From Handbook of Manufacturing Processes: How Products, Components and Materials Are Made

A. Lathe and Other Turning Operations

A1. Lathe Operations (General Description)

Produce, with a cutting action, surfaces of rotation (surfaces having a round or partly-round cross section), both external and internal, in a workpiece. The workpiece is rotated in a lathe, screw machine, or chucking machine. It is held between centers or in a chuck or collet, or fastened to a face place. The cutting tool is fed into the work or along the work, or both, to produce a part of the desired shape. There are several basic types of lathes and related machines as described below and many varieties of tools that can be fed against the workpiece. These machines are used extensively in the production of parts that contain surfaces of rotation. The basic operations performed on lathes are the following:

A1a. Turning

Is the most prevalent lathe operation. In its most common form, a single-point cutting tool is moved on a precise path with respect to a rotating workpiece. When the tool moves parallel to the axis of rotation, straight turning takes place and the surface machined is cylindrical or part of a cylinder. When the cutting tool moves uniformly closer or farther from the axis of rotation as it moves longitudinally, a tapered surface is generated. (This is often accomplished in engine lathe by moving the tailstock supporting center for the work to an off-center position, out of alignment with the headstock axis of rotation.) Fig. 3A1 shows examples of straight and tapered turning. Engine...

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Lathes and Turning Centers
Lathes and turning centers cut a rotating part with a stationary cutting tool. The tool moves parallel and perpendicular to the workpiece axis to provide the desired finished shape.
Tailstocks and Bench Centers
Tailstocks are used on lathes and other machine tools to support one end of the workpiece through contact with a live or dead center. Bench centers are table top mounted units that support a workpiece between two tailstocks during inspection.
Steady Rests and Follower Rests
Steady rests and follower rests are lathe accessories that hold a long workpiece steady during turning. Steady rests are mounted to the bed and do not move with the lathe. Follower rests attach to the saddle and move along with or follow the lathe.
Live Centers
Live centers are used to hold or support a workpiece in a lathe or other machine tool, often between the headstock and tailstock. Live centers revolve with the workpiece.
Turning Tools
Turning tools are used on lathes for cutting or finishing the outside diameter of a workpiece.

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