On the Editor's Bench

摘要

Over the past couple, of decades we have seen a strange mix of innovation and conservatism in the design of our workshop machines. CNC aside, a lathe operator from the 19th century would probably be able to use one of our modern machines, with only the electrical controls being truly unfamiliar. Yet there have been huge changes in the details and style of our machines - not least a 'blockier' appearance which has more to do with enabling mass-production using jigs than aesthetics. We now take for granted things like built-in motors, resettable dials, large bore-spindles and variable speeds, even on the cheapest machines. What changes will we see over the rest of this century?