Galileo's lathes

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From: Andy Dingley
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Subject: Galileo's lathes
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Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2003 12:38:51 +0100
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Organization: Codesmiths, UK

I don't know wither abobout Galileo's tools. However, the lathe as
a machine tool was used for some long time, at lwast since comuns and
pillars were madeofr architecture. The concept is simple, a wood,
stone, &c stock is rotated while a tool presses against its side to
shape it.
For small, tabletop, work a pedal operated lathe was used in the
18th and 19th centuries, along the lines of the pedal seweing machine
(see statue in the Fashion District, Manhattan).
Mechanical waterwheel powered lathes were used inthe middle ages,
and Roman era.
I don't know when the first electric lathe came along, but I wonb't be
surprised if it was in the late 1800s.
The modern equivalent, for lens grinding, is the laser lathe of
the large optical labs. The steel physical tool is replaced by a laser
to cut the stock.


AD According to Dava Sobel's book, Galileo's Daughter, Galileo used some
AD kind of lathe to make his lenses. What kind of lathe would that have
AD been and what is the modern equivalent?
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AD I don't know.
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AD But I was in Florence earlier in the year, and the Museum of the
AD History of Science has a very impressive collection of Galileo's
AD artefacts - including this one !
AD http://galileo.imss.firenze.it/museo/4/eiv10.html
AD
AD Probably a good place to start looking.

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