Though there isn't anything quite like homemade pasta, by hand, the machines do run a close second. I recall my grandmothers both making homemade pasta and particularly spaghetti and fettucine, and then draping it over wooden poles (probably from old broom sticks--washed, of course!) and then taking it to the bedroom and laying it down on top of a covered chenille bedspread to dry a bit before boiling.
"Univeral" (not as in, Landers, Frary & Clark) motors are avaialable for the Altia, Atlas, Imperia, Vitantonio (now, Villaware) and others through Villaware. I just love their products! The motor sells for about $49 and is well worth the money because for one thing it maintains a constant speed, secondly, it frees your hands, and lastly, it saves so much time because you can continuously feed the dough through. It's particularly handy for making lasagna strips or sheets for ravioli forms.
And you do need to pass it through several times down to the thinner setting of your choice.
