How to produce angles on the lathe without using the compound slide - video

How to produce angles on the lathe without using the compound slide. By Steve Jordan. 8:23 video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEAY4ux-Bzo

OK. That is an emergency workaround for decorative and small tapers. Under the condition that your lathe has no compound slide.
But your's has one .... It is faster to adjust 2 times the compound slide.
You can use your step-guided filing for irregular (geometrically not easy to define) shapes, like baroque columns.
Anyway, it is always rewarding to look for alternative techniques.

Yes indeed, other shapes are quite possible.

A common item is ball shapes used to terminate handles. If you don't have a ball turning attachment, this incremental steps followed by filing procedure can produce very satisfactory spheres or hemispheres.

The free BALLCUT.ZIP archive on my page contains a program to generate a cutting schedule for any size.

Oh, and a tip: after cutting the steps, slather the workpiece with marking out dye; then you'll know to stop filing when all the dye has disappeared.

Back in High School (late 70's) we had to make a ball peen hammer for our first machine shop project and we were required to cut the head and the taper of the handle "free hand" I guess you would call it, using the carriage and the cross slide only. Took a while to master but it was fun to do when it turned out right.