Building the most accurate DIY CNC lathe in the world [video]

For folks who are not familiar w/ machine shops, the lathe is a fundamental tool in a shop, and is the only tool in a shop which can replicate itself --- there is even a book series which uses this conceit, the "Gingery Books":

https://gingerybookstore.com/

where Vol. 1 has one setting up an aluminum casting foundry in one's backyard, and Vol. 2 has one using it to make a lathe which is then used to either improve itself or make a better lathe, then one uses it to make the balance of the tools in a machine shop.

A lathe can't actually replicate itself completely. Specifically, a lathe can only make ways smaller than its own cross slide's stroke. It would also be impossible to make a typical lathe bed on a lathe, though you theoretically could design an unconventional lathe bed that is possible to make on a lathe, even if grossly impractical.

The real starting point for machine precision is rubbing 3 granite plates together.

Does anybody actually use the three plate method with granite? It was originally done with cast iron, and I thought cast iron was still the standard material. The plates are covered with dye and rubbed together to find the high points, which are then scraped off, instead of being removed by the rubbing directly.

Granite is a common material for modern surface plates (and a good one because it doesn't rust and doesn't raise burrs if it's chipped), but I believe these are still made using cast iron reference plates.