Uses of a Lathe Machine

• A modern lathe shaping a metal rod.Lathe Turning Stainless Steel image by Stana from Fotolia.com
  
  The lathe is a versatile industrial tool capable of working with materials like wood, acrylic, and even metal. Lathes find their way into automated assembly just as often as they find their way into the hands of artisan craftsmen. Some examples of lathe projects are wooden bowls, metal cookware like pots and pans and acrylic handles on budget tools. While the modern electric lathe is a fantastic tool, more basic lathes have existed since as early as 300 B.C., as indicated by a wall relief in the Egyptian tomb of Petrosirus.
  
  

Wood Lathing

• The most traditional use for a lathe is in the field of woodworking. A lathe can be used to shape raw wooden posts into ornate columns, railing supports and table legs. An artisan will use a specialized set of knives and gouging tools to shape the wood as it rotates at high speeds on its axis. There is a danger associated with wood lathing in that choosing a piece of wood with a hidden knot can sometimes knock the piece of wood loose from the lathe or the knife from the hand of the woodworker. Choosing a quality piece of wood for lathing is therefore a prime safety concern.
  
  

Metal Lathing

• Metal lathing has been a key element of the industrial revolution because a lathe is needed for creating the common screw, a fastener without which other high technology might not exist. The lathing of metal isn't limited to screw making though, another common use of the metal lathe is in making pots and pans. Aluminum is a particularity ideal materiel for lathe shaping items such as pots, as it is relatively malleable, compared to steel and far less expensive than copper. Metal lathes also are used in a plethora of other automated production scenarios.
  
  

Acrylic Lathing

• Acrylic ingots can be shaped with a lathe into a variety of useful items, the most common of which are the grips on budget-model hand tools. Acrylic lathing is also used to shape trophies and awards. Often times a piece of clear acrylic, or even occasionally other plastics, is cast to contain a metal figure in the center having something to do with the award in question, then spun on a lathe and changed from its cubic shape into a rough sphere. The rough sphere then is polished to make a typical globe trophy.