodturning much more interesting.

For centuries man has made things of wood, but perhaps the lathe alone has been responsible for more beautiful things in the home and in places of worship, than any other single woodworking tool. Articles of furniture found in Ancient Egypt, show quite clearly that the lathe was in use in the years before Christianity.

One of the earliest types of lathe can still be found in use in the Far East, particularly in India. This consists of two conveniently placed tree trunks each holding a pointed centre. Between these two centres a length of wood is placed with a length of cord wound around it and the ends are held by an assistant, who causes the wood to spin in a to and fro action. The turner, who sits on a stool, holds his cutting tools between his feet and manipulates the cutting action by means of his hands.

Another type of lathe to be found in India, and mostly used for turning bowls, etc., works in a vertical plane. The action here is quite different, the turner sits on the ground and turns the wood with his feet and at the same time uses the cutting tools with his hands, very much like the potter using a kick wheel. We can well imagine that at times this method can get quite complicated.

One of the earliest lathes to be found in Britain, was the bow lathe. Here the wood was worked in a to and fro action, by means of a cord wound around the work and attached by both ends to a springy piece of wood to form a bow. This bow was then pushed backwards and forwards by an assistant causing the work to rotate in a to and fro move­ment. The turner cut the wood whenever the work rotated towards him.

There were other types of lathes in use in bygone days, but the method of operation was very similar to those mentioned, and the to and fro action remained until quite recent years.

An early lathe in Britain is the Bodgers lathe, which until recently was still to be found in use in Buckinghamshire and which is very similar to a primitive lathe, but is portable. Two vertical pieces of wood, each containing a centre point are fixed to a wooden bench, one being adjustable so that the distance between centres can be varied. A length of cord is passed around the wood to be turned, which is placed between centres, one end being looped around the operator's foot and the other fixed to a conveniently springy bough of a nearby tree. Thus, when the foot is pushed down the cord rotates the work in one direction and when the pressure of the foot is released, the spring in the bough causes the work to rotate in the opposite direction. It's all very much like the Eastern model. It is when the work is being rotated by the return spring of the bough that the actual cutting is done.

PRINCIPAL PARTS OF A LATHE

(Key to diagram on facing page)

1. Pulley guard                          12. Tailstock spindle
2. Headstock                             13. Tailstock spindle clamp
3. Headstock spindle                 14. Tailstock feed handle
4. Index pin                               15. Tailstock clamp
5. Lathe bed                              16. Set-over screw
6. Tool rest base                       17. Headstock wrench
7. 12 in. tool rest                       18. 4-in. tool rest
8. Tool rest base clamp 19. Spur centre
9. Tool rest clamp                     20. Cup centre
10. Tailstock base                     21. Allen wrench
11. Tailstock                              22. 3-in. faceplate

23. Driving belt

A few years ago, the furniture trade had practically all their chair legs made on such a lathe by 'bodgers' as the woodturners were called. The lathe was set up in the open wherever suitable wood could be found. The wood was cut to length, split into suitable billets, turned and air dried all on the same site. All the suitable wood being used up, the bodger and his lathe would move to another pitch.

Next follows the treadle lathe which had one great improvement over the Bodgers in that the work rotated in the same direction all the time. This made it possible for the turner to work much more comfortably and also enabled lathes to be made more portable, although once a wood­turner had set up shop, he didn't usually move his lathe very far.

All the types of lathe mentioned were made entirely of wood, except for the headstock bearings. It was not until the machine age that the main parts of a lathe, that is the headstock, tailstock and tool rest, were made of metal, to withstand continuous running conditions, although the bed of the lathe was still made of wood. This consisted of two lengths of 10 in. × 2 in. boards, placed 2 in. apart, on edge.

Today the woodturning lathe, which the amateur is likely to use, is made entirely of metal, with bearings which will stand continuous high speed running, and we do not have to find a very patient assistant to keep the thing running, whilst he is showered with wood dust and shavings as of old. If you are wondering what type of work was carried out on these early lathes, just take a look around the antique shops and museums and you will see many fine examples of turning which were done on the old bodgers lathe or bow lathe.

Also, you can find very ornate bowls and plates from the Orient, which were turned on very crude lathes indeed, and are still being made by such methods.

The art of woodturning is certainly very fascinating. Every day you can see something which is an example of the woodturner's art. It may be a simple door knob, a William and Mary table with beautifully turned legs or perhaps those old skittles down at the local public house.

It will become obvious to you that woodturning is a very ancient craft and it is interesting to note that the word 'lathe' first appeared in the English language round about 1611. I have been unable to find out what the woodturner called it before that, but no doubt the ancients had a good name for it. Nevertheless, as a craft it still has a wide scope and it will provide you with the means of expressing your own personality, giving pleasure and satisfaction to yourself and others.

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