I've got some friends who love to watch me turn out a custom-contoured rifle battel from an unturned blank with the rifling already cut into the bore. That involves a series of straight cuts joined by short tapered sections, and then filed into a smooth contour while the blank is spinning slowly in the lathe. It's a pretty good combination of machining and artistry to produce a pleasing shape.
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!