This picture is of my lathe set up in the Diamond Barn at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vt. in 2005 for two weeks as part of a summer long 'Hands on History ' program of different artists and craftsmen. This lathe is a mid 18th century post & beam great wheel lathe. The bed members are 5 1/2"x 9" and 7"x 9", the smaller one is oak, the other is beech, as are the tail and head stock, and the ends are 6"x 16" white pine, 8' tall. The great wheel is oak, ash and sycamore, and was originally mounted on top of the head stock end post, and was both hand crank and foot powered. On the floor in front of the head stock post is the original head stock drive shaft.
I bought it in 1972 from I. M. Wiese, Antiquary, of Roxbury Ct. It came from what was then Woodbury, now Southbury, Ct. Woodbury, settled in 1670, was a huge geographic area, subsequently divided up.
This is the only lathe I've turned on: Everything turned in the previous pictures you've seen, thousands of pieces, thousands of hours. Talk about fun !!