Wood lathe with a tracing unit

A wood lathe for cutting a cylindrical bar blank to form a groove pattern on the bar blank, the groove pattern being the same as that of a sample bar, said wood lathe comprising:

• an elongated lathe bed having a top surface with a longitudinally extending track unit that has a first end and a second end;
• a blank-holding unit including
• a headstock disposed fixedly on said first end of said track unit,
• a first clamping element disposed rotatably on said headstock,
• an output shaft journalled within said headstock and connected fixedly to said first clamping element so as to rotate said first clamping element,
• a tailstock disposed movably on said second end of said track unit, and
• a second clamping element disposed rotatably on said tailstock and adapted to clamp and fix the bar blank between said first and second clamping elements such that the bar blank extends in a longitudinal direction of said lathe bed, thereby permitting rotation of the bar blank when said output shaft is rotated;
• a sample-holding unit disposed in front of said blank-holding unit and including a pair of first and second bases that are disposed movably on and that are locked releaseably on said track unit so as to be adapted to clamp and fix the sample bar therebetween;
• an axial moving unit including
• a driving rod disposed fixedly between said headstock and said tailstock and adapted to extend in an axial direction of the bar blank, said driving rod being provided with a fixed gear-engaging member,
• a guide rod disposed fixedly between said headstock and said tailstock and extending parallel to said driving rod,
• a movable seat sleeved movably on said driving rod and said guide rod,
• a driving gear disposed rotatably on said movable seat and engaging said gear-engaging member of said driving rod in such a manner to permit movement of said movable seat along said driving rod and said guide rod when said gear rotates on said movable seat, and
• an actuator member disposed rotatably on and projecting outwardly from said movable seat, said actuator member being connected fixedly to said driving gear so as to rotate synchronously therewith;
• a radial moving unit including a carrier that is mounted movably on said movable seat so as to be movable relative to said movable seat in a radial direction of the bar blank;
• a tracing unit including
• a vertical follower post disposed movably on said carrier and adapted to press against the sample bar in such a manner to permit sliding movement of said follower post on the sample bar when said movable seat moves relative to the sample bar, and
• a lock member for locking said follower post releaseably on said carrier, said lock member being operable to unlock said follower post from said carrier so as to permit movement of said follower post on said carrier in the radial direction of the bar blank;
• a spring adapted to bias said follower post to press against the sample bar;
• and
• a blade unit including a blade that is disposed movably on and that is locked releaseably on said carrier so as to move with said carrier in a feeding direction for cutting the bar blank, said blade being capable of being unlocked from said carrier so as to move relative to said carrier along the radial direction of the bar blank;
• whereby, said carrier and said movable seat can be moved along said track unit so that said follower post slides on the sample bar such that the groove pattern on the sample bar is traced mechanically and is duplicated on the bar blank.