Lathes

Lathes Information

A lathe is a machine which holds and rotates material at high speed, enabling it to be machined or shaped by hand. Common examples of objects made on a lathe include bowls, chair legs, chess pieces, hand tools and machine components.

Here's our Quick Application Guide:

• Wood lathes – these have their origin in antiquity and were powered manually for thousands of years. These days more commonly powered by electricity, their fundamental design considerations remain much the same though some have advanced features like digital speed control. On a wood lathe the operator typically uses specialist wood turning hand tools stabilized by a tool rest to shape the material as it spins.
• Metal lathes – due to the requirements of shaping metal, these machines are more advanced in construction - and subsequently much more expensive - than wood lathes. In metal lathes the hardened cutting tools necessary for metalwork applications are not held by hand but installed in a tool holder and directed into the material using manual controls (or in more advanced models, computer control).

Lathe Safety:

Before using a lathe, it is important to ensure there is no risk of any hair or loose clothing becoming entangled in the machinery. Eye protection should be worn at all times to safeguard against metal or wood chips.