Being someone who gets on with electricity like
water (aka, I break electrics), but is good at building mechanical things, I wondered if I could build my own treadle powered
wood lathe for making pens.
What would be the necessary and sufficient conditions to make a small treadle powered lathe that could turn pens and other small (less than 4" across) items?
Is it speed or torque that matters most here? What kind of rpm would the wood need to turn?
I would probably use an old sewing machine base, but would I want a secondary flywheel for momentum next to the lathe?