Moroccan Bow Lathe 

Instantly reminded me of George Orwell's essay "Marrakech": "A carpenter sits cross-legged at a prehistoric lathe, turning chair-legs at lightning speed. He works the lathe with a bow in his right hand and guides the chisel with his left foot, and thanks to a lifetime of sitting in this position his left leg is warped out of shape. At his side his grandson, aged six, is already starting on the simpler parts of the job. "

Just returned from Marrakech and am thrilled to have this video on RU-vid. I too received a free turning (complete with the ring) and bought some boxes from the young woodturner. When he told me how he learned from his grandfather, I was sold.

Just got in from a Medievel Market in Antequera whereI witnessed a man using the same tool. I bought a few items as I was amazed by the skill involved. He made some fine pieces all identical in shape and size without measuring or comparing them. Such skill, I am in awe of this craftmanship

Truly inspired by this video. I made my own lathe just about like his last night in about three hours using some scrap wood I had around the attic. at 3 in the morning I was done as I sleep very little and am fought with nothing but ideas of crafting and my Army days of yore. (another story) I succeeded in waking the neighbors and building a great little lathe! Thank you for this video and all craftsmen. Sincerely, a student of the craft, as I'm sure I always will be.

at around 2:15 the part he starts working on he actually makes a free moving ring within the wood, amazing

this has made me think twice about the lure of the tool catalog . im inspired again . fantastic talent . thanx for sharing

I can't beleive how people could desagree or dislike this ! We use modern machines and precissio tolos like dremel, gauges, chissels etc and he's only using his hands and foot making a piece of in a piece of art ! All my respect to this man and other artista like him.

This is great video! I was mesmerized when i saw it the first time in Marrakesh (the real thing). A boy cut for us "free gift" in two minutes while constantly chatting away. Then, of course, I felt obligated to buy something from his shop .... and then he took us to a carpet store... So his "Free gift" paid off well. :)

A master of his craft using ancient tools. fantastic video for a woodworker like me. Thanks for posting this.

What a Master!!! ... the First time in my life I see this kind of technique with bow... Thank you to share with us

Thanks for your uploads, these people are great inspiration to amateur turners like myself. I think the most impressive thing about this man (other than he turned a perfect loose circle only with a skew) is that he just SEES center on the piece. Truly awesome.

Dear Peter, Thank you. To understand the past and basic skills should be a stepping stone on everyones journey through life!, Regards, Stuart K

One of the simplest things in life again made me feel good, real good! Back to the BASICS! He proved me we don`t even need electricity to be able to work and make our living.

I gotta say, this is very fascinating! I take an advanced manufacturing class at school, and I use electrical lathes, but I've never seen anything like this before. It must've taken years for this person to master this performance of lathe-cutting with his foot. Very impressive, indeed!

Kind of makes me feel stupid shopping for expensive chisels and lathe bits.

I hope this man is living a comfortable retirement right now

Few tools, no eletricity, fantastic job ! Congratulations!

Congratulations, Great video, Great Artist. I wonder why some people disliked this video.

just about lost my mind when i figured out it was a chess piece, that's crazy

يالله ايش الفن الرائع هذا..! هذا الرجل لو اتيحت له المعدت والادوات الحديثة ايش ممكن يعمل..! والله ابداع.

A very skilled craftsman indeed.

I could seriously sit here and watch this video all day long

Masha Allah,liat video ini jd inget almarhum ayah,,dia buat bor sendiri,,prinsip kerja nya sama ky ini

Talented guys....but these golden hands don't get what they deserve..

You know that an industry will never replace the love and effort of a craftsman when you see works like these.

He should be wearing a face shield and hearing protection. I hope no one reports him to OSHA ;o)

The video and sound of the wood being chiseled gave me an unusual pleasant feeling

This gentleman has more skill in his Right big toe than I have with both hands! You mentioned this video when you demonstrated to the Tudor Rose Woodturners and it has taken me all this time to visit! Thanks for filming and posting something which should be a stimulus to all with an interest in woodturning. Regards Peter.

one of the few best videos ever.... unbelievable.

wow... we forget how people used to be able to make anything without the use of machines in woodworking! very nice video!

I'm gone throw all my tools & fancy equipment !!! Mostopher Dnouch is a master. Great upload, thanks.

Honest, humble, down to earth, there is even more than a hint of childlike innocence in the man as he ply his trade and then presents to the world the product of his work. Definitely a universe away from a damn politician, financist or the like.

Wasn't what I was looking for, but I was so fascinating that I stayed and watched the whole thing anyway.

It appears that the simpler the tool the more skill one needs to use it well - and the more its versatility is manifested ^^ Such a high degree of craftsmanship without power tools... AMAZING!

This is art and craftsmanship extraordinaire. All the work done with one simple handheld tool.

This is so relaxing to watch. I'm going to watch other videos like this now... There's something about watching a skilled craftsman at work. It's true art.

What great craftsmanship with such simple tools. I probably would have cut off my fingers.

In my day there was a turner in Fes who turned pipe stems for kif smokers. He worked all day, like this fellow, on the street, smoking kif every hour or two. His big toe was more agile than my thumb.

I finally made a ring, did it because of your vid.Thanks !!

Mostopher You are a real artist !! watching this video dozen of times and it fascinating to watch it over and over!!

I saw this in in Marrakesh in 1961. I was 10 and the boy using the bow lathe was about 8. He was working hard. I had some idea that others might have very different lives to mine.

What a pleasure to see this ! This is why RU-vid is so great, things such as this piece were so much harder to come by before its existence .

morrocan handworkers are artists i love to spend hours in the medina in marrakech..

This goes to show, you don't need fancy tools and high powered devices in order to make great artwork.

That is an extremely sharp knife/chisel. He must be equally good with blades to do this work. Bravo.

and we woodworkers need just 1 more tool to finish a box.

wow..I`m just shocked... never seen something like that before.. just wondefull!!!.. I mean, he is turning wood with the very minimun.. and also looks happy.. his art is just priceless... Dano from Argentina

I'm a woodturner in Ireland and I find it very humbling to see how much this guy can do with so little... and all the facilities I have. Oh dear...

How could you not be impressed by this video.

Now that IS impressive. It puts my wood turning to shame!

That is so ingenious! Such a simple tool to make such art, and using all four of your appendages.

WOW! Now, THIS is impressive. Not high tech, barely low tech, almost no tech, but look at the work he does!

Beautiful work by an artist. Long before electricity, craftsmen the world over found passive ways to produce their wares. I watched Indian boat builders once drilling significant holes with a similar power system; worked brilliantly. Nice boats too.

Excellent hand/eye/foot coordination. Really impressive.

What impressed me the most is the free floating ring he made on it.

Ang galing naman nito... may natutunan akong magagamit kahit walang Lathe machine.

A gifted craftsman in his own right. I think it is admirable and encouraging that with so little you can achieve so much. I hope he goes on to produce more excellent work.

¡¡¡El weon seeeco!!! realmente un maestro, maese, master, grootmeester.

Very interesting technique. I love everything that works without electrism.

I have so much respect for this man! He is an amazing artisan.

Marvelous craftsmanship. Thanks for posting. further proof that great artisans work barefoot.

This is my MODESt Traditional Country , honestly im proud about all those guys who work in traditional Jobs, its the most beautifull Art in the World :) thank you Bro for making this video !!! and you know that you are welcome again an again again ....

I don't know what is more impressive, using his foot to guide it or how sharp that blade must have been.

Morroco's got talent. It makes UKs Show on TV look pathetic.

احلى ابتسامة والله.. من فنااااان يستاهل الاعجاب والتقدير والاحترام.

Very cool video.I have a pawn that he made me years ago,he drilled a hole into the top and put a string through so I could wear it around my neck.The guy totally blew me away!

Así se torneaba antes de la electricidad. Me ha sorprendido la pericia de este artesano. Me ha dejado con la boca abierta.

Hand made is and it will be the best for ever ..... nowadays it's quite difficult to work like this .... so simple but so hard ....

Dude that is so hypnotizing. I literally just sat here for almost 7 minutes straight with my jaw dropped in some sort of catatonic/amazed stupor.

Just fantastic. Incredible skill I am watching you from Canada and feel like a idiot buying expensive tools that run on electricity.

que vídeo tan lindo,que ejemplo que nos da este señor con todo respeto,un torno paratrabajar madera al natural,mientras los politicos se nos roban el dinero.para este señor de mi parte un millon de felicitaciones y que siga para delante,porque mas adelante vais a tener una sorpresa muy linda,no pierdas la fe, un cariñoso saludo de un colombiano en españa,a.v

That's Talent! Great work

IMPOSSIBLE! He's immune to splinters. All hail this guy!

Before this video I did not know that it is possible to turn a ring with just one tool. Mastercraftsman at work. Sadly they become more rare day by day.. Greetings and thanks for the video

Remembered watching this in 8th grade for industrial tech

Para mi éso se llama amor al arte... Dios le bendiga.

It is nice that there are still "real people" in this conundrum of chaos that we live in today.

What an awesome video.....a true crafteman, artist, whatever......AMAZING SKILL !!!

Es un gran ejemplo para todos Felicitaciones y gracias por compartir

Fantastic skills. I'll show this in my class tomorrow.

What a beautiful craft and masterful craftsmanship

Stunning craftsmanship. I want to go there and see more in person. I'm sure he makes other incredible pieces.

This man is a true craftsman! I am impressed!

Para que vean aquellos (as) que dicen que las pirámides o cualquier cosa maravillosa de la antigüedad las vinieron a hacer los extraterrestres! Pero si los humanos tenemos GRANDES CAPACIDADES Y TALENTOS! Solamente hace falta que nos 'pongamos las pilas'! Felicitaciones a éste GRAN ARTESANO Y SIGA ADELANTE!!!

You are a marvelous artist. All my respect and admiration for you.

Absolutely incredible, a window into thousands of years of history. I immediately thought of the illustration in Holtz re 'Hand or simple turning' (meshrebeyanah) when I saw the title......you've made my day!!

All I can say is WOW!

I love the simplicity of the device but how well it works.

man... it would take me longer to turn that with two hands on my lathe than it did for that guy, amazing, that is how you turn some woood.

I discovered ASMR thanks to this.

'My left foot' in Old Marrakech.... Then he came out with the sequal opposite 'My right foot'...... Way too cool!

Very impressed by this artist , nice work ans shining smile thats why imlove to go to Marakesh

Incredible wood worker indeed. I'd buy a set for twice as much if I could watch lol

I'm still facinated how he made that little ring! :o

Bravo,voilà ce que c'est un artiste...Magnifique

I Hear you are demonstrating this technique next club night. I am looking forward to that. the guy is brilliant.

Nice low tech work. Hope you brought some, so you showed your appreciation for him letting you film.

Imagine esse artista com um torno de última geração. O cara é um gênio. Parabéns meu caro.

I bet he even uses that chisel to shave, looks like it's extremely sharp. Very impressive work indeed.

Wow amazing craftsmanship, just goes to show where there a will there's a way with human ingenuity