It Worked for Me: Low Cost Emergency Lathe

by Gerhart Schmeltekopf

Originally published in American Lutherie #29, 1992 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Three, 2004



Most luthiers probably don’t have wood lathes, so I submit this low-cost, emergency lathe setup for the times you might want to make a music stand, washtub bass, or baseball bat for the local luthiers’ picnic.

I bought commercial turnings to make a student harpsichord stand. They were “sanded and ready to finish,” so I knew that they would need to be sanded before finishing. They are too long for my lathe, so I rigged this temporary reciprocating or “pole” lathe to spin them and sand them.