When turning metal on a lathe, one of the possible bad outcomes is chatter on your part. Improper speeds and feeds, or unsupported lengths that can whip and create harmonic vibrations under the cutting forces. It's never the surface finish the customer wants, but sometimes it's pretty neat looking and it almost always results in a taper as the unsupported end bounces away from the cutter.
Long story short - I wasted some time at work and came out with a useful object to me.
