After working on building a treadle lathe for a couple of years (off and on), I finally finished it. It is based on a combination of lathe and treadle lathe plans from the Woodwrights Shop, Colonial Williamsburg, and Popular Woodworking. I had to share it with someone. It is quite a bit of work to use and definitely takes some getting used to. I added some weight to the wheel to counter balance the treadle that should help the next time I use it. It definitely requires sharp tools. The only thing that I have used it for so far is the initial outside turning of a conga drum. I moved the drum to my powered lathe to finish it after making it round. The next drum that I am building will have to be turned entirely on the treadle lathe because of its diameter.
