Pole lathe

Three thousand years ago, the Egyptians devised the principle of the lathe: a cutting tool is applied to a rotating tree trunk to gouge or smooth it. The chisel’s movement has to be as regular as possible. For centuries, an assistant was required to maintain the cylinder continuously in rotation. In the 16th century the pole or bow lathe did away with the need for an apprentice’s aid. A cord is wound round the piece of wood and attached at the top to a flexible pole and at the bottom to a treadle. The turner activates the mechanism, the cord tightens, the bow bends and acts on the cord in the other direction. The piece turns, but in one direction then the other. This improvement was not ideal because this inverted motion constantly hampered the turner’s work. Until the 18th century, carving a regular screw thread or a perfect cylinder were feats of craftsmanship.