Centre lathe

The Centre Lathe is used to manufacture cylindrical

shapes from a range of materials including; steels and
plastics.
Components that assemble to make an car engine work
have been made using lathes.
The Lathe may be operated by people (manual lathes)
or computer controlled lathes (CNC machines) that
have been programmed to carry out a particular task.

A basic manual centre lathe

The lathe is
controlled by a
person turning
handles on the
top slide and
cross slide in
order to make a
part.

Lathe Parts
Lathe bed
Made from rigid cast Iron
Accurately machined
slideways
Slideways guide carriage
& tailstock
Headstock on upper end
of the lathe bed

Lathe parts
Headstock
Holds lathe spindle
and gears
Chuck is fitted to
spindle
Spindle is hollow for
long bars

Lathe parts
Tailstock
Can be moved along
slideways
Can be clamped
in any location
Inside tapered
to hold drill chuck

Lathe parts
Carriage
Moves along bed
between tailstock and
headstock
Saddle across the
lathe
Apron hangs down
in front

Lathe parts
Cross Slide
Fitted on the Saddle
Moves cutting tool at
right angles to lathe
bed

Lathe parts
Top Slide
(Compound slide)
Fitted to top of Cross slide
Carries toolpost and cutting
tool
Can rotate to any angle
Is used to turn tapers

Lathe parts
Feed shaft
Used to move the
Carriage
automatically

Lead screw
Used when screw
cutting on the lathe

Lathe Parts
Three Jaw Chuck
Self centring

Holds round and

hexagonal work
3 jaws are connected
Jaws are stamped 1,2 & 3
and fitted in order
Chuck key used to open

Lathe parts
Toolpost
Fitted on top slide and
carries the cutting tool
or the cutting tool
holder
Can adjust the height
on some types
Can carry 4 different
tool holders

Lathe parts
Tool holders
Used for holding
cutting tool bits
Available in Right
hand, left hand and
straight

 Cutting Tools
Can be High Speed
Steel held in tool
holders
Can be also Ceramic
(Tungsten carbide) bits
held directly in
toolpost

Cutting Tool Angle

Clearance angle
Ensures only the
cutting edge of the
tool touches the work
Too much clearance
causes chatter

Cutting tool angle

Rake Angle
Allows the chip being cut
to flow out
Changing the rake
changes the power used in
cutting and the heat
generated
Large rake = soft ductile
materials
Small rake = hard brittle
materials

Cutting tool angle

Tool bits are held in
holders at an angle of
about 15

Cutting tools
We can put different shapes on the High
speed tool bits to cut different shapes on the
workpiece

Lathe operations
Facing off

Parallel Turning

Parallel Turning

Parallel Turning
The tool moved parallel to
the work and cylindrical
shapes are
formed

Also known as sliding

Parallel Turning
The student can Parallel turn the work on the
lathe manually or use the automatic traverse
option

Facing off
The tool is moved at
right angles to the
work using the cross
slide
Flat surfaces are
produced

Knurling
A knurling tool is used to press a pattern onto a
round section.
The pattern is normally used as a grip for a
handle.
This provide a grip for the round part
e.g. Screwdriver

Knurling

Parting off

If the student wants to cut

off the part they have
turned, they can use the
hacksaw and a vice or use
the parting off tool on the
lathe.

Setting the tool height

The cutting tool on the
lathe must be set to the
exact centre of the
work-piece
We use the centre of
the tailstock to guide
us to the correct height

Screw-cutting on the lathe

Lathes are also used to
cut threads in round
bars
These threads take up
different profiles e.g
iso (60) ACME etc.
These threads can be
seen on bench vices,
lathes etc.

CNC Lathes

 In Industry it is not
efficient or profitable to
make everyday products
by hand.
On a CNC machine it is
possible to make hundreds
of the same item in a day.
First a design is drawn
using design software,
then it is processed by the
computer and made using
the CNC machine.
In industry, CNC
machines can be
extremely large.

LATHE OPERATIONS
Producing a Flat Surface

Producing a
Cylindrical Surface
.

Taper Turning

Radius Turning Attachment

Drilling on a Lathe

Parting Off / Under Cutting