Commonly found in woodworking and metal fabrication workshops, a lathe is a machine used to form materials into a particular size/ shape. The rotating drive turns the material on its axis against various interchangeable tools to cut and manipulate the piece into the desired shape. A lathe can be used for everything from cutting and sanding to facing and knurling and everything in between.
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How to use a Lathe
Whilst the mounting process will slightly differentiate from project to project, the following points provide a good foundation to work from. For more in-depth details, see your suppliers hand booklet.
- Large diameter materials will need to be mounted directly to the faceplate using a drill for maximum support. For narrow pieces, you can use a hammer to connect the drive spur.
- Reattach the whole piece to the spindle and slide the tailstock up, until it is nearly touching the other end of the material.
- Use the hand crank to securely clamp the material between the live centre and faceplate.
- As a rule of thumb, the larger the material is, or the more there is to remove the slower the spin speed should be. Fast speeds should be reserved for finer cuts or detailed work.
Lathe Tools
Before you start any project using a lathe, it’s important to make sure that your tools are sharpened, as a dull, or blunt blade can be extremely dangerous. For most projects, you will require the following tools:
Roughing Gouge: Used to turn a rough material into a cylindrical shape, typically the first tool used to shape larger materials.
Spindle Gouge: Designed to smooth and refine already rounded materials.
Parting Tool: Used to separate sections or segments of material, allows you to make straight, square cuts to a given depth.
Bowl Gouge: Used to hollow out materials (e.g. for making a bowl).
Tool Rest: Provides a solid foundation to rest your tools upon when making cuts.
The most important thing to remember when using a lathe, is to take your time, have fun and work safely, after all you are dealing with powerful machinery!
