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Bow lathe

How many cutting tools, you ask? Only one, that I saw.......really amazing!

At first, I thought it was just another person who builds a primitive lathe and makes a basic widget.......but, this Moroccan guy is truly amazing. The level of expertise he shows is obviously refined and his craftsmanship is a product of great personal effort to excel. I just can't imagine ever using my foot in such a precision manner as that......just wow!

The more I watched, the more I was drawn into what he does, and how he did that. If you look on the table to each side of him, you'll see this guy is producing some mighty fine pieces of art, and I suspect he has some other woodworking tools somewhere else that we don't see here........

I'm sure he has a motorized lathe there, too....... If that is so, then the assumption can be made that he is doing this "bow lathe" for more than a desire to create......he loves what he does, and it shows!

Thank you, John.......for giving us this link.

ooc
 
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It is amazing

When i visited Morocco a few years back i saw a craftman using this lathe, i took a few pictures and made a presentation to my club; they were impressed but disappointed that i did not give a demo!
 
Odie, you are most welcome. I was amazed that he only used one tool for all the cuts. Wonder if he can make bowls?
 
John Torchick said:
Odie, you are most welcome. I was amazed that he only used one tool for all the cuts. Wonder if he can make bowls?
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Howdy John,

I saw some wooden bowls to the right of the Moroccan turner.......(to his left).

Look at 5:48 into the video........🙂

ooc
 
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He has more dexterity in his toes than I have in my hands. In one of he close up shots, you can see how he maneuvers the chisel with his toes -- certainly not in a crude way, but in a very refined and skillful way.

I suspect that where he lives that powered machinery would be the exception and not the rule. And, I suspect that electricity is not as available to them as we are accustomed to having at our fingertips where we just walk into a room and flip a switch or plug something into an outlet. Given his talent with simple tools, I image that he might not have much trouble making a bowl or hollowform. But, I wonder what sort of tool he would use for that.

I noticed that he did not do any sanding ... nor did he need to on the piece that he made.
 
John Torchick said:
Look at this interesting link of a man turning with a bow lathe.
Click to expand...

Much better quality than other Youtube segments. Turning different pieces there, as are others, but same lathe and tools. "Marrakesh Wood Turners" for a search.

I like the way they can cut a cove with a straight chisel. Beads always were better with straight edges, but coves can be a challenge. Looks like the old style of planing chisel, one side beveled, other lapped enough to remove the forging slag. I have one of my old carbon scrapers modified similarly.
 
I like the way they can cut a cove with a straight chisel. Beads always were better with straight edges, but coves can be a challenge. Looks like the old style of planing chisel, one side beveled, other lapped enough to remove the forging slag. I have one of my old carbon scrapers modified similarly.
Click to expand...
Both sides are bevelled albeit one side is longer than the other.
 
Ian Robertson said:
Both sides are bevelled albeit one side is longer than the other.
Click to expand...

I can't see a distinct bevel, and he rolls the tool rather than cutting either side, which seems to support the single theory. I know that's the way I use mine.
 
MichaelMouse said:
I can't see a distinct bevel, and he rolls the tool rather than cutting either side, which seems to support the single theory. I know that's the way I use mine.
Click to expand...

Well, the bevel isn't exactly distinct in the manner that we are used to producing a bevel, but it looks convex and for all I know maybe he sharpens it on the brick sidewalk. However, it is very clear that he gives both sides the same treatment. Looking at the video in full screen stop motion at the highest quality beginning at 31 seconds, he has his wrist up holding the tool and then rotates his hand so that we see the back side of his hand and on both sides the "bevel" on the cutting edge looks about the same. While he was making peeling cuts later, he flipped the tool over. At about 2:15 to 2:20 you can catch a quick look at both sides if you are fast enough to stop the motion. Every time that he lays the tool down, a bevel is facing up.
 
Look at 5:48 into the video........
Click to expand...
Odie, you are sharp. You must have had razor soup for lunch. Will go back and review the section noted. Wonder if he is an AAW member?
 
Well the one thing I note is the sharpening angle is very acute. I have noticed that on other foot powered lathe tools. It takes much less force to cut when the angle is very acute and or course it cuts cleaner. Being foot powered you don't have the massive number of revolutions that you have with powered lathes so the tool probably holds a good edge for a while.
I saw Don Webber demo last year and noticed his spindle gouge and rough out gouge were much sharper angles than we usually see in typical turning tools. I don't remember his skew.
 
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