A lathe headstock contains a motor, spindle, gear or belt drive, and bearings. The electric motor is usually in the base and delivers rotational power through a belt to the transmission. Some lathes may have a variable drive, and woodcutting lathes have a lighter construction. Swiss-style lathes have a sliding paddle to feed stock material. A mandrel may be fitted to the tooling end for larger workpieces. Some chucks are tapered for a centering device and lathe driver. Traditional power lathes may have an additional gear system and lead screw. All lathe heads should have an emergency stop.
A lathe headstock is a gear drive that provides power and rotation to various parts of the lathe. Internally, the headstock usually contains the following major elements: a motor, spindle, gear or belt drive, and bearings of various sizes. The outside of the lathe headstock can usually be identified by control levers, knobs, or buttons. A collet or chuck, used to grip the stock material, will extend from the lathe head and complete the chuck assembly.
An electric motor is generally located in the base of the headstock. This usually delivers rotational power through a belt to the transmission. As the drive rotates, various gears and/or pulleys are automatically or manually adjusted until the desired spindle speed and direction of rotation is achieved.
Older lathes may not have an easily adjustable drive. With these, the access panels on the lathe head will need to be removed so the operator can reach the gears. Once the gears are accessible, they can be reconfigured to the desired spindle speed and direction. Some computer numerically controlled (CNC) lathe heads may contain a variable drive, and this allows the computer control to change the speed and direction up or down as needed. Woodcutting lathes are similar to their metal lathe brethren, but the headstock of the woodturning lathe will generally be of lighter construction.
Another type of headstock is found on a Swiss-style lathe. This Swiss style will have a sliding paddle designed to feed stock material from the head into the tool through a drive bushing. The collet on a Swiss lathe sits behind a guide bushing.
Sometimes a mandrel may be fitted to the tooling end of the mandrel; this allows turning of larger workpieces. If the material has a small diameter and is long, it may be recessed in the hollow mandrel and clamped with a collet. When most of the stock material is contained within the chuck, the surrounding headstock offers additional protection for the operator. Some chucks might be tapered so that a centering device and lathe driver could be used to turn the material.
Traditional power lathes might also have an additional gear system and lead screw built into and extending through the headstock. This lead screw provides power to the lathe carriage and adds versatility. All lathe heads, regardless of design or style, should be equipped with an emergency stop.
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