Brad’s Take

Not all metal forming requires a forge or acetylene torch.

Some amazing projects can be done using metal spinning.  Today the equipment often starts with a wood lathe, a form. and a few tools.  The work piece spins at an appropriate speed for the tools and the dimension of the work piece.

The lathe has been around since long before the electric motor.  Non-electric power sources, I imagine, have included apprentices or helpers manually whirling a flywheel;, water-wheel power, windmill, steam, pedal-powered like a bicycle, a sharbening wheel, or a potters wheel.  Adapting to one or more of these power sources should keep the budding craftsman or artist in business.

If you don’t get sidetracked, throwing pottery crafts and art, or sharpening blades, or other rotating crafts, arts, and manufacturing processes.  Windmills in the US Midwest typically devolved to “used to pump water on Grandpa’s farm.”  Aeromotor, one of the premier makers of shallow water well pumping systems, is still in business, still  selling repair parts and new systems.

Google Books includes the classic lathe and metal spinning book, “Lathe Work for Beginners” By Raymond Francis Yates, and “Turning Lathes” By James Lukin.  Amazon.com carries  The Art of Metal Spinning: A Step-By-Step Guide to Hand-Spinning by Paul G. Wiley :

Written by a professional metal spinning artisan with twenty five years’ experience in the art, design and automobile aftermarket fields. This is the perfect workshop companion for anyone interested in learning this 3,000 year old craft.

Amazon.com also carries Sheet Metal Handbook: How to Form and Shape Sheet Metal for Competition, Custom and Restoration Use by Ron and Sue Fournier, and Turning Lathes: A Guide to Turning, Screw Cutting, Metal Spinning and Ornamental Turning by James Lukin.

The obvious application for metal spinning is making seamless bowls.  And caps for fence posts.  And shaped cups for  wind and water devices.  By combining shaped forms, metal spinning – then cutting shapes from an intermediate curved  surface, a wide variety of metal parts can be created.

Metal spinning.  Not an award for turning around and around and around in place.