I finished rebuilding my foot-powered lathe this afternoon, and then did a some practise turning for a while. It seems to work just fine. I just need to get more practice with it. That will come: Turning is addictive. Also, since the power is supplied by pushing my foot against the treadle, this has some exercise value. The steps show up on my pedometer, which is reasonable. Pushing against the spring and the resistance of the wood is a lot more work than walking.