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