Woodturning Lathe

By Author: Mary Porter
Total Articles: 829
Comment this article

A woodturning lathe is can be a very important tool to posses, but before you go out and purchase or hire one, the best thing to do is to learn what this tool does, functions and also how it is best used. This article is aimed at doing just that, giving you the information that you need to fully grasp how this tool works and also the best way to use it. The article will then conclude by informing you on where you can find more information on these products and more.

The spindle on the woodturning lathe is mounted in bearings in the headstock and is caused to rotate by the motor. The headstock assembly is mounted on the lathe bed, which is the support which keeps all of the components of the lathe rigidly aligned. At the other end of the lathe bed is the tailstock, which supports the end of the work piece and which can be moved along the bed to suit different lengths of work piece. The tailstock usually also incorporates a sliding barrel, or 'quill' which can be moved in and out by turning a hand wheel, thus giving fine positional control and enabling end-loading ...
... to be applied to the work piece. Also movably mounted on the lathe bed is the tool rest saddle which supports the tool post and tool rest. The tool rest saddle - sometimes also known as a 'banjo' because of the shape of this part on earlier lathes - is moved into position such that the tool can be rested on the tool rest and reach the work piece with full support. And that's about it for the essentials thicknesser planer Many lathes don't have any supporting structure beneath the bed and need to be mounted on a robust table or bench. Others come complete with a floor standing frame, or may indeed be integrated designs. Speed changing is normally effected by moving belts onto different-sized pulleys but many newer lathes now incorporate electronic variable speed systems and a few have mechanical speed variation systems that go with the woodturning lathe.

If you would like more information then this can be found by entering the keywords ‘woodturning lathe’ into an internet search engine