How to Identify Lathe Parts

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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The lathe, a staple of many woodshops, is the tool used to make all of those intricate round columns that you find on furniture. A lathe is used to make round grooves in a piece of wood. To work with a lathe, a long, thin wood piece is set into the machine and spins while the woodworker chisels it into shape (think potter's wheel for wood). The lathe has several integral parts that might differ according to the power source used.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Examine the large fixture at the head of the lathe (usually, to your left). This is the headstock and contains much of the documentation labels. It also usually houses the power source.
Step 2

Find the free standing round piece on the headstock. This is the spindle. It is the part that turns the wood, moved either by a flywheel and foot pedal system, or in a modern lathe, by a motor.
Step 3

Now find the tailstock, standing at the machine's other end. This is where the wood is gripped to hold it in mid-air between the spindle and tail.
Step 4

Find the lock mechanism. The lock will set the wood into the machine by use of a lever or other device. Before turning the lathe on, make sure the wood is tightly held by the machine at the correct angle and not tilted.
Step 5

Find the power control. It is important to know how to turn the lathe on and off in case you need to quickly terminate the job due to something getting caught in the spin or for any other reason.

Tips & Warnings

Not all lathes have a tailstock. Some lathes for free work, or what carpenters call "face work" lack a tailstock and the wooden piece spins with one end in mid-air. One tip for face work lathes: putting too much pressure on the piece can be dangerous as, unfixed on the end, it can fly off of the machine.
Trade experts mention that lathes can be converted from motor to hand-power, as in the case of the Amish craftsman who don't use electricity for religious reasons. Conversely, a hand lathe can conceivably be converted to power by a resourceful craftsman, with considerably more effort.

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