Lathes represent one of the earliest machine tool families and were probably in use as early as 700 B.C. The invention of the cord drive for the rocking drill--the first mechanical cutting tool--made possible a similar drive system for the lathe, which in its simplest form is a tool used to support and rotate any material for the purpose of shaping by a cutting instrument. The many lathes that followed the ancient Etruscan, Egyptian, Syrian, and Greek rotary lathes made advances in at least one of three areas: 1) increased rigidity of the lathe spindle or axis; 2) increased power and efficiency of the drive mechanism; 3) progressive elimination of hand operations.

First came the pole lathe, around the twelfth century. The distinctive feature of this machine was a foot-operated treadle attached to a spring pole to drive the lathe spindle. The pole lathe was a significant improvement because it allowed...