| By :
Patricia Strasser
Common categories of lathes include: woodworking lathes, metalworking lathes, glassworking lathes, metal spinning lathes, ornamental turning lathes, and reducing lathes. Lathes are essential machines for woodturning, metal working, glassworking, and metal spinning. Many items made from metal can be transformed into useful objects by the use of a lathe. Operations like cutting, sanding, drilling, and knurling are made easier through the use of lathes. Here is more about the major categories of lathes. Woodworking lathes The oldest type of lathe is the woodworking lathe. Derived from it are the other types of lathes that we use today. The shaping of the tools is achieved by using an adjustable metal rail, a tool rest, and the operator. Sandpaper may be pressed against the spinning object to achieve a smooth surface. Other models are used for making bowls and plates which have no horizontal metal rail. Metalworking lathes Using a hardened cutting tool, metal is shaved from the workpiece in a metalworking lathe. The cutting tool is fastened securely to a solid movable mounting which in turn is maneuvered using handwheels or computer controls. The metalworking lathes are perhaps the most widely-known. However, material properties may be altered. Mechanical effects such as microcracks, work hardening, and residual stress may be noted. Glassworking lathes This type of lathe is quite similar to the other lathes in terms of design with a main difference only on how the work piece is transformed. The glassworking lathes uses a varied temperature flame in which a hollow glass vessel is rotated over. The flame is used to mold the softened glass which in turn is formed by glassblowing or by deformation. The lathes have two headstocks with chucks that are arranged to spin in synchronicity. Metal spinning lathes Operating a metal spinning lathes is as simple as the woodturning counterparts. This type of lathe would need a user-supplied rotationally symmetric mandrel, which is most often made from wood, to be used as a template. Metal spinning is not as common as it was before, but can still be handy for producing small batches. Ornamental turning lathes Ornamental turning lathes were developed to make decorative objects. These lathes may use horizontal and vertical cutting frames, elliptical chicks, and eccentric chucks. The cutting is usually done by a rotating cutter rather than having the object rotated. Reducing lathes This specialized lathe has features which integrate a mechanism similar to a pantograph. These lathes are used in coin-making wherein the plaster original is duplicated and then reduced. More or less, the different categories are related with one another. The major differences are on the accessories.
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