Carving Gouge

The Lathe Machine And Its Parts

There are five unique parts to the lathe machine; they are the headstock, tailstock, cutting tools like the skew chisel, gouge, narrower spear, round chisel, and finishing tools, and finally the carriage and spindle.

Lathes are tools that are utilized to shape or smooth wooden objects. Lathe machinists and craftsmen find these kinds of machines useful in customization and wood work. Cylindrically shaped wood items such as baseball bats, cue sticks, chair and table legs, and other parts of wood furniture are created using a lathe. Lathes are also used to carve wood surfaces and provide design elements. There are also lathes that are made for working on other materials like glass and metals. If you get to know your lathe and its components, you’ll know how to use it right and spot when it needs maintenance like spindle repair.

This is what you need for proper maintenance of the headstock

The upper end of the spindle is held in place and anchored by the headstock on the lathe machine. It’s where the motor which turns the wood around is located The speed of the spindle’s movement can be adjusted by using the pulleys and gears located at the back of the headstock. The high-tension spring or chuck keeps the piece of wood stable and in the proper place so it does not move or fall once the spindle begins to rotate.

The Tailstock?

There is a tailstock which holds the wood tight and this is part of the machine. There are two possibilities for the center: it can spin with the wood or can be immovable. The turning mechanism contains the parts that allow it to move.

Both cutting tools (gauge and chisel), finishing tools and spear

Depending on your project and the cutting tool needed, you can choose from different attachments to your lathe machine. For removing the extra wood we use gauge tool. A skew chisel is utilized to create more intricate carved features. Round chisels and small spears give them intricate finishing. To buff wood, use a finishing tool with a round end to minimize the amount of material that gets cut off.

Carriage

The carriage holds the cutting tool of the lathe which makes it easy for craftsman to work. The carriage is made up of 5 different components and include the compound rest, cross-slide, apron, tool rest and the saddle. These parts are used to work together in order to make the cutting tool to fall in place.

The spindle

You can find lathe spindles in three main configurations. The threaded, tapered and cam-lock configurations are the three that mainly concern us here. Attaching the chuck to a threaded model is complex, as the threaded model’s configuration is old and the model doesn’t have a taper Cam-lock spindles slides into a ring of similar holes and contain cam studs on one end. After the chuck key is turned, the studs lock in place. The third configuration, the tapered spindle, narrows at the tip and has a threaded collar with a built-in chuck key.

The invention of the lathe machine has made the creation of wood products easier, faster and less physically demanding for the craftsman. Craftsmen are able to work accurately because they use lathe machines.

For issues with your lathe machine and / or any associated parts, or if you require assistance with spindle repair, please see http://www.motorcityrepair.com/SpindleRepair.html.

mask carving 3 part 1