Some cool lathe machine Chinas images:
M9x0p5_tap
Image by smellsofbikes
M9x0.5mm tap, at bottom, cut from drill steel and hardened. One very fine flute is visible at left. At top, the resultant threads formed in a piece of hex aluminum, with the matching optics component.
spindle_handle
Image by smellsofbikes
handle for hand-turning the spindle for threadcutting
Lathe presentation at HeatSync Labs
Image by .dh