Demand has been awesome! Thank You. The first pre-order batch is SOLD OUT. A second batch with a later delivery has been added. See "Second Batch" Tab
Although we now use electrically-powered lathes, for several thousand years people used foot-powered lathes. There are two kinds of foot-powered lathes: pole lathes, which have an interrupted cut, and are favored by bodgers (chair makers who worked in the forest), and treadle lathes, which have flywheels with continuous motion, made in many variations and sizes for all types of applications.
We’ve discovered that treadle lathes are extremely satisfying to use. When you work an electric lathe, you feel very much like you're operating a machine. The hand-eye coordination is with the tool. When you power a treadle lathe with your foot, you feel much more connected to the work and to the workpiece. Not only that, powering the lathe by foot is an excellent balance and coordination exercise since you run a treadle lathe on one foot at a time.
Space is at a premium here in Brooklyn - both in our combo shop/warehouse/”factory” and in the apartments we live in. But we were uninterested in a toy lathe. We wanted a full size lathe that could be used for making chair legs, 12 inch chair seats, and (with the right flywheel) a bowl or two. But we needed the lathe to be small enough so, it wouldn't take up the whole apartment when it wasn’t in use.
Designing, prototyping and producing the lathe has taken years. We showed a folding prototype at the Hand Works show in Amana in 2023 to great interest. (See the article in Quercus magazine about that prototype.) We’ve made many improvements at each juncture and we are finally ready to take pre-orders for delivery by the end of the year or very early 2026.
The lathe is a lot of fun to use. But it's also a real tool.
The lathe uses standard accessories and has a No. 2 Morse taper on both the spindle and tailstock. The spindle has an industry standard one inch by 8 TPI thread for normal accessories and chucks.
The flywheel is two speed, and for people doing really heavy turning, we are making it possible to increase the weight of a flywheel for more momentum (albeit with harder turning).
There's a certain learning curve to pumping the treadle and getting into the nice rhythm you need to concentrate on your turning. This is very much the same as any exercise machine or bicycle and it's not that hard to do. The difference is at the end of your exercise session, you have a woodturned piece to show for it, not just great muscles. (And yes, you are pumping with one leg, but the stationary leg is benefiting from the balancing exercise.) The treadle pedal slides from left to right so that you can shift it to a comfortable position, usually centered below the work. Typically you should get in the habit of switching legs every few minutes so both legs get exercise and neither gets too tired. This becomes an automatic reflex; once you get into the habit, this is what you do. As with riding a bicycle, the trick is finding a steady pace of treadling.
When you are done with your turning session and you need the space, the lathe folds down for easy storage - without needing to be completely disassembled.
We will take a limited number of pre-orders at the special introductory price. A refundable deposit of $500 will reserve your right to purchase the finished lathe at an early bird price of $3400. (The regular price will be $3600.) See the “Early Bird Deposit Terms” tab for details.
This project has taken years and it is the most complex hand tool for woodworking put into production since the early 20th century. We are proud to be able to bring it to market! We hope it adds a new perspective to turning and brings joy to a new generation of turners.
Made in the USA. (Some components are made overseas, including bearings and fasteners and the flywheel.)
We anticipate shipping production lathes by the end of 2025. If you feel committed to buying a lathe and want to ensure your place in line, you can put down a refundable deposit of $500 now. When we are ready to ship your lathe, we will contact you and either take an order for the lathe (at the discounted Early Bird price of $3,400) and charge you the balance ($2,900) or refund your deposit.
Note: Applicable sales tax must be charged on the deposit amount now and the balance when we ship.
The shipping weight of the lathe is about ninety five pounds. Most of the weight is in the cast iron flywheel. The lathe folds up into a profile of 48” long, 24” wide and about 18” tall.
When we ship it to you, we will have fully assembled the lathe in our shop, tested it, and carefully packed it for shipping. We are happy to ship the lathe anywhere in the contiguous US states. Shipping costs will be substantial and will vary based on your location. Even when folded the lathe is considered overweight and exceeds shippers' regular package size restrictions. Our default shipper will be FedEx, but we will consider shipping via another carrier on the recipient’s account with labels supplied by the customer. If you wish to make your own shipping arrangements, see instructions below. If you wish to see the lathe in operation and then carry one home with you it will easily fit in anything but the smallest of vehicles. As noted below, if you are at all able to come try out the lathe in person and take the lathe home in your car, we strongly recommend that you do so.
We are currently unable to ship overseas. We know that there are many international customers but we simply don’t have the systems in place to reliably ship something this size overseas. You are welcome to arrange shipping.
If you want to arrange your own shipping (whether domestic or international), provide your normal shipping address associated with your credit card (for credit card clearance purposes) then on the next screen select “Pickup in Store” as your shipping method and let us know who and when will be picking your order up. We may need to provide you with additional information (and/or you may need to provide us with additional information) if a commercial shipper is involved in the pickup.
We recognize that purchasing the lathe, the first production treadle lathe sold in the US since before World War II, may be a very complicated decision. We invite you to visit our shop in person and give the machine a test drive. If you do, please bring at least one piece of wood ready for turning. While bringing your own lathe tools is always nice, you can also use ours. Please bring safety glasses. You cannot use the machine without some eye protection. Also please let us know you are coming so we have someone available who can show you the ins and outs.
Because of the size, weight and complexity of the lathe, this tool has a unique return policy and is not subject to our standard policy. Lathes may not be returned more than 30 days from the date of purchase. All returns must receive a return authorization from TFWW customer service, and all returns will be subject to a 8% restocking fee. Damage will be subject to an additional charge. If applicable, the shipping charge associated with the shipment of the lathe from TFWW to the customer will not be refunded. You are responsible for shipping the lathe back to us - we are unable to supply shipping labels.
Turning on the Gramercy Tools Treadle Lathe is done pretty much the same way as turning on any lathe with the following suggestions.
- SAFETY FIRST. While a human powered lathe does not have the power to throw chips all over and most just drop straight down, for your own safety, ALWAYS wear eye protection.
- SAFETY FIRST. Tie back long hair, bulbous sleeves and anything else that could get caught in the lathe.
- SAFETY FIRST. While a treadle lathe is safe for all, including young people, anyone using the lathe should demonstrate a healthy respect for the machine. Fingers, limbs, and other parts of the body must be kept away from the moving parts. Young people watching must be taught to keep their hands and fingers away. Bear in mind that when you are working, it will not be possible to also safely keep an eye on people around you.
- SAFETY FIRST. Never stick anything between the flywheel spokes to stop the lathe -- or just to see what happens. There isn't much power in the lathe, but there is more than enough momentum in a turning flywheel to break a limb.
- A human can sustain about 1/10th HP. Even the smallest powered lathes have orders of magnitude more oomph. Consequently you will turn slow but still at a good pace. Sharp tools make it easier. We recommend keeping a fine or extra fine diamond stone nearby so that you can easily touch up the tools as needed.
- Position the treadle approximately under the tool rest. This way you can and should swap legs as you turn. This gives both legs a nice workout, and more importantly, allows each leg to rest while you pedal with the other. The more you use the lathe, the stronger you will be - and the longer and stronger your turning sessions can be.
Here are some links to additional resources (with more to come).
- "Elementary Turning" by Frank Henry Selden. (free download link below) is a great classic text on learning to turn. While the book is meant for a powered lathe, the techniques are the same, and the exercises are excellent and progressive. Overall, the instructions are really meant to be augmented by a teacher, but they are good. Selden teaches a very classical approach because using only a few tools and stressing the use of a skew chisel. If this is your cup of tea, you will really enjoy this book.
Demand has been awesome! Thank You. We have completely sold out of expected lathe capacity for the first batch in the first 24 hours. We therefore have decided to have a second batch at the pre-order price for delivery in the first quarter of 2026 - probably before mid February. Once this batch is gone we will end the pre-order program.
