Matty F writes:

On Aug 24, 7:00 pm, Jon Fairbairn wrote:
Yes, it's the sort of thing I would have expected to do with (inter
alia) a milling machine. So, what's the cheap alternative for the jobs I
would expect to use a lathe for?

I'm not sure how I could use a milling machine for all those curves.

It's a /long/ time since I used one, so it's entirely possible that
vices that permit rotation of the work while machining are a figment of
my imagination, but for cutting an arc or rounding the end of something
to a half-cylindrical profile, that's what you'd need. (I can find
swivel vices on the net, but can't see if they can be turned while
milling). I would finish the web(?) curves off with a grinder, though.

Still, you didn't answer my question: what do you use when you need a
lathe;-)?

--
Jón Fairbairn
http://www.chaos.org.uk/~jf/Stuff-I-dont-want.html (updated 2009-01-31)