Metal Lathes

My husband and I met at work. I was quality control and he does set up work. My job was to sort out the mistakes he and the other guys made using ICOP presses. Now, 5 years later, I run the home and he has become a tool room expert.

He spends most of his days with the metal lathes. These rigid machine tools remove material from a rotating work piece via with typically linear movements of various cutting tools, such as tool bits and drill bits. Lucky for QC, these machines ensure the components manufactured on them can meet the required tolerances repeatedly and with out much reject-able parts.

There are several kinds of metal lathes. There are little ones for the hobbyist to have in their home shops. Those are called either Micro Lathe or Mini Lathe. They are priced to be affordable for home use. They are great for turning brakes and working with rotors.

The metal lathes go up in size and complexity from there. The mid-range type is called a tool-room lathe and is what my husband uses. It is a stripped down version of the fancy top of the line lathes. Those are called center lathes. He uses it to make the punches and dyes.