A few months back, I bought an antique barometer/thermometer on eBay. The glass on the barometer is cracked terminally (I knew this when I bought it). It appears to be a fairly simple flat piece of glass, with a bevelled edge, and a small hole in the centre to admit the "last reading" needle to be positioned via a thumbscrew. As the cracks run right through this hole, the glass can't be saved.
So.. my question is... if I were to, say, glue a piece of glass to some kind of backing - a piece of metal or MDF say, could I mount it in the lathe and use a stone to grind the bevel onto the edge, and some kind of drill (I'm thinking the kind of drill you use on ceramic tiles) to make the centre hole?
Or am I asking for a world of pain and hospitalisation just considering this...?
Any suggestions/alternative methods (preferably that don't involve money changing hands, as I don't have a lot spare just now) welcome.