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• This modern mini-lathe is proof that not everything gets crapified over time. It’s about the same overall size, and no more expensive than my toy was, but it is a hugely superior, all-metal toy lathe. So good in fact that I hesitate to call it a toy.

• When I was a kid I had this exact type of toy lathe. What time takes, eBay returns. I used mine so much it cracked in many places: I glued it back together more times than I can remember. Despite definitely being a toy, it worked, and I was able to make many small wooden toys, handles, candlesticks, and so no. This is the lathe on which I first learned to cut free rings.

• I bought this small tabletop wood lathe maybe 15 years ago, literally because I was feeling bad and needed something to cheer me up.

• I’ve always wanted a big engine lathe, but they are just too big. Even if you can get one cheap, the logistics of moving, leveling, and truing it are daunting. (This is precisely why you often can get them cheap at auction: few people are able to deal with such a multi-ton purchase.) So instead I got this tiny baby lathe, small enough for me to lift. Despite its small size, it’s very handy for making small metal parts, and even has a lead screw for cutting screws threads.

• This is an apple lathe.

• This is the smallest, most special-purpose lathe I know of, possibly the smallest in the world. It’s a 3D-printed soap box derby wheel lathe. Its only job is to shave the outer rim of the small wooden wheels used in competitive toy car racing to the exact regulation diameter.

• This is an inside-out cheese lathe: the chisel turns and the workpiece is pushed against it.

Do you have a better example of this kind of tool? Let me know by leaving a comment, and include a picture of it if you can so everyone can see!