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Lathes

Lathes hold a piece of wood or metal and spin it as a sharp bit cuts the piece into the desired shape, like a site has great introduction to what a lathe really does, how it does it, the dimensions, and the common terms. Plus, it has pictures and animation! To help you get started, Gaylon Corely, About.com's woodworking guide, made a short list of his top three favorite lathes for woodturning.

Types of Lathes

There are several lathe models to fit your work needs. Be sure to choose one with adequate power, but remember more powerful models can get expensive.

Lathes Can Do...

* '''Woodworking''' if you hold a tool against the spinning wood to cut, sand, or polish it. * '''Metalworking''' if have a metalworking lathe that has different gears, speeds, and power needed to let you grind metal. Don't forget to lubricate your tools or you'll get some nasty sparks. * '''Metal Spinning''' fashions spinning metal around a mold so that you can make for yourself a bowl, a vase, or anything else symmetrical. Such models are Features * '''Weight''' is important and needed for completing heavy-duty tasks. Bolting down the legs is an option for lighter benchtop models. * '''Power''' (hp) ranges according to the model type. The more power, the more mass the lathe can handle. * '''Speed''' (rpm) varies with model type. In general, expect a range of 500-3000rpm. Variable speed control is best, usually found on mechanical systems, which tend to be more expensive. * Accessories can greatly enhance a lathe. Table of Measurements To recap: * A '''7x12''' lathe has ** 7" swing over bed ** 12" distance between centers ** 4" swing over carriage *** 3 Morse Taper spindle ** 3/4" spindle through-hole diameter *** 2 Morse Taper tailstock * A '''9x20''' lathe has ** 9" swing over bed ** 20" distance between centers ** 5" swing over carriage *** 3 Morse Taper spindle ** 3/4" spindle through-hole diameter *** 2 Morse Taper tailstock