 Lathes are one of the oldest and most

important machine tool.

 A lathe is a machine tool used for

producing surfaces of revolution and flat
edges.
 The machine can perform various turning
operation, as well as boring, drilling,
grooving, and other operations.

 It can also be used for turning metric

threads and inch threads.
Lathe-type machine tool can be classified as
follows:
1. Wood Lathe
2. Engine lathes
3. Toolroom lathes
4. Turret lathes
5. Automatic lathes
6. Special-purpose lathes
 The simplest lathe type is the wood lathe.
As the name suggests, it is designed for
turning wood.

 Wood lathes are small machines

consisting of a bed, headstock, tailstock
and tool rest.
 There are no precision ways as are found on
a metal-working machine, since the cutting
tools are moved by hand and not by machine
power.

 Great skill is needed to control the cutting

tool to accurately turn smooth curves and
complex contours on the work piece.
 The engine lathe is intended for general
purpose lathe work and is the usual lathe
found in the machine shop.

 Compared to wood lathe, the spindle

drive of the engine lathe is more
complex, including variable speed
capability or selectable gearing to
provide a much wider range of speeds.
 The toolroom lathe is an engine lathe
equipped with more precision accessories
and built to greater standards of accuracy
than standard engine lathes.

 These machines find use in tool and die

shops, where custom parts and precision
fixtures are produced, often in support of
production machining operations.
 The turret lathe is a lathe used extensively for
the high speed production of duplicate parts.

 The turret lathe is so named because it has a

hexagonal turret, or multiple tool holder, in
place of the tailstock found on the engine lathe.

 Most turret lathes are equipped with a pump

and basin for the automatic application of a
coolant or cutting oil to the workpiece.
 Turret lathes are used in production
machine shops where several sequential
operations are needed on single
workpiece.

 It is costly and time consuming to remove

a workpiece from one machine and hold it
in another. Removing and reholding a
workpiece also introduces errors in work
alignment and machining accuracy.
 Computer numerically controlled lathes
have largely supplanted engine lathes in
production machining environments.

 CNC lathes offer the advantages of

greater powered axis drives, feedback
control to monitor and maintain tool
positioning and high-speed repeatability of
complex machine motions.
 CNC lathes excel at cutting curved
contours without the need for specially
shaped tools. This is done by
programmed variation of the speed of
two motion axes and the spindle
simultaneously---an operation that is
impossible with an engine lathe.
 The lathe bed is the main frame, a
horizontal beam on two vertical supports.

 It is usually made of gray or nodular cast

iron to damp vibrations and is made by
casting.
 It has guideways that allow the carriage
to slide easily lengthwise.

 The height of the lathe bed should be

such that the technician can do his or her
job easily and comfortably.
 The headstock assembly is fixed at the
left-side of the lathe bed and includes the
spindle, whose axis is parallel to the
guideways (the slide surface of the bed).

 The spindle is driven through the

gearbox, which is housed within the
headstock.
 The function of the gearbox is to provide a
number of different spindle speeds (usually
6 to 18 speeds).

 Some modern lathes have headstocks with

infinitely variable spindle speeds and that
employs frictional, electrical, or hydraulic
drives.
 The tailstock assembly consists basically
of three parts: its lower base, an
intermediate part, and the quill.

 The lower base is a casting that can slide

the lathe bed along the guideways, and is
has a clamping device so that the entire
tailstock can be locked at any desired
location, depending upon the length of
the workpiece
 The intermediate part is the casting that
can be moved transversely so that the
axis of the tailstock can be aligned with
that of the headstock.

 The third part, called the quill, is a

hardened steel tube that can be moved
longitudinally in and out of the
intermediate part as required.
 The main function of the carriage is to
mount the cutting tools and generate
longitudinal and/or cross feeds.

 It is actually an H – shaped block that

slides on the lathe bed between the
headstock and the tailstock while being
guided by the V – shaped guideways of
the bed.
 The carriage can be moved manually or
mechanically by means of the apron and
either the feed rod or the lead screw.

 The apron is attached to the saddle of the

carriage and serves to convert the rotary
motion of the feed rod (or lead screw)
into linear longitudinal motion of the
carriage and, accordingly, the cutting
tool. The apron also provide powered
motion for the cross slide located on the
carriage
 the tool post is mounted on the
compound rest, which is, in turn,
mounted on the cross slide.

 The compound rest is pivoted around a

vertical axis so that the tools can be set
at any desired angle with respect to the
axis of the lathe (and that of the
workpiece).
 Turning is when a turning tool is applied to
the work piece to create groves, ridges and
indents in the work piece.

 Turning creates metal or wood chips as the

piece turns on the lathe. This operation is
done to decrease the diameter of a
cylindrical workpiece.
 Facing is when you remove wood or metal
from a cylindrical work piece. This creates
a smooth flat surface.

 If a chuck is used, rectangular, square or

other unusual-shaped pieces can be
produced.

 When facing, begin with a slower speed

and gradually increase to a faster speed.
 Boring is enlarging an existing hole. The hole
can be a drilled, molded, cast or a forged
hole.

 The work piece is placed in the lathe chuck

and will be spinning while the boring tool is
slowly driven into the opening.

 Boring tools are cylindrical in shape and will

have a cutting tool protruding from them
 Groove making for bolt or nut production.

 Internal or External Threads can be

produced.