Odd jobs.

Taking advantage of a short spell of good weather, I managed to spend some time putting together the poppets for the pole lathe, which as you can see is nearing completion. The triangular pieces which hold the poppet of the bed will also be used inverted as supports for the tool rest, and once the metal studding is fitted, and the treadle is assembled the lathe will be ready for it's first spin.

The poppets are held in place by wedges which fit snugly into a tapered hole on the poppet. Altogether the project has been very simple to build, even for someone with such limited woodworking experience as myself. The only other issue is the building and fitting of legs, which at present are not essential. However, if I wish to take it outdoors it'll need something to stand on.

Second task for the weekend was making a new handle for the froe. Making tools for the pole lathe seems to be a constant chicken and egg situation, where the things you need to make are made by the things you need...ad infinitum. Here you can see an ash log split four ways. I used a curved piece so that the finished froe handle leans away from the moving mallet and so lessens the chances of bashing one's knuckles. You can also see the 'mallet' of an oak log until a real mallet, or 'maul' has been fashioned.

Job number three was cleaning out the shed where I intend to do some work. The broken window has resulted in a damp environment, but hopefully it should dry out soon enough once that's fixed properly. In the photo you can see a selection of elm (or possibly scots pine) logs which I came across while walking on Sunday. I'm not sure if they're suitable for turning; if not they'll make good firewood.

That's it for now. Back soon....