A lathe is a machine used for shaping metal or wood. These machines work by rotating your workpieces around a stationary cutting tool. Mostly, people use lathes to remove unwanted parts of the material. This leaves a properly shaped workpiece. There are a lot of different lathes that are used to shape different materials using different techniques.
Lathes are used by people who provide machine shop services. They can be used to manufacture parts of other machines. You can also use a lathe to make items like bowls and musical instruments. Whatever you want to use the tool for, basically, the process involves a basic holding and rotating mechanism.
Parts of a Lathe
The key components of a lathe are the bed, headstock, tailstock, spindles, tool-rest, and motor. The bed is what holds everything together. Therefore, you will find that every piece on the machine is connected to the bed. You should fully understand the parts of the lathe before you start using it. For instance, the headstock must always be on the left, and you should have your tailstock on the right. If your orientation is not like this, then there are high chances you are standing on the wrong side of the lathe.
Adjustable Parts
You will adjust the gibs frequently. This ensures that there is no damage to the components of the lathe due to unnecessary friction. You can also adjust the tool-rest height and rotation. However, this must always be done when the machine is not turned on. The tailstock can be adjusted as well. You must ensure that you read and understand machine shop services rules and safety regulations before attempting to adjust any part.
Who Should Use a Lathe?
The lathe is one of the most common pieces of machinery used in machine shop services. In fact, some people call it the ‘mother of machining tools.’ You can use this machine for several purposes. For instance, it can be used to shape, drill, sand, turn, cut or deform. This just shows you how versatile this tool can be. Lathes are usually used by metal and woodworkers.
A lathe is one of the best precision cutting tools. It can do the job of multiple tools due to its versatility. However, before you can start using it, you must ensure that you know about its different parts and safety requirements. It is best to use a professional machine shop for your industrial and business needs.
