David Wilkinson (January 5, 1771 – February 3, 1852)[1] was a U.S. mechanical engineer who invented a lathe for cutting screw threads, which was extremely important in the development of the machine tool industry in the early 19th century.

The shop was powered by water from the Blackstone River, and was located on the grounds of the present-day Slater Mill Historic Site.

Textile machinery manufacturer and scientific writer Zachariah Allen had the following to say about Wilkinson's lathe in 1861: “It has to this day proved the most effective tool placed within the control of mankind for shaping refractory metals and for accomplishing the triumph of mind over matter.

The slide engine is employed in the great machine shops of America and Europe.”Ross Tompson (2009) on the importance of Wilkinson's lathe:[4] "worth all the other tools in use, in any workshop in the world, for finishing [machining] brass and iron"On the versatility of his lathe Wilkinson said:[4] "The weighted side, the joint made by gravity, applies to planing, turning, and boring of metals of every kind, and in every way.

"An 1848 report from the Committee on Military Affairs to the U.S. Senate highlighted the importance of Wilkinson's invention, for which the patent had expired in 1812: "Being left open to general use, an invention so vastly important in its character could not fail to be sought after, not only in the public at large, but also by agents of the government engaged in the fabrication of arms of various descriptions; and hence we find the gauge and sliding lathe was early introduced and made use of by all the arsenals and armories of the United States.

The watermill site currently features a working 16,000-pound breastshot water wheel that powers, via gear systems and leather pulleys, various drive shafts to operate machinery.