Pole Lathe -- Shape Wood and Bone

[Bowcatz]

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I've been researching the uses of a pole lathe. This is a simple wood lathe that uses the tension of a large green pole or bungee cord to turn wood or leg bone to make spindles and such. One page I went to even had a bow lathe. It used a simple bow like the kind used with a bow drill to turn a spindle. I guess one guy worked the bow back and forth to turn the spindle while someone else did the cutting and shaping.

In a more permanent camp, a pole lathe could be used to make tools, arrow shafts, and other items like cups and bowls. If you put the words "pole lathe" into the search engine at Google, you get lots of websites devoted to making and using a simple pole lathe. At Google / Image search, you'll get all kinds of images of homemade pole lathes. I saw something similar in a Foxfire series book where the guy used a tree limb outside his barn window to use as the power source for his pole lathe. The living pole always stayed green and supple and he had a knee high pile of wood shavings under his lathe, so I could tell he used it often.

[Justin Case]

This is old,,, but Interesting ! using a tree limb outside of the window for power ! How cool is that !

[crashdive123]

Wow! Reviving a three year old thread that told us to use Google. How cool is that?

This might be more informative. http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ght=pole+lathe

[Rick]

We have got to find that boy a job.

[Justin Case]

Wow! Reviving a three year old thread that told us to use Google. How cool is that?

This might be more informative. http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ght=pole+lathe

Ok,, I will ignore all older threads just for you !,,,, why dont you just delete all the threads that are more than a month old ?

[Rick]

I don't know about a month. I voted for 4 weeks but Crash said no.

[your_comforting_company]

They actually had one of these set up at the spring festival at Landmark Park this past weekend. Of course, in my haste, with 3 anxious kids, I forgot the camera and thought about it just as we were parking... Looked so simple to make from whatever scraps and stuff we might have around, and a piece of rope. There was a little girl that couldn't have been more than 4 years old working the pedal while the demonstrator was working down a chair leg in the style of OGL's rustic furniture. I thought it was really neat. Maybe one day I'll have time to construct one.
It's a good reminder that we can make simple makeshift tools to do tasks that might otherwise be impossible. Thanks for bringin' it up.

[Justin Case]

I don't know about a month. I voted for 4 weeks but Crash said no.

so why keep them here if its frowned upon if someone posts a reply ? seems really stupid to me.... Delete them all ... right ? lol

[OhioGrizzLapp]

Old posts have some very good info, no reason to delete them. new members who are pure novice will find lots of value in older posts. Just because some of us have seen them before, does not mean all of us have. I sit here at the forum at 3am when I cannot sleep and connot do a project due to noise in the hood and read many of the older posts. I am sure many other visitors do this as well. I see nothing at all wrong with bringing up older posts. It is kind of like the gun shop here, I see the guns every day, nuttin new to me, but in comes an customer who has never seen some of the vintage stuff I have, they are really excited and happy for the experience.

Ok, pole drills, lathes and hammers are fasinating to me, so simple to make and use. I have used a simple foot powered pole lathe in making furniture, it works, although a bit more involved than what I care to put into the furniture. I use a large hand skeen/skive when I need a more uniform log or limb. Otherwise I just use a small hand axe or a SRK to shape and form what I need.

[MidWestMat]

Also, I have to say that there are SO MANY things I see that I want to try or investigate further. But, I can only do so many things at one time and I forget them entirely. Resurecting these old threads refreshes my memories oftentimes on things I new but had forgotten, or things I meant to try but forgot etc...

Just saying I dont mind an old thread being brought back up, if it is not relevant I just skin and move on..

[crashdive123]

Lighten up Justin. You posted a link to a thread that didn't receive any responses three years ago, most likely because the OP said ---- here's something cool, now go use Google and find out about it. Not a thing wrong with reviving older posts, but if you're going to revive one telling us to go use Google......... just sayin'.

[crashdive123]

Old posts have some very good info, no reason to delete them. new members who are pure novice will find lots of value in older posts. Just because some of us have seen them before, does not mean all of us have. I sit here at the forum at 3am when I cannot sleep and connot do a project due to noise in the hood and read many of the older posts. I am sure many other visitors do this as well. I see nothing at all wrong with bringing up older posts. It is kind of like the gun shop here, I see the guns every day, nuttin new to me, but in comes an customer who has never seen some of the vintage stuff I have, they are really excited and happy for the experience.

Ok, pole drills, lathes and hammers are fasinating to me, so simple to make and use. I have used a simple foot powered pole lathe in making furniture, it works, although a bit more involved than what I care to put into the furniture. I use a large hand skeen/skive when I need a more uniform log or limb. Otherwise I just use a small hand axe or a SRK to shape and form what I need.

Also, I have to say that there are SO MANY things I see that I want to try or investigate further. But, I can only do so many things at one time and I forget them entirely. Resurecting these old threads refreshes my memories oftentimes on things I new but had forgotten, or things I meant to try but forgot etc...

Just saying I dont mind an old thread being brought back up, if it is not relevant I just skin and move on..

Nothing wrong with older posts, and no they won't be deleted. Reviving them can spark good discussions. Out of the dozen or so that were revived in the last day or so this one seemed odd for the reasons I stated, especially when a quick search on the same topic showed some threads with actual info and usefull links, rather than directions to use Google.

[Justin Case]

I was only joking about deleting them,,,,,

[Survival Guy 10]

They actually had one of these set up at the spring festival at Landmark Park this past weekend. Of course, in my haste, with 3 anxious kids, I forgot the camera and thought about it just as we were parking... Looked so simple to make from whatever scraps and stuff we might have around, and a piece of rope. There was a little girl that couldn't have been more than 4 years old working the pedal while the demonstrator was working down a chair leg in the style of OGL's rustic furniture. I thought it was really neat. Maybe one day I'll have time to construct one.
It's a good reminder that we can make simple makeshift tools to do tasks that might otherwise be impossible. Thanks for bringin' it up.

ive been there when they had it set up we went there with my social studies class and i said "look a pole lathe" and everyone gave me this crazy look lol guess im the only primitive survivalist in the 8th grade