Metal lathe tools are designed for specific applications, including cutting, shaping, threading, and finishing steel. Different tools are needed for different tasks, and dull tools will produce lower quality results. Most tools come in right and left-hand styles and can be made of carbide, tungsten, or steel. Boring tools and spindles are common, and even the number of jaws on a chuck is important to experienced operators.
Metal lathe tools, like cutting tools, are designed to be used for particular applications. Both right and left hand turning cutting bits are used to cut steel in a specific direction without making contact with the tool holder. The round point cutting tool bit is used for most basic cutting and finishing operations and is the most widely used of all metal lathe tools. Threading tools, knurling tools and miter saws are all used for specific cutting and texturing applications when turning steel on a lathe.
These tools perform a multitude of tasks, from cutting and shaping to threading and finishing steel. With each tool designed to perform a specific task, a large assortment of metal lathe tools are needed for most projects completed on a metal lathe. High-strength carbon steel is used in the manufacture of most metal lathe tools to allow the tool to cut or press into the turning steel of the lathe design and to be re-sharpened when the tool becomes dull. Dull metal lathe tools will produce a lower quality result than a given lathe design, regardless of the skill level of the metal lathe operator. This is also true when examining the quality of the metal lathe itself; a dull or poor quality tool will produce a poor quality finished project regardless of the quality of the lathe.
Most metal lathe tools come in both right-hand and left-hand styles, with each tool in a particular group such as the roughing, side facing, and finishing tools used only when making cuts in that particular direction. Most of these tools are also available in carbide tipped or tungsten tipped versions, along with the regular steel type. The thread cutting tools are capable of cutting fine and coarse threads and the knurling tools are capable of applying the diamond pattern on most types of metal to provide a superior gripping area for any project .
Boring tools are some of the most common metal lathe tools and are an indispensable tool when drilling is required in a project. Certain metal lathe tools, such as different styles of spindles and tail centers, allow the operator to produce detailed work on the metal lathe. While the number of jaws on a chuck or the method of tightening the jaws on a project aren’t always considered lathe tools, to an experienced lathe operator they are.
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