Ornamental turning has been practiced for over 400 years. But, the history of turning goes back much farther than that. The art of plain turning is known to have been practiced for at least 3500 years, with gradually increasing improvement from simple woodturning devices to modern engineering. The earliest trade manual to describe in English the art of rose and swash turning was Mechanick Exercises by Joseph Moxon, published in England in 1678

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The Holtzapffel family, manufacturers of OT lathes extraordinaire, among the finest the world has ever seen. Many other makers of fine OT lathes existed during OT's heyday, including Birch, Bower, Britton, Buck, Evans, Fieldhouse, Gill, Goyen, Hines, Kennen, Lukin, Milnes, Muckle, Munro, Overton, Paterson, Sibley, Smith, and Wilson, to name a few. The longest standing and most productive of these, the Evans family firm, started in 1810 and closed in the early years of the 20th century. Ultimately, as the speed of the automobile (ironically made possible by the lathe) increased, nobility and commoners journeyed out to see more of the world. They turned their mechanical attentions toward keeping the car running, leaving their fine turning machinery to gather dust. In 1928, outlasting most of it's competitors, the great Holtzapffel company shipped it's last OT lathe, after having produced 2557 numbered lathes.  Today only a relative handful of these mechanical wonders still exist, hardly any of which are complete with all their original parts and accessories. Many were lost to metal and machinery drives during the world wars; others just wore out and were scraped. Another good quantity survive in museums, notably the British Science Museum in South Kensington, London. Some still no doubt exist in the back corner of an attic or workshop, dusty and unrecognized, awaiting discovery by modern treasure hunters. However the hobby is kept alive by a small band of enthusiasts who try to carry on both the machines and the knowledge of their use by forming clubs, such as England's SOT, (Society of Ornamental Turners) dedicated to the furtherment of the grand art and craft. In North America we have OTI (Ornamental Turners International) a similar group to the SOT.

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In a small town called Saltsburg Pennsylvania USA resides the Plumier Foundation. This foundation was created by  Bill Ruprecht and David Lindow and is home to the worlds finest Ornamental/Rose Engine lathes. This is a working shop and is a must see.