The Lathe

History
Lathe forerunner of all machine tools
First application was potter's wheel
Rotated clay and enabled it to be formed into
cylindrical shape
Very versatile (many attachments)
Used for turning, tapering, form turning, screw cutting,
facing, drilling, boring, spinning, grinding and polishing
operations
Cutting tool fed either parallel or right angles
Special Types of Lathes

Engine lathe
Not production lathe, found in school shops,
toolrooms, and jobbing shops
Basic to all lathes
Turret lathe
Used when many duplicate parts required
Equipped with multisided toolpost (turret) to which
several different cutting tools mounted
Employed in given sequence
Engine Lathe
Accurate and versatile machine
Operations
Turning, tapering, form turning, threading, facing,
drilling, boring, grinding, and polishing
Three common
Toolroom
Heavy-duty
Gap-bed
Lathe Size and Capacity

Designated by largest work diameter that can be

swung over lathe ways and generally the
maximum distance between centers
Manufactured in wide range of sizes
Most common: 9- to 30- in. swing with capacity of 16
in. to 12 feet between centers
Typical lathe: 13 in. swing, 6 ft long bed, 36 in.
Average metric lathe: 230-330 mm swing and bed
length of 500 3000 mm
 Lathe Size

Indicated by the swing

and the length of the bed

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 Parts of the Lathe
Headstock
Tailstock

Quick Bed
Change
Gearbox

Carriage

Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Permission required for reproduction or display.
Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Permission required for reproduction or display.
Setting Speeds on a Lathe

Speeds measured in revolutions per minute

Changed by stepped pulleys or gear levers
Belt-driven lathe
Various speeds obtained by changing flat belt and back
gear drive
Geared-head lathe
Speeds changed by moving speed levers into proper
positions according to r/min chart fastened to
headstock
Safety Note!! NEVER change speeds
when lathe is running.
Shear Pins and Slip Clutches
Prevents damage to feed mechanism from overload
or sudden torque
Shear pins
Made of brass
Found on feed rod, lead screw, and end gear train
Spring-loaded slip clutches
Found only on feed rods
When feed mechanism overloaded, shear pin will break
or slip clutch will slip causing feed to stop
 Shear pin in end gear
train prevents damage
to the gears in case
of an overload

Spring-ball clutch
will slip when too
much strain is
applied to feed rod
Lathe Accessories

Divided into two categories

Work-holding, -supporting, and driving devices
Lathe centers, chucks, faceplates
Mandrels, steady and follower rests
Lathe dogs, drive plates
Cutting-tool-holding devices
Straight and offset toolholders
Threading toolholders, boring bars
Turret-type toolposts
Lathe Centers
Work to be turned between centers must have
center hole drilled in each end
Provides bearing surface
Support during cutting
Most common have
solid Morse taper shank
60 centers, steel with carbide tips
Care to adjust and lubricate occasionally
Chucks

Used extensively for holding work for machining

operations
Work large or unusual shape
Most commonly used lathe chucks
Three-jaw universal
Four-jaw independent
Collet chuck
Three-jaw Universal Chuck
Holds round and hexagonal work
Grasps work quickly and accurate within few
thousandths/inch
Three jaws move
simultaneously when
adjusted by chuck wrench
Caused by scroll plate into
which all three jaws fit
Two sets of jaw: outside chucking and inside
chucking
Four-Jaw Independent Chuck

Used to hold round, square, hexagonal, and

irregularly shaped workpieces
Has four jaws
Each can be adjusted independently by chuck wrench
Jaws can be reversed to hold work by inside
diameter
Headstock Spindles

Universal and independent chuck fitted to three

types of headstock spindles
1. Threaded spindle nose
Screws on in a
clockwise direction
2. Tapered spindle nose
Held by lock nut
that tightens on chuck
Headstock Spindles

3. Cam-lock spindle nose

Held by tightening cam-locks using T-wrench
Chuck aligned by taper
on spindle nose

Registration lines on spindle nose

Registration lines on cam-lock
Cam-locks
Cam-lock mating stud on
chuck or faceplate
Collet Chuck

Most accurate chuck

Used for high-precision work
Spring collets available to hold round, square, or
hexagon-shaped workpieces
Each collet has range of only few thousandths of an
inch over or under size stamped on collet
Collet Chuck

Special adapter fitted into taper of headstock spindle,

and hollow draw bar having internal thread inserted
in opposite end of headstock spindle. It draws collet
into tapered adapter causing collet to tighten on workpiece.