Things Made With Lathes

• There are two basic types of turning that are done on lathes: faceplate turning and spindle turning. The first is used to make bowls, plates and similarly shaped objects that can be fastened onto a flat, spinning faceplate. The second type of turning is used to make balusters, candlesticks and other long and thin items. Lathes are commonly used to manufacture furniture parts such as bedposts and table legs. Production manufacturing of cylindrical objects is accomplished on copy lathes, automated machines that allow a craftsperson to make one item and then quickly make copies of it by tracing it with the copy lathe.
  
  

Stability

• A primary factor in the effectiveness of a lathe is its stability. High quality lathes are made of very heavy materials, and are sometimes stabilized by building them on bases that can be filled with sand. The more stable a lathe is, the less it vibrates when in use, and the less "chatter" occurs when the shaping chisel is brought into contact with the spinning surface of the wood. Stability results in a very smooth wood surface that reveals the beauty of the wood grain rather than the marks of the cutting tool.
  
  

Turning Tools

• Wood is first shaped on a lathe using a semicircular chisel called a gouge. Rough cutting gouges are made of very heavy metal, and are designed to remove large amounts of wood quickly. Finish gouges, similarly shaped to rough gouges but smaller, are used to create finer details on the piece. A skew is a flat chisel with a diagonal cutting edge. It is used to shave off the surface of the wood, leaving a smooth and finished surface. Wood turners also use various beading tools, which are designed to cut specific shapes into the surface of the wood.
  
  

Sharpening

• Sharpening is an essential practice in wood turning. Trying to use a lathe with tools that are not extremely sharp not only gives poor results, it also endangers the worker by increasing the chances that a tool will catch an edge and be thrown at high speed. Turning tools are sharpened by using a grinding wheel, a succession of ever finer sharpening stones and a leather strop to leave a perfect mirror finish on the cutting edge.