Manufactured during the 1970s by a small Company, Ceriotti F.LII then at Viale, 1V Novembre, 11 Bienate to the north west of Milan, the Ceriotte FCB-32 capstan was one of the last of a dying breed, a small  hand-operated production lathe of conventional design. However, despite its imminent replacement by much more expensive NC and CNC machines, the Ceriotti was popular enough to be marketed in the UK with a number of examples sold. Ceriotti appear in Italian trade books of the period as makers of just capstan lathes and little is known of the Company's background or products. Se qualche lettore sa di più su Ceriotti, l'autore di questo articolo sarà lieto di sentire da voi.
Of high-quality and very rigid and heavy constructor, FCB-32 had a centre height of 130 mm with a maximum distance between spindle nose and turret face of 120 mm. The maximum round collet capacity was (reflecting the lathe's designation) 32 mm with a 33 mm hole through the roller-bearing supported, chrome-nickel case-hardened and ground spindle; a lever-action collet closer was, of course, built in
Two versions of the lathe were offered: a standard model driven by a 2-speed (700/1400 r.p.m.) 2/2.5 h.p. motor and a version with a speed-reducer/reversing unit that had a 2-speed (1400/28000 r.p.m.) 2.5/3 h.p. motor. The latter machine was fitted with a double (adjustable) clutch that allowed reverse to be selected and engaged while running forwards and, at the same time, for the speed to be reduced. On both types drive from the motor was by two-stage double V-belts with the final drive over 3-step pulleys giving a total of seven speeds on the standard model of: 260, 340, 680, 850, 1125, 1700 and 2250 and twelve speeds on the clutched model of: 80, 120, 160, 200, 240, 370, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200 and 2000 r.p.m.
Inclined at 20°, the 6-station turret tool 22 mm shank tooling, had a slide travel of 120 mm and was fitted with the usual screw-adjusted stops. Two lever-action cut-off slides were offered, each holding the usual front and back toolposts: a standard unit with 60 mm of travel and an extra-cost compound unit with 65 mm of travel across the bed and 50 of longitudinal travel on the top slide.
Optional extras included a rather unusual vertically mounted cut-off slide (like that also offered on the Dutch Emwee), a headstock-mounted chase-screwcutting attachment, a bar-feed unit and the usual wide selection of turret tooling.
Other examples of might be termed "late-type, professional-class compact capstan lathes" (as distinct from the smallest Ward and Herbert models) include the British Accuratool, Britan and Exacta, the Spanish Elgo, versions of the German Weiler 260 and the Emwee..