Engine Lathe

Functions and Controls Introduction WARNING: Machine tools present a safety hazard. Improper operation can result in severe injury. These topics are for non-laboratory study only and are not to be used in conjunction with the operation of any tool or machine described herein. Never use a machine tool without the supervision of a qualified instructor.

 This topic discusses the various FUNCTIONS and PARTS of the engine lathe including its SIZE and MOVEMENTS. The WAYS, MOTOR, HEADSTOCK, SPINDLE, CARRIAGE, and TAIL STOCK are introduced and the HEADSTOCK ADJUSTMENTS and its SPEED and FEED RATES are explained. Use of the CENTER, DOG, FACEPLATE, STEADY REST, FOLLOWER REST and TAPER ATTACHMENTS are also mentioned.

1: The Function of the Lathe

The main function of the engine lathe is to hold and rotate the work piece to perform a machining operation. Machining operations include facing, turning, drilling, reaming, form threading, boring, multiple diameters turning, knurling and more. This silent video shows a few boring, facing, and turning operations

2: The Parts of the Lathe

Many topics will refer to the parts of the lathe. Therefore it is important to be able to identify the basic parts of an engine lathe; the headstock, spindle, tail stock, quill, ways, bed, carriage, apron, saddle, cross slide, compound slide, tool post, feed rod, and lead screw.

3: Movements of the Lathe

The lathe has many moving parts all with a special functions. You should understand the names and movements of the parts of the lathe. The spindle rotates in both directions. The tail stock can be positioned along the ways and the quill moves within the tail stock. The carriage also moves along the ways. The cross slide moves perpendicular to the ways. The compound slide moves at any preset angle over the saddle. The lead screw and feed rod also rotate and are reserved for certain automatic functions.

4: Ways, Motor, and Headstock

To keep some of the mechanisms moving longitudinally straight and true, ways are machined on the top surface of the bed. Ways are ground and often hardened . They can be shaped like an inverted "V", flat, or other shapes that the manufacturer decides to use. The carriage and tail stock mechanisms are aligned on the ways. (figure 1). Modern machines are called gear-head lathes because the entire system of speed and feed adjustments are gears just like the transmission of an automobile. The headstock contains the heart of the lathe and includes the motor and gear train (figure 2). The motor is normally below the headstock and connected by a belt or gears (figure 3) to the spindle and lead screws.

5: The Spindle
which facilitate turning, boring, facing, etc. The spindles have various configurations that you should be aware of. The Threaded type spindle nose (figure 1) is the oldest type and has no taper to assist in mounting a chuck or attachment and is screwed on the spindle until the end bears on the spindle flange. The tapered key type spindle (figure 2) is assisted by a taped nose, a key on the nose and secured with a threaded collar. The cam-lock type spindle nose (figure 3) has a short taper that accurately positions the spindle mounting and has cam studs that fit into a ring of holes and cam-locked by turning a chuck key. This is the most common spindle nose found on lathes today.

6: Spindle RPM
The headstock levers on a modern gear head lathe allow quick changes in speeds and feed (figure 1). Index plates are available on or below the headstock noting where various levers must be positioned to achieve the proper speed or feed or thread turning. Index plates usually show positions for both inch and metric threads. More about this on page 8. In the past spindle speed were changed manually by moving drive belts from pulley to pulley as shown in the image of this old Logan lathe (figure 2)

7: Starting and Stopping the Spindle

To start or stop the spindle a non-rotating starting/stopping shaft runs from the headstock for the full length of the bed. It will have at least one handle attached like the one shown in the photo. On the machine shown, pulling up on the handle from the neutral position starts the spindle in the counterclockwise direction (the correct direction for 99% of lathe operations). For the same handle, in the neutral position, a slight shift to the right and pushing down on the handle will cause the spindle to rotate clockwise. For both scenarios a movement back to the neutral position will turn off the motor. The spindle will then coast down to a stop. This lever actuated starting and stopping of the spindle is very common. Most free standing lathes (not bench lathes) have a foot brake like the one shown. Pressing on the foot brake turns off the motor and applies a braking pressure to the spindle. The advantage of the foot brake is instant stopping and, therefore, added safety.

8: Setting Speeds and Feeds

To machine various types of materials, hold tight tolerances and produce good surface finish , the spindle RPM must be properly selected. Selection of spindle speed is accomplished by manipulating the appropriate levers. Speeds are calculated by formulas. It is important for the operator to know the horsepower of the lathe's motor to select speeds and feeds within the machine's limits.

Nearly every gear head engine lathes use a method similar to this video for setting spindle speeds. First you will have to locate the spindle speed read out on the machine. Now select an RPM from those available. In the video 370 RPM is selected which requires the two levers shown to be in the correct position. The next speed selected is 36 RPM As with spindle speeds, correct feed rates must also be calculated.

Feed rates can be set by locating the settings panel (index plate) on the lathe. In this video 0.002 per revolution is selected. Four levers and one dial must be set to A E V 3 X. The next feed rate selected is 0.040 per revolution which requires a setting of B E R 7 X. Both feedrates were with the same spindle RPM. Changing spindle RPM does not change the feed rate.
The correct RPM is calculated from a known cutting speed (CS) in Feet Per Minute (FPM). The CRS is dependent on he material and should be looked up in the Machinery's Handbook. The formula is RPM = (CSx4)/diameter. Typical CS for aluminum is 250 and for mild steel it is 80. Therefore a 6" dia bar of mild steel should be turned at (80x4)/6= 53 RPM. The correct feed rate in Inches Per Revolution (IPR) is calculated from chipload. Chipload is the amount the cutter is buried into the part and varies from tool to tool. R.S. Do not confuse feed "speed" with feed "rate". Feed rate is the amount the tool moves for each revolution of the spindle. If the spindle is turning very slowly the tool feed speed will be slow. If the spindle is turning very fast the tool feed speed will be very fast. In both cases the tool feed rate is identical. R.S.

9: The Carriage
The carriage is a combination of five main parts; the saddle, the cross-slide, the apron, the compound rest and the tool rest (left top). The purpose of this combination is to hold a cutting tool securely while at the same time moving it (feeding) to whatever position is necessary to machine the work piece. The Apron is the front vertical face of the carriage. It is a covering plate or a casting that houses gears, clutches and levers. The apron has an autofeed knob, a shift-feed knob (left middle), and a threading nut engagement handle (left bottom).

 The autofeed handle will engage or disengage all feed motions. The shiftfeed handle will change the feed from the carriage to the cross slide or visa versa. Somewhere on the headstock there will be a feed-reversing handle. This handle changes the direction of rotation of the feed rod, thus reversing the feed direction of the cross slide and the carriage. The thread engagement handle engages the threading nut.

10: The Tail Stock

The tail stock and the headstock are opposite one another and in normal conditions are aligned on the same center (figure 1 ). For cutting a taper the tail stock can be adjusted off center. The tail stock is positioned behind the carriage and mounted on the same ways as the saddle. It can be locked in any position on the ways (figure 2). There are two units to a tail stock; the base and the head (figure 3). To set the tail stock; on or off center there are offsetting adjusting screws on the base. The head consist of the quill (ram or spindle are also names used), quill lock, hand wheel, and a clamp lever or nut. A clamp lever or nut is used to tighten the tail stock in position on the ways (the longer handle in figure 2 is the clamp lever that pulls upward against the clamp barely visible below the tail stock in figure 4.). The quill has a standard Morse internal taper for holding a center, Jacobs chuck or any other tool that has a standard external Morse taper (figure 5). Graduations have been engraved on the quill spindle to measure the length that the ram has project from the head.

F i g u r e 1

Figure 1

Figure 2 Figure 4

Figure 3 Figure 5

11: Centers, Dogs, and Faceplate

Figure 1

Figure 2

To hold a work piece directly in the center of the spindle and be true to (in line with) the spindle a center can be used. There are three types of centers; the live center (figure 1), the dead center (figure 2), and the half center (discussed below). A live center rotates on internal bearings. A dead center does not rotate. A dead center creates friction and must be lubricated (the live center rotates with the part and does not create friction). All centers are 60 degrees at the tip. To assure that the center is holding the work piece correctly, a special hole is center drilled at the end of the work piece that matches the shape of the center. Faceplates (figure 3) are also called Driver Plates. They are circular with a slot or a series of slots for bolts or to hold the bent-tail of a lathe dog (figure 4). To turn a shaft that is being held by centers a dog is used with a faceplate. Faceplates are also available with T-slots for clamping.

 Special circumstances require special tools. The half center is just such a tool. It is used to provide special clearance for lathe tooling. With this setup you can see how the live center in the tail stock interferes with the tool bit. With the half center installed the tool bit has clearance. Half centers are always dead centers. Remember to keep them greased as they do not turn freely like a live center.

12: Threading, Steady Rest, Follower Rest, and Taper Attachment

Forming threads by single pointing on the lathe requires repetitive cutting. To assure recurring cuts in the same location, a thread-chasing dial or a high-speed threading attachment is used. These attachments are normally on the side of the apron (image right). The thread-chasing dial engages with the leads crew and is used to indicate when to engage the half nut to permit the cutting tool to follow exactly in the original cut.

Steady Rest A steady rest is used when a long work piece must be supported during a machining operation. Specifically a machining operation at he end of the work piece. The steady rest is clamped to the ways of the lathe and adjustable rest points are adjusted to perfectly center the part while, at the same time, supporting the part during machining.

Follower Rest A follower rest performs somewhat like a steady rest except that the follower rest attaches to the saddle. This allows the follower rest to "follow" along with the carriage during automatic feed. The front side of the rest is open and the top rear and bottom has adjustable rest points (the bottom rest point is not visible in this video). This type of rest is especially useful for machining along the length of a long bar. Without the follower rest the bar would be pushed inward and away from the cutting tool (more at the center of the length than at either end).

 Note: it is important to realize that removing stock on the bar removes contact by the rest points and they will have to be readjusted after each pass. Taper Attachment The taper attachment is used to create a taper on a work piece. The taper attachment is attached to the back ways of the lathe. An adjustable block is clamped to the cross slide and the block moves at a fixed rate according to the desired taper that has been set. The taper is turned as the longitudinal feed is engaged.

13: Sizing a Lathe

Engine lathes vary in size. Their size is identified by the largest work piece diameter that can be turned without hitting some part of the lathe. This diameter is referred to as the "swing". Size is also determined by the longest part that can fit between centers. So a 13x72 lathe has a 13" swing and can accommodate a 72" long work piece. (figure 1). A typical lathe has a 13 inch swing, 6 foot long bed, and capacity to turn work 36 inches between centers. Small bench engine lathes have a 9 inch or less swing and have a 20 to 40 inch between centers.

 Many lathes have a removable section of the ways that provides for turning lager diameters near the head. These are commonly called "gap lathes". There is another unique lathe that is also called a "gap lathe" (figure 2). This lathe can turn larger diameter work than a standard engine lathe of comparable size. The gap lathe has a bed which slides aft (right in the picture), opening a gap near the head. Distance between centers when the bed is fully retracted is 50 percent more than when the bed is in its normal position.