I recently read "Shop Savvy" by I think Mountebank, and in it he goes on about how to do precision cutting with a cutting torch. He describes a torch guide which holds the torch a constant distance above the workpiece, which guides its movement in a straight line, and which uses a "clockwork" to control speed. I posted this recently, inquiring how this might have worked. Well, anyway one closed on ebay tonight (no I didn't win the auction). I saved the auction image:
I'd be real interested to know how this works.
Grant Erwin Kirkland, Washington