If you have never used one of these before, then it can be fairly daunting to look at. It’s a horizontal machine that moves from side to side? The machine doesn’t spin, your workpiece spins?
These are all normal questions to have. Although this may not seem like your typical drill that a beginner would use, it isn’t really that hard to learn.
In this blog, we will go over the absolute basics of a metal lathe.
The Basics
A lathe is a machine that shapes and creates parts by removing material from your workpiece. They don’t work in the same way as a potter’s wheel does, where you would shape or mould your final product, or like a 3D printer that creates your part completely.
The way in which material is removed may also be different to what your used to. A normal drill will have the cutting tool on the drill rotate, whereas metal lathes have the workpiece itself rotate, whilst the cutting tool is moved slowly along the length of the workpiece.
In essence, you could say a lathe is much similar to a potter’s wheel as opposed to a 3D printer. The workpiece will rotate and the operator will be able to control the speed for both the workpiece and the spindle.
This is what is known as ‘feeds and speeds’.
Components
The headstock can be found near the engine, with the spindle threaded through it. This is where you will normally mount your workpiece. You will also have a bed which can be either flat or slightly V-shaped. You can then expect to find the tailstock directly opposing the bed. The tailstock’s purpose is to act as a rest and allow larger workpieces to be mounted securely.
You can find your cutting tools on a mount known as the slide rest.
Some other notable features are the driveshaft and gearbox which are both needed for delivering the power to the spindle and the cutting tools.
Modern lathes are equipped with Computer Numerical Control (CNC) features that will enable the machine to repeat a certain action.
Safety
Make sure to wear PPE when operating one of these machines such as face shields, eye glasses, ear protectors and so on, as there is the possibility of broken fragments flying around and hitting you. If your lathe has CNC features, then you may have to work in an enclosed area to help reduce the danger of the flying debris.
Beginner Projects
If you are just starting out, you can work on these mini projects to help get you familiar with the machine and how it operates:
- Rings
- Cups
- Balls
- Chess Pieces
- Candlesticks
And just like that you should feel a lot more comfortable in learning how to use a metal lathe.
We are a metal lathe supplier in the UK and offer premium products at competitive price points.
If you would like to find out more about our metal lathe inventory, then head over to www.toolfrance.com or give us a call on 02476 619267.
