What Is a Bench Lathe?
First of all, a lathe is a machine that rotates metal or other material to be processed and slowly applies a metal cutting tool (bite) to its surface to cut it into a cylindrical shape.
Since commercial lathes are large and expensive, Bench lathes are small and can be used as table-top lathes.
Bench lathe consists of a bed, spindle head, tool rest, and tailstock.
The spindle in the spindle head holds the material and rotates it at a constant speed. The tool rest holds the metal blade for cutting.
In addition, the tailstock is installed opposite the spindle head, and by changing the tip, drilling holes can be processed.
Uses of Bench Lathes
Bench lathes are often used to process hard materials, such as metal, because they can cut a rotating material with a tool.
Bench lathes are easily handled by individuals and are available from a variety of manufacturers.
Like ordinary lathes, they excel at machining cylindrical shapes. Bench lathes are very useful when drilling holes or machining screws.
Bench lathes were originally used for manufacturing machinery such as automobiles, aircraft, and construction equipment, but with the advent of bench lathes, machining can now be performed in more familiar settings.
Principles of Bench Lathes
Let’s take a closer look at the characteristics of lathes. Bench lathes can be considered in the same basic way.
Depending on the structure of the lathe, there are vertical lathes and horizontal lathes, and these can be distinguished according to the direction of the spindle.
In the former, the spindle is vertical, while in the latter, it is horizontal.
The vertical lathe has the spindle at the bottom and the tool post at the top, and is suitable for heavy vertical machining.
The advantage is that gravity and centrifugal force are evenly applied to the object, resulting in better machining accuracy.
On the other hand, because it is vertical, it is difficult to machine objects that are too long, and conversely, it takes more time and effort to machine a small object.
The horizontal lathe has a spindle positioned horizontally, which makes machining easier than with a vertical lathe.
It is easy to process long materials, which is difficult with a vertical lathe, and it is also characterized by its superior dust emission during cutting.
One demerit is that it is somewhat more difficult to perform high-precision machining than with a vertical lathe.
How to Use Bench Lathes
Because they are small and not equipped with a CNC control system, they are not suitable for mass production. Therefore, they are suitable for machining one-off, small parts, such as custom-made jigs and prototype tools.
The same basic operations as those for a general-purpose lathe are to mount the workpiece (blade) on the tool rest, align the height of the workpiece by placing a plate between the workpiece and the tool rest so that the center of the workpiece is near the center, and fix the workpiece in the chuck. However, because it is smaller than a general-purpose lathe, if too much is cut at once during roughing, the spindle will stop rotating, so it is necessary to process with a smaller amount.
Bench lathes can be used not only for business, but also for home use.
What a Bench Lathe can do
Although small in size, like a general-purpose lathe, a bench lathe can perform basic cylindrical workpiece external diameter machining, boring to machine the inside shape, drilling with a drill or reamer attached to the centerstock, thread cutting, and plunge cutting to cut materials.
A woodworking bench lathe can be used to make wooden tableware, and metalworking can be used to make die holders and small-diameter shafts. Bench lathes are attractive because they are light, take up little space, and can be powered by a household power source, making it easy to process small parts for a variety of uses.
Bench lathes can be used not only for industry but also for hobbies, such as making plastic model parts and crafts, because they can process not only steel and wood but also plastic, aluminum, and brass materials.
On the other hand, the rigidity of the machine does not allow for the machining of large-diameter workpieces, tool steel, or hardened steel, and the lack of CNC control makes mass production impossible, so it is not suitable for serious parts manufacturing.