A turning lathe adequate to the needs of most amateur workers costs more than many can afford to expend for this very desirable tool. By making the bed, drive-wheel and treadle here described, and purchasing the head and tail stocks and rests, a very serviceable lathe can be obtained at comparatively small expense. At the request of several readers of the magazine, the description here presented is designed for the lathe set offered as a premium in the April number. It can easily be altered to the lines of other lathe sets, by slight changes in the bed and drive-wheel. The same kind of wood should be used for all parts except where a special wood is specified. Before making the lathe, a drawing one-half size should be made on some large sheets of smooth Manilla wrapping paper. This will greatly simplify the work to one who is not familiar with it.

For the bed will be required two pieces, A, of maple or hard pine, 4' long, 33/4" wide and 13/4|" thick. These should be very carefully planed down at the lumber mill from larger stock, so that all sides will be square and true. Between the pieces A at each end, are placed pieces of maple or oak, B, 41/2" long, 3" wide and 13/16" thick. These are bolted together by two bolts at each end, 5" long and 1/2" in diameter, the heads on the front side being countersunk to make them flush.

The top edge of the bed should be exactly even and square, so that, in moving the tail stock, the latter will not be out of line at any point. The legs, C, are 2' 5/12" long, 4" wide and 3" thick. This length brings the top of the bed 30" from the floor. The lower ends are beveled, as shown in Fig. 1, and the upper ends cut to fit the bed-pieces. The vertical cut at the top is 21/2", and the horizontal cut 11/4" long. The crosspieces, D, are made from the same stock as the legs, and on the lower side are 131/2" long. This allows for tenons 2" long, on each end, to fit mortises in the legs C. These mortises are 2" wide and 21/2" high, and should be well fitted so that the frame will be as rigid as possible. The pieces D are fastened at each end by gluing and also with 3/8" dowel-pins. Mortises 2" by 1" and 21/2" deep should also be cut in the two rear pieces, C, for the tenons on the cross-piece,. The crosspiece, E, is 3' 1/2" long, 3" wide and 2" thick, with tenons on each end 2" long, to fit mortises in pieces C. The lower edge of the crosspiece is 71/2" from the floor. The ends are fastened to pieces C by gluing and two f" dowel-pins in each end.

Fig. 1.

Fig. 2.

At the bottom and on the inside of the two rear pieces C, are two pieces, F, which are 5" long, 4" wide and 2" thick (Fig. 3). The lower ends of these pieces are cut to the same bevel with the legs. They are bolted to the legs with two bolts 5" long and §" diameter, the heads being counter-sunk. The faces of both legs and pieces should be smooth and true, as they make the bearing for the treadle-shaft. After the frame is finally set up, holes, 1" in diameter, are bored through the center of the joint.

The centers of the holes are 21/2" from the floor on the center line, and one-half of the holes should be in each piece. Great care must be taken to see that they line correctly, to prevent binding. A 1" hole is also bored through the center of the piece D, on the left side of the frame, to receive the bolt which holds the drive-wheel. The center of this hole is 151/2" from the floor. If a straight piece of wood be laid across the tops of the pieces D, over where the hole is bored, it will assist in getting the hole correctly lined. This is very essential, as if not true the drive-wheel will wabble when running, causing the belt to slip off.

The treadle is made of two pieces, G, 25" long, 3" wide and 2 1/2" thick on the rear ends, tapering down to 1 1/2" thick on the front ends. The two pieces H are 41/2" long, 21/2" wide, 1" thick, and are finally screwed to pieces G. The front piece H is 41/2" from the rear piece. The foot piece, I, is 32" long, 6" wide and 1" thick, and preferably should be of oak, the better to withstand the wear. It is firmly screwed by the two pieces G. The piece J is 91/2" long, 31/2" thick and 2" wide, and is cut to the shape shown in Fig. 2. It is attached to the pieces H by two 1/4" lag-screws in each end. On the under side of pieces G and J are cut sockets 11/2" square to receive the treadle-shaft, K. This shaft is a piece of steel 11/2" square and 451/2|" long. At the right end, for 4", it is turned down to 1" diameter, and the same from 6" to 10" from the left end, to fit the bearings previously described.

Fig. 4.

The fitting of this shaft should be left until the frame is completed, so that exact measurements can be taken of the places where it is to be turned down. On the under side of pieces G and J are screwed strips of wood 6" long and 1" thick, to hold the treadle to the driving-shaft K. A 1" hole is bored through J, to receive the round iron rod M. This rod is 151/2" long. The lower end is threaded for 6" to allow for the two nuts, one above and the other below the piece J. Having turned the upper one to the right place, the lower one is firmly screwed up, holding the rod rigidly in place. The top of the rod is split with a hack-saw, each side being opened out 3/8", to form a U-shaped top. A 3/8" hole is drilled 1" from the end, to receive a small bolt which holds the rod N. The rod N is of bar iron, 133/4" long, 1" wide and

\" thick. Holes are drilled in each end, the center of the rear one being 3/4" from the end, and is 7/16" in diameter. The front one is 11/16" diameter, the center being 1" from the end. These measurements may have to be changed slightly from those given, to secure correct running of the treadle, but no difficulty will be experienced on that account.

The drive-wheel, O, is made of three layers of matched maple, or birch, each layer being l1/8" in thickness. It should be carefully planed and of well-dried stock. The grain of each layer should be crossed and all well glued and screwed together. The diameter of the largest wheel is 18", the next size 17 1/16", and the smallest 16 1/8". It can be completed and mounted and then turned down, thus seeming a perfectly true wheel. A slight crown is given each step, to correspond with that on the cone on head stock. This makes the belt run better. In the center of the outside layer a hole 3" in diameter is cut through to the next layer, to form a recess for the nut on the bolt P. A 1 1/4" hole is bored through all the layers, to receive the bolt and also a bushing of brass tubing, S, 1/8" thick and 1" inside diameter. This bushing of brass tubing should fit the hole in the drive-wheel tightly, and can be used to remedy any tendency of the wheel to wabble by trimming out the hole in the wood and shimming up with thin strips of wood secured in place with cement or glue.

The lag-screw, R, is 3" long and 5/8" diameter, and is screwed into a hole, the center of which is 21/2" from the center of the bolt P. Any burr around the head should be filed off, so that it will work smoothly in the hole in the rod N. A thin washer should be placed between the rod N and the drive-wheel. The bolt P is 61/2" long and 1" diameter. It is advisable that this be specially made of smooth steel shafting, to secure a good smooth bearing that will not rapidly wear out the brass bushing. Any machine shop will supply one at small cost. Al" collar is set between the piece D and the drive-wheel, and may run loose. The thread on the end of the bolt should go only far enough to receive the nut, which should be screwed up tight to prevent it from turning off. The head of the bolt is sunk into the crosspiece D, and by regulating the depth the head is sunk in, the nut can be brought to just the place where it will not bind and yet stay tight. A piece of sheet steel between the drive-wheel and the nut will prevent the wood from wearing away. Over the head of the bolt, when finally adjusted, screw a piece of wood, T, to the piece D, to hold the bolt in place.

The frame being completed, assembled and any needed adjustments made, the head stock may be placed in position and bolted to the bed. The tail stock is placed on the other end, and each looked over to see if they are correctly lined. A flat belt 1" wide is then cut and fitted. If the treadle, by reason of its weight, runs unevenly, a hole can be bored at an angle in the rear piece H, and a bolt placed in it and loaded with iron to balance the treadle.