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From the Shipwright's Toolbox

Stephen Scott, associate editor

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The Lady Washington was launched in 1989, a reproduction of an 18th-century sailing vessel. Its masts were turned on a massive lathe at the Grays Harbor spar shop.

Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority

The lathe's bed can accommodate a workpiece 122 feet long. The rail at right guides the motorized cutterhead.

Grays Harbor

The cutterhead makes deep passes to true the blank. 

Grays Harbor

The Lady Washington was launched in 1989, a reproduction of an 18th-century sailing vessel. Its masts were turned on a massive lathe at the Grays Harbor spar shop.

Photo: Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority

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I didn't know anyone kept track of things like this, but not too long ago the folks at Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority in Washington state wrote to tell us about their lathe, which they say is the largest tracer lathe in North America.

Speak up now if you think you have this beat:

The lathe has a 20 in. swing (meaning it can handle a log of up to 40 in. diameter) and can handle workpieces up to 122 feet long. The cutterhead rides on a rail that can be configured to match the taper or overall shape of the piece being turned. hence the name "tracer".

The tool is the centerpiece of the seaport's spar shop, a facility devoted to milling masts and other structures for large modern sailboats as well as replica and historic sailing ships. They also mill large architectural columns.

The lathe turns at 12 to 20 rpm, depending on the log diameter. The cutter travels on a motorized sled, moving in or out as it follows the tracer rail. A series of deep passes helps true the log to round and establish the taper before the lighter finishing passes.

The seaport, in Aberdeen, Washington, is a nonprofit organization that conducts educational programs aboard a pair of tall sailing ships, the Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftan.

You can learn more about the spar shop, or order your own custom-turned sailing mast, here. For information about the seaport and its educational programs, have a look at their website. And, lastly, for a look at mast-building on a smaller scale, check out the recent Woodworking Life post by Dan Mosheim.

Steve S.

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