lathe steady REST Panova _ New

[schuylergrace]

Does anyone know why the lathe tool had that texture from the toolpost to the shaped cutter? While I was watching it in use, I kept wondering what would have made those marks and are they there for some particular reason, or are they just an artifact of the manufacturing process? I thought it was a spring in the video's thumbnail, which begat many more questions. Oh, and the steady rest is very nice, too.