• A lathe is a large machine that rotates the work, and cutting is done with a non-rotating cutting tool. The shapes cut are generally round, or helical. The tool is typically moved parallel to the axis of rotation during cutting.
• Manual lathes have the following major components,
• General classifications used when describing lathes are,
- Swing - the largest diameter of work that can be rotated.
- Distance Between Centres - the longest length of workpiece
- Length of Bed - Related to the Distance Between Centres
- Power - The range of speeds and feeds, and the horsepower available
• The critical parameters on the lathe are speed of rotation (speed in RPM) and how far the tool moves across the work for each rotation (feed in IPR).