Lathes, Chuckers, Turning Centers

What is an Engine lathe used for?

The major function of the engine lathe is to change the size, shape or finish of a revolving work piece with various cutting tools. The lathes in most shop consist of a headstock, tailstock, carriage and bed. pulleys used to change the spindle speed and feed rate.

What is a CNC Lathe/Turning Center?

CNC turning centers are advanced computer numerically controlled machines. They can have 3, 4, or even 5 axes, along with a multitude of cutting capabilities, including milling, drilling, tapping, and of course, turning.  These machines are composed of a headstock, spindle, chuck,  lead screw, tool post, tailstock, hand wheel, bed, chip pan, carriage, apron, saddle, cross slide, guideways, feed rod, and a leg. The headstock holds the gear train, chuck, gear speed control levers, feed controllers, and the main spindle. The lathe will spin the material in a spindle while the cutting tool works to cut the workpiece. Some benefits to using a lathe are accuracy and the ability to perform repeatable production jobs.

What is a Combination Lathe?

A combination lathe, often known as a 3-in-1 machine, introduces drilling or milling operations into the design of the lathe. These machines have a milling column rising up above the lathe bed, and they utilize the carriage and topslide as the X and Y axes for the milling column. The 3-in-1 name comes from the idea of having a lathe, milling machine, and drill press all in one affordable machine tool. 

What is a chucker lathe?

In the definition of a conventional lathe machine, a chucker lathe is a lathe without a tailstock. It may or may not have through holes, but it is still a turning machine by its structure. The layout of lathes is mostly horizontal.

What is a Toolroom Lathe?

A toolroom lathe is a lathe optimized for toolroom work. It is essentially just a top-of-the-line center lathe, with all of the best optional features that may be omitted from less expensive models, such as a collet closer, taper attachment, and others.  

What is a Turret Lathe?

The turret lathe is a form of metalworking that is used for repetitive production of duplicate parts, which by the nature of their cutting process are usually interchangeable.  It evolved from earlier lathes with the addition of the turret, which is an indexable toolholder that allows multiple cutting operations to be performed, each with a different cutting tool, in easy, rapid succession, with no need for the operator to perform set-up tasks in between (such as installing or uninstalling tools) or to control the toolpath.

What is an Oil Country Lathe? 

Specialized lathes for machining long workpieces such as segments of drill strings. Oil country lathes are equipped with large-bore hollow spindles, a second chuck on the opposite side of the headstock, and frequently outboard steadies for supporting long workpieces.

Top Lathe/Turning Center Brands:

• Mazak
• Doosan/Doosan Puma/Doosan Lynx/Daewoo
• Haas
• Hardinge
• Romi
• Bridgeport
• Okuma
• Hyundai Wia
• Hurco
• Clausing
• Colchester
• Milltronix 
• SMEC
• Takisawa 
• Samsung
• Yama Seiki
• Mori Seiki 
• DMG Mori
• Gildemeister
• Hwacheon
• Ikegai 
• Miyano
• Johnford 
• Nakamura Tome 
• Wasino 
• Tsugami
• Dainichi
• Gnash
• Mighty Viper 
• Hwacheon
• Toolmex
• You Ji 
• Traub