Lathe with slide rest and appliances, by Joseph Clement, London, England, 1823-1824. The lathe was owned by Charles Babbage.

This lathe is of interest given Babbage's work on the Difference Engine. However, the phrase 'made to order' in the description needs to be unpicked. The lathe bed is a standard London-pattern type along the lines established by Holtzapffel (for example). however, the slide rest and tool holder are very out of scale with the rest of the machine. Given the known relationship between Babbage and Clement, I wonder if the latter, asked for a lathe to experiment with by the former, knocked it together from whatever he had to hand without spending too much time over it.

Small parts and accessories for lathe, by Joseph Clement, London, England, 1823-1824. The lathe was owned by Charles Babbage.

This lathe is of interest given Babbage's work on the Difference Engine. However, the phrase 'made to order' in the description needs to be unpicked. The lathe bed is a standard London-pattern type along the lines established by Holtzapffel (for example). however, the slide rest and tool holder are very out of scale with the rest of the machine. Given the known relationship between Babbage and Clement, I wonder if the latter, asked for a lathe to experiment with by the former, knocked it together from whatever he had to hand without spending too much time over it.