Crossword Genius

Strip of wood from machine, unfinished (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lath

'strip of wood' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'machine unfinished' is the wordplay.
'machine' becomes 'lathe' (lathe is a kind of machine).
'unfinished' means to remove the last letter.
'lathe' with its final letter taken away is 'LATH'.

'from' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for lath that I've seen before include "Strip of wood used with plaster" , "Narrow strip of wood as used in trellis" , "Thin strip of wood used in plastering" , "Wood underlying plaster" , "Thin wood strip supporting plaster" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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