How does one use a woodturning lathe?

(Please note - the folllowing explanation is for wood latt NOT lathe) A piece of wood, fairly flexible, usually about two inches wide and about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick and as long as necessary. It is used for lattice work and is often found as a base for plaster walls in older homes.

Wooden table legs are turned ona wood lathe - the wood lathe is used to make a square pole of wood round.

How a wood lathe worksWood Lathe

Basically, a small engine, usually electric, turns a set of gears. These gears are connected to more gears via a V belt (a loop of rubber, tightly on the two gears).

The turning of the gears turns the lathe.

Depending on what you are lathing, the actual setup of the cutting instruments varies. The best way to find out how to use a lathe is to go and take a course at TAFE.

A lathe , as you most likely know, is a machine that spins a peice of wood at a high (or low ,depending on what you are carving) velocity. It consists a motor, tool rest, and peices of metal to hold the wood in place. The peices of metal used to lock the wood into place vary, depending on how it needs to be held. You use a chisle, (once again, different variaties of chisles) to carve the wood while it is spinning.