Basic Lathe Operations

Plain Turning

Plain Turning is the operation of producing a cylindrical surface by removing excess material from the surface of a work piece. The tool is fed parallel to the axis of rotation of the work piece and along the entire length. We distinguish between two types of plain turning.

1.     Rough Turning

In rough turning the excess material from the work piece is removed in a minimum of time without attaching much significance to surface finish of dimensional accuracy. The conditions for rough turning are

·         Sharp Roughing Tool

·         Less Cutting Speed

·         Maximum Possible Depth of cut and Fee

·         Ample Supply of Coolant

·         Rigid Setup

2.     Finish turning

The prime requisite of finish turning is to obtain a smooth surface finish with the dimensional accuracy. The conditions for finish turning are

·         High Speed

·         Small Depth of Cut

·         Small Feed

·         Polished Tool Face

·         Correct rake and clearance angles

·         Proper coolant

Facing

Facing is the opposite of machining the end surfaces of a round work pieces by feeding the tool perpendicular to the axis. Facing produces a flat surface. The operation can also be used to get a flat surface on non-cylindrical Work pieces also.