Monthly Archives: March 2008

History of the Lathe: part two – continuous rotation

Posted on March 22, 2008 by Jason

The wheel is probably man’s most important technological discovery. A Sumarian pictogram dated 3500BC is the earliest reference for the wheel. By 2000BC man was making spoked wheels yet the earliest pictorial reference we have of a wheel driven lathe seems to be from the 15th century. Continue reading →

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History of the Lathe: part three – mechanical power

Posted on March 20, 2008 by Jason

From classical times man has harnessed wind and water to work heavy machinery, to relieve him of hard physical labour and to speed up production. A Roman settlement C.200AD in southern France boasted sixteen water mills for grinding corn. It … Continue reading →

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History of the Lathe: part four – the machine takes over

Posted on March 4, 2008 by Jason

Man has always tried to find ways of making manual tasks easier and the businessman methods to reduce manpower, speed production and lower operating costs. A good illustration of this was the manufacture of rifle butts. Hand held firearms have … Continue reading →

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