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The lathe was originally the property of the father-in-law of a neighbor, Jenny. He used it until he retired 12 years ago. Since then it has been in a cellar, until the time came when he decided to sell up and move into a retirement home.

Word got around, and it was offered to Lizzie, word of whose woodcrafting activities is getting around. With a glance at me for the technicalities, she accepted like a shot..

With the aid of the redoubtable Felix, Miranda got it dismantled and loaded into a car, and dropped at Mum and Dad's house where there's room in the workshop for it.

Several large lumps of metal, a wooden cabinet onto which it was once mounted, and three drawers filled with sawdust and assorted very old and odd-looking bits arrived, followed later by some other large components which may at this stage be a mangle, a photocopier and a goldfish slicer. Maybe not. I'm not even sure what the 12 functions are. Snooze alarm seems unlikely. Tea-making? Possibly.

Spreading the major components out on the garage floor, we retreated to consider the next move.

I hope to get this wondrous contraption up and working again, or as much of it as I can noddle out. Ideally, I'd like to restore it to something approaching its' original steampunk glory. Will we make it? Time will tell.