:grin: What is really grand to notice here is the fact that we appreciate the traditions of our Early American fore bearers. The return to our past by "re-enacting" (re living)the lives, ideas, inventions, paths of our ancestors. I remember one summer when the family was visiting Lancaster county in PA, we went to the Farm Museum, and lo & behold their was an operating spring pole lathe, which attracted my daughter who had just finished a term in wood shop in the then Junior High. During this time she made several items but most noteworthy the instructor had them turn candlesticks on a wood lathe. When she was confronted by the pole lathe the museum docent started a conversation based upon my daughter's (15 years old) questions. He was so impressed he invited her to try the lathe. She spent the better part of two hours on that machine and proudly turned out a lace bobbin similar to those in a previous link---that now sits on her curio shelf in her home---she's now 40 (shhhhhh!). She has never forgotten that as she now turns out wooden pen & pencil sets which she turns on a modern little lathe. I am going to save a picture of that small home made treadle lathe shown in another link. Wow how great and coincidental to my family's historical bent following the old geezer. I cannot tell you what a kick I get to visiting these places and enjoying the ingenuity of people working in much less technological times and what they were able to invent---a constant source of learning sitting there waiting for people to discover and all they want now is instant gratification and iPods etc. :applause:
