8.1 INTRODUCTION

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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).