Lathe Tools

Lathe tools include various "centers" which are inserted into one or more points on the ends of a work piece to hold it while it is turned. A center may be a simple point of metal that presses into wood, or it can be a multi-pronged fork that holds the work more firmly so it does not spin against the center when pressure is applied to it by a tool. Clamps are also used to grip the ends of work pieces.

One of the centers is fixed to the power shaft of a motor which turns the work piece. The other center is on a geared carriage that can be slid horizontally to hold work pieces of various lengths. The mobile center rides on a carriage across the bed of the lathe. The maximum diameter of a work piece is limited by the height of the centers above the carriage.

The lathe tool post is vertical post with a flat horizontal ledge on top; the user rests the tool on the post to steady it while it is pressed against the work piece. Lathe tool posts come in different styles for use with different tools; the type of post also depends upon the personal preferences of the user.

A wood lathe can be used to turn everything from baseball bats to ornamental columns and billiard cues. Wooden bowls are turned by mounting their bases in one of the centers and scraping wood from the bowl's interior and exterior surfaces. In fact, bowls of diameters larger than the lathe's usual limit can be made by turning the fixed center to face outwards, with nothing above or below it to limit the size of the bowl.

A metal lathe is a high-precision, heavy duty machine used to make combustion engine cylinders and other round metal objects. In fact, any "object of revolution" can be turned on a suitably set up metal lathe, including cones and egg shapes. Metal lathe tools are often held by metal clamps rather than human hands during turning, and the depth to which they cut at each point along a work piece's length may be controlled by computers. Such computer-controlled lathes are known as CNC lathes.