Bill Tindall, E.Tn.
GE had a plant near where I grew up and in the plant they made the guidance system for the ICBM of that day. It consisted of three beryllium balls that spun to created a X-Y-Z gyroscope. I was told by the father of a friend who worked there that the balls were hand lapped to some boggling tolerance, and the ICBM could hit any football field targeted in Russia.

Weren't telescope mirrors hand lapped in past times.

Never heard of Pye but he seems to have been a better philosopher than engineer.

For most of man's history hand made furniture was a place to put your socks. Now we put our socks, well at least most of us, in furniture made in factories. In contrast, most hand made furniture has become an artist medium to express their creativity.

It is well to not confuse a place to put your socks with art, or art and engineering. What's important is different in each case.