Literary notes about LATHE (AI summary)
In literature, the term "lathe" functions both as a technical device and a symbolic element, bridging the gap between industrial precision and creative storytelling. In technical treatises and manuals, it is portrayed as an essential tool for shaping metal and wood—its detailed operation described in contexts that emphasize precision and craftsmanship ([1], [2], [3]). Meanwhile, in narrative works such as Madame Bovary, the lathe signifies hard work and modern industriousness, illustrating a character’s connection to the mechanized transformation of materials ([4], [5], [6]). In folkloric and fairy tale narratives, it even takes on a magical or whimsical quality, appearing in requests alongside a fire and cutting-board to evoke transformation, as if it were an instrument of enchantment ([7], [8], [9]). Through these varied depictions, the lathe embodies both the practical realities of mechanical labor and the imaginative power of metaphor in literature.
- The lathe is run very slowly for reaming and the reamer is fed into the work by feeding out the tailstock spindle.
— from Turning and Boring A specialized treatise for machinists, students in the industrial and engineering schools, and apprentices, on turning and boring methods, including modern practice with engine lathes, turret lathes, vertical and horizontal boring machines by Franklin Day Jones - Lathe Number 1.—Lathe turning tool steel 3 ⁄ 8 inch in diameter and 1 1 ⁄ 4 long, reducing the diameter of the work 1 ⁄ 8 inch.
— from Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Joshua Rose - Lathe design is thoroughly discussed, including back gearing, driving cones, thread-cutting gears, and all the essential elements of the modern lathe.
— from Aviation Engines: Design—Construction—Operation and Repair by Victor Wilfred Pagé - The latter was going back to see his lathe again.
— from Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - she murmured, fancying she heard Binet’s lathe.
— from Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - But it was impossible because of the lathe to hear what she was saying.
— from Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - So the youth asked for a fire, a lathe, and a cutting-board.
— from Grimm's Fairy Stories by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm - Then he answered, "Then I ask for a fire, a turning lathe, and a cutting-board with the knife."
— from Household Tales by Brothers Grimm by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm - Then he answered: “Well, I shall beg for a fire, a turning lathe, and a carving bench with the knife attached.”
— from The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang
