Does DaVinci’s 500 year-old Lathe Work?

[@wormwoodrandoms3919]

Most shops back in that time had a motor for the lathe. The name on the motor was “Apprentice”

[@DH-xw6jp]

That reminds me of my mother's dishwasher growing it. "Hey you" was a hard working dishwasher even if he occasionally got distracted making soap bubbles.

[@calvingreene90]

No with an apprentice the mindless labor is to condition the muscles he will use his entire career. The motor is the "shop helper" a kid or mental deficient working for food or pennies a week.

[@Justmebeingme37]

Or water powered

[@RionCaughman]

That was great.

[@MashMonster69]

That motor is no longer avaiable for purchase. In fact, they aren't legal to buy.

[@bryanstellfox8521]

I'm a carpenter, and I also recreate wooden tools used throughout history. My largest projects have been a full size medieval trebuchet, and a full sized wheel crane (the original heavy crane, powered by two men in "hamster wheels"), so these are my best tips. Most likely, all of these have already been covered, but here goes. 1) Increase the accuracy and straightness of your joints. Do full layouts of all mortise and tenon joints, use an actual saw to cut the cheeks, and be sure everything is STRAIGHT. Your frame was wobbly not due to the design, but because of sloppy joints and lines not being straight. 2) BALANCE YOUR FLYWHEEL!!! A flywheel is useless if not balanced! In fact, it makes the process more difficult!! 3) Use hardwoods in the supports. Pine is alright in areas without high compression or torque, but in the vertical supports and the flywheel supports, utilize a hardwood like oak. Using oak for the flywheel could also help with the storage of more energy. 4) Use leather instead of rope. Real leather is much more springy, has superior toughness compared to modern rope, and most importantly, it can lay flat on the flywheel. This gives it more surface area, thus giving more force transfer from the crank to the flywheel. This is why belts have been used on motors since their invention. Hope that helps!

[@andreabonacossa8709]

you must be a worker of Guedelon castle 🤣

[@elusiveshadow5848]

I would love to see a video on working wooden trebuchet, too bad the actually cool guys are too busy to be making videos it seems

[@bryanstellfox8521]

@@andreabonacossa8709 Omg, I wish! I live in the United States, so a bit too far away from me. I have worked with several reenactments, festivals, and living history foundations though. For the past few years, my focus has been on furniture and joinery. I started my own business last year, so that has taken up most of my time.

[@kayagorzan]

I would love to see that hamster wheel-powered crane in action

[@christopherrice2004]

About the leather belt as opposed to the rope, he's also designing the pulley wrong. Instead of a groove in the center, he should be building it with a crown to help center the belt.

[@RvnKnight]

There's another upgrade you could do that would help the power of the lathe: change the wooden flywheel for a poured concrete one. It's more work, and you will need to get the form made right, but your lathe will perform better. Also, don't use your flywheel as the pulley. Put another one on the flywheel's axle; less wear on the flywheel, and you can make multiple pulleys for different rotational speeds (1:1, 1:2, .. 1:n), for different types of wood (hard vs soft).

[@NesiasvonWolfen]

More weight in the flywheel would be good, but only needed at the rim, thats the most efficent area for it. So basicley "bolt on" mass would be enough. Also i think he will need to replace the flywheel axle with metal, wood isn't really able to handle the compounded loads, maybe if he would have a version where the axel is supported at both sides, but even then its risky.

[@jacara1981]

Yeah mounting a second pulley right to the flywheel to step the ratio to 1:1 then rope to the top. It should also allow it to run smoother. I don't think Concrete is the way to go right now, as foot power would be really hard to keep it going. He can help a lot by laying the wheel horizontal and spinning it, then add or subtract weight from side to balance it. Its a to do with a balance issue on the wheel.

[@coyjin]

@@jacara1981 the flywheel is a way to store energy so making it out of concrete wouldn't make it harder to spin by foot you would just need to spin it up by hand first. The biggest limitation is the energy you take out of it when you make your cuts and the friction in the system. Also I remember my dad telling me about how they use to balance tires. It was a simple jig with a bubble level in the middle. very similar to what you were explaining. and I agree that having a balanced wheel would be a improvement.

[@RvnKnight]

@@NesiasvonWolfen bolt-on mass may work, just remember that the purpose of the flywheel is to keep a consistent spin speed as the pedal is released and reset. And yes, a metal axle, especially if the flywheel's weight increases.

[@RvnKnight]

@@jacara1981 changing the angle of the flywheel from vertical to horizontal introduces more friction in the system and more complexity as you would need to take the power generated and turn it 90 degrees. While great in theory, I do not know how well it would work out, though it is an interesting idea.

[@BillySugger1965]

Hey Andy, this is getting _really_ exciting now! One thing you may like to consider, now that you’re transitioning from crafting to engineering, is that the biggest difference between the two is precision. That make a _huge_ difference when it comes to the success of these engineering projects. Examples include the accurate centring, balancing and mounting of things like spindles and flywheels. Getting proper right angles. Taking the time to get those things accurate will pay huge dividends. Look back at your lathes and think how much their operation might be held back by wobbly spindles and flywheels, pulleys that aren’t quite round enough, things like that. As an engineer myself, the biggest tools I have for ensuring accuracy are measuring tools. There’s a great video on YT if you search for “origins of precision”. Once you can mark out and cut accurate lines and holes, and measure them to gauge their precision, you can master that precision in your constructions.

[@tuffaluffagus]

I second this motion. I absolutely love that this team is taking on these mechanical projects, and I always learn something new, but if you're already going to make the effort to build something, it doesn't take THAT much additional effort to do it well... I wonder if he's not deliberately trolling to ruffle people's feathers. Maybe using a little bit of Cunningham's Law to stimulate the comments section. Cunningham's Law states, "The best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the wrong answer."

[@gratefulguy4130]

My first thought as well

[@dbseamz]

He's done at least one video on approaching precision (the charcoal compass he used here was one thing made then), so he is at least aware of it.

[@DamianSheesh]

I came here to say something similar. The base structure alone is so wonky, a ton of energy is lost, not to mention all of the other forces created in every other direction causing havoc. A carpenter back then would have built this soundly. Maybe forgo the hand tools, accepting you're not a trained carpenter, and use whatever modern tools you can to build it as stable as they would have.

[@johnjingleheimersmith9259]

I mean bro, has he done anything on this channel that can be considered quality? Every video I've ever seen has looked like a halfarsed attempt to do something. I get that he's trying make videos with time constraints and all, but really, this channel would be so much better if he actually put seemed like he was trying to be careful with things and make them proper (and not just go "oh well the center of this circle appears to be right about here if I eyeball it")

[@Mrjcowman]

Chemistry safety tip: add the lime powder to the water, not the water to the powder! It'll help you keep control of the temperature and avoid steam explosions launching corrosive solutions everywhere. This applies whether it's an acid or a base.

[@y0h0p38]

Do as you oughta, add acid to water

[@Ghorda9]

@@y0h0p38 except lime is a base.

[@y0h0p38]

@@Ghorda9 Strong acids *OR* bases both create heat when they dissociate in water. Adding water to either isn't a good idea, unless you want spashes of strong acids/bases. The saying I posted is just a saying to help you remember to add them to water, not vice versa. It goes for both acids and bases

[@MartinAhlman]

My grandfather had a pedal-driven lathe (later converted to electric) and he made beautiful things on it. Memories...

[@InShortSight]

My mom has a tv on her old pedal operated singer sewing machine. It's just a very nice set of drawers now.

[@gl15col]

My grandfather had a pedal-driven round grinding stone for sharpening farm tools. It was in a little building by the side of the house, and had a little stream that ran through a trough that the stone sat in to keep it cool and lubricated. I imagine it was a hundred years old back in the 1950's. Wow, hadn't thought about that in years...

[@naturbursche5540]

@@gl15col A little stream like from a stream in the landscape that was diverted to the grinding wheel?

[@paradiselost9946]

i have somewhere in some magazine an article of some guy making an 18 cylinder on a treadle lathe in the 30s or something. "i nearly lost the services of a long and dear friend in grinding the cylinder barrels"... with a bit of hunting with key words you can probably find it online, i do know its around somewhere... turn on the shortwave, light the kero lantern, and a treadle lathe can be sort of satisfying. damn modern conveniences!

[@leighdf]

Piece of advice: ancient doesn't mean poorly made. You seem to be starting from first principles in every case, and that's neither practical nor historical. A big improvement would be to use a treadle spring lathe to make the pulleys and axles for your Da Vinci lathe. Also, instead of cord for your pulley, you'd be better off with leather straps. This would give you far more grippy surface area on the pulley wheels and greatly improve both stability and power. Also, there's no reason not to use a metal bar to connect the treadle to the flywheel. It was just painful to watch unnecessary repeated breakages. Da Vinci would have fixed that first time it broke... so should you.

[@rharris22222]

Yeah, I have to agree. I'm sure there's a rush for the delivery schedule, but still, some of the woodworking is just painfully bad. I know this isn't the fine woodworking channel but it's why it's almost but not quite enjoyable for me. I like the ideas but the execution is frustrating. I think it's just because if he took the time to do a good job people would get bored because one episode here would require five or ten in that format.

[@glennwilck5459]

Look at the tools he's using they are crude instruments lol not gonna be the best work with those things the saw teeth are rounded lol

[@MrRedstoner]

@@glennwilck5459 With more time, a skilled user can get a fair bit of precision even with simple tools. Just see what Clickspring has done for an example.

[@NautilusGuitars]

I hate to be a negative Nancy, but.... This channel has been wrought with issues like this for a long time. Dude isn't the kind of person that has an intuition for building. I love the channel idea, but his execution has always been quite poor. He's always come across as somebody who's worked his entire life from a computer chair and had no experience in the trades, then decided to learn as he went. There's nothing inherently wrong with that. I actually admire that in principle. My issue is that he's broadcasting that to millions of people, causing a constant stream of poorly executed demonstrations that are both unclear and misleading. It's just irks me.

[@batsardcat3285]

@@rharris22222 well move on there

[@danabanana4408]

clamps were invented in 500BC and would help stabilize much of your woodworking. Taking a little extra time to align things and maybe make slightly more accurate tools might help you out. Also making your own improvisations/improvements are a good idea if thats all something needs to work. Maybe especially with reinforcing the structure. Perhaps a table to help you saw aligned aswell.

[@thiagopiwowarczyk2220]

I like how you don’t sugar coat it and shows when things go wrong. People need to have a sense of the difficulty of those projects. Good job.

[@cretudavid8622]

I hate it because they don't put in more work to make them better 😕

[@Bee-tj8gc]

​@@cretudavid8622 you make a video doing one thsn

[@princegobi5992]

@@Bee-tj8gc what if he doesn’t want to? He can’t be disappointed with how it was made?

[@doombuddha]

I would like to see you refine some of these tools from the tools you built. Like the lathe, use it and other tools to make a better, smoother lathe. Build up to building more precise or stronger tools to build something more advanced. Probably not popular, but it would be neat

[@KainYusanagi]

That's actually exactly what we did through history! Made tools that helped make better tools that helped make even better tools!

[@carloshenriquezimmer7543]

I was thinking the same, like "Why he is not using the older lathe to turn those parts?"

[@hanelyp1]

With a goal of developing to the dawn of the industrial revolution, upgrading tools like that will be necessary.

[@batsardcat3285]

Too bad he already made the video

[@Youssii]

I’d happily watch a series on refinement…

[@michelhv]

A bronze bushing would be a super simple way of reducing friction on your axles. Also, to ensure the equilibrium of your flywheel, use its rotation to shave it into a concentric form with your knife. As long as it stays on its axle, it will turn true once properly carved.

[@allangibson8494]

A more correct bearing would be “Lignum Vitae” wood. It is a dense oily wood used for bearings but Leonardo Da Vinci predated the discovery of that wood in South America so bronze or Babbit on steel / wrought iron would probably be the closest alternative.

[@nilsschenkel7149]

Since wood is not a homogenous material, you´d have to do some additional work after turning. But it would be a big step in the right direction.

[@TheMhalpern]

@@allangibson8494 wood polish would also work, though im more familiar with friction polish with lathe work, and that relies on getting the object being polished to high speed

[@pipedreamer9781]

I recall reading that people liked to use lead to make a bushing (for metal parts at least). Since it's soft and has a low melting point, you could just pour it in place and then after a couple years once the bushing wears down, you just collect the lead powder and remelt it for a continuous perfect fit.

[@allangibson8494]

@@pipedreamer9781 Tin (90%) copper antimony alloys were traditionally used in the 1800’s.

[@Earthenfist]

Having support on both sides of the pulley's axle is a HUGE thing, as is having a properly balanced flywheel. You should be able to balance it after construction with lead weights- you can get lead patches for balancing fans, or you could drill holes and pour lead into them around the edges. Having a properly balanced flywheel will help immensely. And you don't actually need external power for metal lathing- there were popular treadle powered metal lathes in the 1800's.

[@najroe]

Actually threadle powered lathes where sold into mid 1900s (have a catalogue from 1944 showing one for toolroom use)

[@fajile5109]

He can balance is by just drilling into the heavy spots.

[@rvdp6191]

I believe if you increase the power stroke on the foot treadle you will get much more energy into the flywheel, also if you could incorporate a metal band around the flywheel it would make it heavier and store more energy.

[@clausroquefort9545]

just a few weights nailed into opposing ends should be easier to make and balance than an entire metal band of contiuous thickness

[@allangibson8494]

A steel tyre (just like a wagon wheel of the era) would be a significant benefit in multiple ways. Using an actual heavy freight wagon wheel would probably be a more period correct option. Treadle metal working screw cutting lathes were commercially available product into the 1950’s.

[@allangibson8494]

@@clausroquefort9545 A continuous ban would increase the strength of the flywheel. Putting some nails through it (or the wheel under it wouldn’t weaken the wheel then.

[@IndianaNorthWestern]

The stroke of the pedal is dicated by the crank itself, so making a longer power stroke would mean having a larger crank and a lot more places for things to go tragically wrong

[@nekomakhea9440]

It would be really cool to see you make machine screws on a home-made lathe. Accurate machine screws are one of the most underrated inventions of modern history.

[@hanelyp1]

That's several steps down the road, but each of those steps should be interesting in itself.

[@Palerider1942]

a couple of improvements i can suggest for the Lathe, first of is instead of drilling oversize holes for the shafts, you cut a bearing block out of a hard, oily wood with lubricating holes for oil. this should help with the wobble of the shafts a bit. another fix would be to turn (by that i mean the woodcutting term) the flywheel in place so that it is balanced and you should be able to turn a crown on it to provide a place for a flatbelt to ride on. The treadle would ideally be directly driving the flywheel but that may mean it will need to be operated by an apprentice off to one side of the lathe.

[@dbseamz]

Watching how rapidly your projects have advanced since unlocking stock lumber in the 2x4 video is really cool--had a class that briefly covered the Renaissance last semester, and now I feel like I get to watch those expansive innovations in person!

[@resurgam_b7]

I'm glad to see you revisit the lathe! Your last attempt was very rudimentary but this one looks like you might be able to actually make something substantial on it. I suspect that at this point in addition to more RPM, the quality of your lathe work will also be improved by an increase in rigidity. Having your work spin at a million RPM would only be useful if you don't also have to chase it around the shop as you work 😂

[@briantrovilion909]

I love this series because if you think now how we ever got complex metal working tools it's wild trying to see how much build up you need to make something to work these parts

[@stevef.accounting7256]

The improvement in your craft has been very noticeable over the years and your pulley based Lathe is an excellent first draft. Keep up the good work

[@jordanpearson6446]

Quick question. Why not use a gear system to multiple the number of rotations? Using a large gear to rotate smaller gears that are connected to the lathe would result in the smaller gear performing multiple rotations for each rotation of the previous larger gear. It's the same principle as the pully, however I think it'd give you a more stable rotation. By replacing the rope with a specialized chain you could even combine the two like in a bikes gear system to allow for an adjustable difference in speed and power. Love what you're doing, keep it up.

[@nickg5250]

Glad to see the workshop looking so good after all the madness! Awesome channel.

[@UncleTimTheHermit]

Your patience is awe inspiring. I'm a woodworker by trade and I love my power tools.

[@matthewpohlmann6623]

That's fantastic workmanship, it's not as rickety as many prior projects have turned out due to tech limitations, you should be proud of this leap even if it's efficacy isn't quite there yet

[@Justmebeingme37]

I'm always amazed at how hard you work to be as authentic as possible. Keep up the great work

[@elijahbachrach6579]

It’s awesome to watch your skill as a carpenter slowly improve. You seem much more comfortable with a chisel now.

[@TwinPhoenix666]

I love getting to watch you actually struggle with some of the operations required in this build. It grounds you in reality. Even if the shots are sped up, it goes a LONG way to being REALatable. Thank you. It's very encouraging to remember that everyone struggles sometimes but can still succeed

[@Neuralatrophy]

I must say, your crafting skills are improving significantly !

[@vich8810]

This video is so cool. The shots, edits, music, and raw skill in wood crafting is emotional to me. Starting from nothing but I pile of wood to a functional tool to make a specific task that much easier.

[@bobedwards8896]

i recently learned about silverpoint, divince and others used... just a piece of silver to write, no ink, kinda crazy.

[@lauersaylor2055]

Just came back to the channel, and wow! The craftsmanship is incredible.

[@wackyswacky1374]

The closer you get to the modern age, the harder it's going to be on you making these videos, because you are going to have to start making parts and tools with much higher levels of precision and accuracy. The shoddy craftsmanship that you are frankly accustomed to (no offence meant) wouldn't have flown even in medieval England, let alone when machines like the treadle lathe were in use. Practically you are going to have to either hire a craftsman skilled in making these things in future videos, or you are going to have to cheat in some parts to make the thing to a high enough standard to be considered useful.

[@Gator-357]

I have a lathe that my grandfather converted to use a treadle from an old sewing machine. It works surprisingly well even with metal. The speed is determined by how fast you pump the treadle. It is probably at least 70 years old and it still functions perfectly. I have some other machinery such as a drill press and a bench grinder that also run off of the same treadle. Grampa was pretty ingenious when it came to such things.

[@Vexeton]

This series is the most interesting hirtory series 😊

[@kulkurikoira]

You got my attention with the project itself. Taking ancient hand tools to not just using an old lathe but even building it the old way got you my like and subscription. Nice video.

[@chrismcaulay7805]

Wet the rope (pully), then pull it as tight as possible. When it dries it will be much tighter. Also use a better knot, and cut off excess. You might also want to to wrap the rope around each wheel twice, AND/OR put a metal band around the wheel leaving a gap for the rope to thread through. Either should increase your run time and decrease failure. the metal band is likely to keep it together till the rope breaks (could be years)... You may need to drift some holes in the metal in order to have entry points to coax the rope through unless you have a solution for something to pull a rope through. Both methods are pretty common in the old days (the metal bands were used on wheels so it would have been a common thing, the only difference here is there is a channel in the middle of the wheel for the rope).

[@DuaneMckenzie80]

If the shrunken rope doesn't work add a tensioner wheel.

[@mattanderson111]

I appreciate you using commercial luber finally. You've proven you can get planks out of tree branches and that's great. No need to keep on doing it over and over again when you know you're never even trying to set out to become a master carpenter. You've got enough of a challenge on your plate even with the crutch of store bought lumber.

[@jacara1981]

You need to balance the wheel. Lay it horizontal, and spin it. Add weight to sides till it spins like a top without dipping.

[@griffhawkins8909]

I've got a wen 12 x 18 hobby lathe that i absolutely love to turn with. I also have a bad right knee, so the idea of using that flywheel lathe just makes me shiver. Mad respect for anyone whos used something like this - that has got to be quite the workout just to keep it running.

[@qigong1001]

I use a a professional bicyclist from Bangladesh to pedal for me. Pretty cheap.

[@KainYusanagi]

Professionals would have an apprentice (or more likely, series of apprentices) doing it in rotation, rather than doing it themselves, haha.

[@gooball2005]

That's awesome! Can't help but notice that your wood- and metalworking skills have improved a lot. I'm very excited about the prospect of building a working steam engine from machined metal parts. Great work!

[@ammuabhirami21]

its like how the sewing machine works !!!

[@markwest1937]

I always love the music in these videos, never get rid of the classic channel tunes👍

[@inno-junkzz3718]

Great ....keep up amazing works like this

[@rocomeesly9513]

Was gonna compliment how cool this new channel I found was, when I realized I've watched you before. Still want to compliment both the video work you do and the absolute amazing concept of this channel.

[@Mudpitcool]

first 🤓

[@A_piece_of_broccoli]

I remember commenting on the first laythe vid saying you should add a flywheel to build the inertia. So glad you went for davincis design!

[@papaown]

The editing is hands down so much better, just wish the same music you used for years wasnt in it lol but I like where the videos are headed. Good luck!

[@toshley6192]

You could use an old sewing machine treadle. They're solid cast iron and the treadle is center pivoted, so you can apply force on the up and the down stroke if you use both feet. Also features a big cast iron flywheel and if you use the sewing machine it already comes with a 4 to 1 mechanical advantage. The machines are solid cast iron as well and could be modified pretty easily - just saw off the sewing end and attach whatever you want to the wheel.

[@PyroChimp75]

I love how you stuck with traditional ways of wood and metalworking, well done.

[@tuvoca825]

Glad to see your shop up and running! Your skills and intuition of materials seems to be improving in each video as well! Great progress!

[@erniemiller1953]

Nice work. I subscribed because of this video. Looking forward to more. One thing to consider is the vibration from the fly wheel not being centered. Run the wheel first to sand it down until the radius from the center is equal on all sides. Unbalanced flywheels are the biggest problem in vehicle transmissions...that and wear.

[@TheNerdyHomestead]

love that DaVinci projects have been the focus lately

[@ma-ri-ko]

y'all ever seen the bbc's time traveling farm serieses? there was tudor monastary farm, a stuart dynasty farm, victorian farm, edwardian farm, and a wartime farm limited run as well as a few episodes on the guedelon castle building site. i mention this because pretty much every series demonstrates the use of pole lathes, from the 1200's ce all the way thru the 1910's. it's more of a back and forth motion than continuously turning in one direction, but it's less prone to rocking.

[@robbert-jankaagman661]

Watching your videos I swing from being in awe, to critisizing the build quality, to thinking I wouldn't really make it any better myself, to realising an increase in accuracy would really benefit the efficiency and quality of your build, including your enjoyment. But that's me speaking from the comfort of my armchair, thanks for a very entertaining build 😁

[@troycurrie7784]

Did they not have wood vices and tables with dowel holes back in the day that you can replicate? Watching you beat, screw and saw while kneeling on the concrete is killing me!

[@firefox5926]

0:31 ah yes but with a pole lathe you can make .. (if ever so slowly) the parts for a better lathe that you can use to make parts for a better lathe and so one and so on

[@DKMTG]

You could add iron or steel bushings into the contact points of the wood to reduce friction further, as well as use it as a rim on the outside of the flywheel to add more mass to it.

[@JehuMcSpooran]

My mother used to have a treadle powered spinning wheel for spinning wool into yarn. As a kid I used to pump that treadle and see how fast I could get the spindle going. It would get going pretty fast, probably 2000RPM at a guess. Essentially, it's a lathe and your second design was close in some aspects. For instance, the Treadle and treadle bar should move as one unit with the strip of leather connecting the treadle to the Footman (the upright pole between the treadle and the crankshaft. The crankshaft should be metal and attach directly to the Footman. Work on the tolerances, make a proper wheel and you will get better results.

[@richdobbs6595]

Since the main flywheel is working pretty well, I'd try to do the gearing off of that. Do one speed up going away from the axis, then another going back toward it.

[@vallahdsacretor4839]

A few things on the second lathe that I think will help. Identify your weakest points of stress and utilize forged steel. Peen them to keep them in place and add lubrication. If you want to go one step further, you can inlay a copper pipe or bracket to keep the steel from chafing the wood. On that note, remember that the closer to the center of a circle you are, the more force you need to apply to make it move. I'd put it about 1/6-1/3 away from the edge of the flywheel rather than that close to the center. That's probably where a lot of friction is coming from The rope you should use should have as small a knot as possible. I'd utilize copper a copper crimp and adhesive to make the closed loop. Sand the groove with rough sandpaper. You want it consistent, not necessarily smooth. You may also want to consider a different pulley spot or making grooves to make sure the rope doesn't touch the beam. In short: Try to reduce the amount of friction on the system as possible without losing traction of the rope.

[@javachopTV]

PLEASE KEEP MAKING VIDEOS. I LIVE FOR THIS CHANNEL.

[@jasonyoung8424]

Am I the only one who finds the use of dowels, hand drills, and chisels funny when they project uses 2x4 and other pre cut lumber.

[@brianfoster7064]

The mass of the wheel also helps keep it turning by writing against the friction of the tool in the work piece. A sandstone sharpening wheel would be a better choice of available.

[@Maninawig]

This was nice. One thing I noticed is that you made the pulley concave, but I do remember a video from Steve Mould that would suggest a flat leather strap and convex pulley might work better.

[@MrRedPortal30]

I absolutely love that we are at Davinci's designs in the process. It is going to lead to so many options and paths. Best part of the human tech tree

[@secondengineer9814]

I'm amazed that so much of the effort of the video goes into a montage!

[@bigbadbaboune]

probably my favorite HTME video ever! awesome one

[@Jamndude3]

For some of the issues you're having with the advanced design, you may want to look at some of Singer's older treddle sewing machines. Namely using an iron linkage to the cam shaft, that's going to be where most of the stress is in the system and the most likely breaking point, wood may not cut it. Any time you use gears or pullies to increase speed, you increase the required force input by the same multiplier. You might also want to consider cog wheels over pullies, just because they are easier to repair and fail less catastrophically under heavy forces. Also, you're getting into a part of industrialization where things can get dangerous quickly when you have high powered moving parts that interact with each other, so make sure to add some clearance room for the operator(s).

[@willied2111]

I have been away from KZbin for a minute, I am happy to see that you are still here after the fire.

[@ServitorSkull]

Great work trying to improve on the Davinci design. That looks like a really tough project, but good job giving it a go! Good luck on your future projects!

[@lukejohnson6415]

I don’t know much about fly wheels but I think mass is a factor for their stored energy, maybe if you cast a concrete flywheel it would work better. It seems like it would help because that wooden flywheel looks hard to balance

[@vagabondwastrel2361]

You could look to spinning wheel for inspiration. The crank for the wheel I have on my spinning wheel that looks like your second iteration has a partial spiral and you have to start it by hand or it sticks. The trick in general is to get it going and "just" keep it going

[@brandonbackes930]

Your drive assembly pulls to the side stressing the joinery and causing it to break. Maybe use a metal throw crank. Also when joining metal drive components to pulleys and flywheels, forge the metal square where it goes through the pulley and use square cut outs through the pulley. Use the biggest square you can and the connection will be stronger.

[@carolineapodaca525]

Love the lathe another you might look at are large wood looms denim fabric was originally made on these and a brand name jean company, name translates to peachboy I think, in Japan still makes high end custom ones this way. It also may be worth taking what you learn about the lathe and comparing it to similar equipment like antique sewing machines. There was even a group in the 2000s at one point that was buying or asking for non-electric machines like that be donated so they can be used by people in underdeveloped countries that have less access to electricity. Showing how non-electric equipment like that works and how to make them can help people some of those areas.

[@CormacHolland]

Love seeing the progression on this channel.

[@SWATDRUMMUH]

i agree more support and stability for the lathe frame would help with the DaVinci lathe. Just remember, Rome wasn't built in a day; it takes time

[@PyspherE]

I would suggest trying to create a tensioning mechanism in the pulley system. also you could drastically reduced the spinning friction by making simple metal sleeves to pressure fit in the wood and then put the axel through the metal sleeve. metal on metal friction will be much less then metal on wood. it will also prevent the holes from boring out as fast. less friction will also reduce a good bit of the rotational forces that are made that contributed to your wobbling issues.

[@kayosiiii]

One thing I that makes a drastic difference to how easy it is to cut with a human power lathe is the position and shape of the tool rest. The closer you can get it to the rotating piece the better and the less cutting power you lose to tool flex (look into systems for adjusting this on a pole lathe), and the height and angle really matters. It's the main thing between you and actually being able to produce high quality results on something like what you have built.

[@SnowingNapalm]

darn you engineers and your irresistible content that urges you to like immediately... i was only able to hold off till 6mins 24 seconds but alas the like was already earned 💕👍 keep up the good work mah man you got this

[@cosmicbrambleclawv2]

As several people have said there are a number of adjustments that could be made to make it better and still historically accurate, but for what it is and made using the tools you have in the time frame you work in, really cool :)

[@hiddenTNT]

when making pulleys, using leather strips with what is effectively iron staples at the ends will yield a smoother and more efficient system

[@babaloo55555]

First, this is amazing. Second, I've seen some really sweet treadle lathes that use a leather drive belt, since those are flat, decently grippy, not terribly expensive, and pretty hard-wearing.

[@andrewfields8556]

Bro, I really appreciate your channel and what you do. I just don't understand why you made your job so hard by picking this genre of KZbin. Out of all the things you could have done, you picked the most labor intensive and un-fail-proof type of channel and a lot of these projects would be difficult to build with modern tools. Hats off to you.

[@DeliaDylen]

The phrase is "Do what you love." He's very likely not just doing this stuff to make videos, but rather the videos are the side product to go with things he'd already be doing. Same can be said for most channels that last more than a week, successful or not.

[@shadowsilverlight1651]

you may want to consider a counter-weight to use with foot pedal to help turn the flywheel and keep it going one direction. i noticed the very last one you showed, that when you used the foot pedal, the flywheel wanted to go back in other direction once the pedal had been pressed down. great to see how you learned and improved it. makes me want to make one now.

[@isaacm1929]

Countering the flywheel is best with two, smaller flywheel in each side instead. Counter weight and using less effort for building two little wheels, instead of a big one, plus a heavy weight.

[@ramboturkey1926]

what you really want is a one way disconnect

[@EnvAdam]

I wonder if you could improve this by taking inspiration from a mechanical automatic watch, typically the rotor attatched to the reduction wheels have a method of acting like a sprocket using what is called the pawl lever.

[@piethein4355]

You could try adding lead shot to the flywheel to get more momentum out of it, this also alwows for much seasier balancing of the wheel

[@fiveoneecho]

I was really looking forward to this video! Nice job. Very cool build.

[@GunsWatchesCO]

Hey, what kind of anvil are you using in this video? 65lb Atlas knife anvil?

[@theprojectproject01]

I've often thought of making a treadle lathe using a cheap mountain bike rear wheel as a flywheel. The freewheel system is built in, and you can vary the gearing as desired. Wrap the rim in iron tie wire for extra inertia. I think that'd work pretty well.

[@AB-Prince]

putting an iron ring on the outside of the flywheel, and carving out the wood to balance the wheel should help massively

[@KingConnor523]

Sweet, I remember looking over the original sketch to figure out how it worked and maybe make one for a smaller space. I didn’t know what the flywheel was originally for and assumed it was more or less the starting lever to give the treadle initial movement.

[@jacob_90s]

Hopefully you're not too far off from making surface plates now. Been wanting to see someone make a video on making one completely from scratch. I've seen multiple videos that supposedly say that's what they're doing, then pull out some tool or device that requires a surface plate to make/calibrate, or is made using a tool that requires a surface plate.

[@SimEon-jt3sr]

This is such a cool channel. Even with my experience using a very small lathe if the work stops or slows down you end up with an ellipse instead of a circle and then it gets worse cause it's lopsided etc... This was the main challenge of any non motorized lathe and takes a lot of skill to coordinate everything in order to finish a piece, if you go out of round sometimes you can't finish the piece. The flywheel would really help with that.

[@jamesburns8247]

If you would watch the PBS show "Woodwrights Shop "with Roy Underhill you would get a really good vision of a foot pedal driven wood lathe. He only uses classic tools to create and build with.

[@alexsantiago7683]

Build a tension rod and wheel between your flywheel and smaller wheel to pull the slack out of the belt. This way you can also use leather sewn together to make a stronger belt.

[@lightfiendish]

"Alright, let's make some l u b e" is my favorite quote now

[@ThomasTomiczek]

Another elemente you can add is adding weights to the flywheel, allowing more energy to be stored. As well as possibly running a waterwheel for the flywheel - obviously assuming you have access to water.

[@Gangdyret]

In the museum I work at, we have a couple lathes. One is runs on a belt transmission from a waterwheel and the other is a hand cranked one which is closer to what you were experimenting with here. Essentially, you have a big, wooden flywheel, in our case made from oak. It looks kind of like a wagon wheel, with spokes and a thicker outer rim to keep the momentum, I reckon you could get away with a plain one as well. Directly attached to this larger flywheel is a slightly smaller drive-wheel. both of these are on a metal shaft and sit in a cradle. The drive wheel is then attached by rope, or band/belt, to a smaller wheel, which powers the lathe. The lathe itself has its own, larger, circular mounting plate. The mounting plate is made from steel, is about an inch thick and also functions as a flywheel to keep the momentum going on the lathe itself. The drive and lathe aren't attached anymore, but I use the crank and flywheel as a means to teach kids about momentum, letting them spin it up and then telling them to try stopping it. Hope this might spark some ideas for improvement and keep up the good work!

[@halhibben]

I haven't seen a video since the fire, I'm glad you're still out here doing this.

[@orilianGaming]

in regards to your auger drill.. the handle is supposed to go through a eye hole with about 1-2 inches of band around the shaft of the handle for more strength and torgue transfer with lower risk of snapping preferably a hard wood

[@drstrangefart]

Dude this was a cool project. Always happy to see a new video.