A lathe is a common tool used in machining.

Machining is an occupation or hobby that involves using a power-driven machine tool, such as a lathe, milling machine or drill, to shape metal. Machining is a part of the manufacture of almost all metal products. Some plastic parts are machined. A person who specializes in machining is called a machinist. Image File history File links Lathe. ... Conventional metalworking lathe In woodturning, metalworking, metal spinning, and glassworking, a lathe is a machine tool which spins a block of material so that when abrasive, cutting, or deformation tools are applied to the block, it can be shaped to produce an object which has rotational symmetry about an axis... Occupation may refer to: the principal activity (job or calling) that earns money for a person (see profession, business) the periods of time following a nations territory invasion by controlling enemy troops (see belligerent occupation) any activity that occupies an important portion of a persons attention (see fan... A hobby is a spare-time recreational pursuit. ... A machine tool is a powered mechanical device, typically used to fabricate metal components of machines by the selective removal of metal. ... Conventional metalworking lathe In woodturning, metalworking, metal spinning, and glassworking, a lathe is a machine tool which spins a block of material so that when abrasive, cutting, or deformation tools are applied to the block, it can be shaped to produce an object which has rotational symmetry about an axis... A drill is a tool with a rotating drill bit used for drilling holes in various materials. ... Hot metal work from a blacksmith In chemistry, a metal (Greek: Metallon) is an element that readily forms ions (cations) and has metallic bonds, and metals are sometimes described as a lattice of positive ions (cations) in a cloud of electrons. ... Plastic is a term that covers a range of synthetic or semisynthetic polymerization products. ... A machinist is a tradesperson who specializes in making things out of metal or other solid material. ...

Machining operations

Most machining operations can be divided into those that remove metal from an item, and those that form metal in an item.

Often an unfinished workpiece will need to have some parts removed or scraped away in order to create a finished product. For example, a lathe is a machine tool that generates circular sections by rotating a metal workpiece, so that a cutting tool can peel metal off, creating a smooth, round surface. A drill or punch press can be used to remove metal in the shape of a hole. Other tools that may be used for various types of metal removal are milling machines, saws, and grinding tools. Many of these same techniques are used in woodworking. Conventional metalworking lathe In woodturning, metalworking, metal spinning, and glassworking, a lathe is a machine tool which spins a block of material so that when abrasive, cutting, or deformation tools are applied to the block, it can be shaped to produce an object which has rotational symmetry about an axis... A drill is a tool with a rotating drill bit used for drilling holes in various materials. ... A Punch Press is a machine that has a set of punches and dies, a male (punch) and female (die), which when pressed together put a hole into the material used that is the same geometry as the punch that is being used. ... Cutters for a milling machine. ... Portable saw The article is about the cutting tool. ... Rotating abrasive wheel on a bench grinder. ... Artists can use woodworking to create delicate sculptures. ...

Metal can be formed into a desired shape much more easily than materials such as wood or stone, especially when the metal is heated. A machinist may use a forging machine to hammer or mold a hot metal workpiece into a desired shape. Dies or molds may be used if the metal is soft enough, or under high pressures. A press is used to flatten a piece of metal into a desired shape. A blacksmiths forge The forge or smithy is the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith. ...

Advanced machining operations might use electrical discharge, elecro-chemical erosion, or laser cutting to shape metal workpieces. Electrical discharge machining (or EDM) is a method of working extremely hard materials or materials that are difficult to machine cleanly using conventional methods. ... Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock, and other particles) by the agents of wind, water, ice, movement in response to gravity, or living organisms (in the case of bioerosion). ... The range of sizes in which lasers exist is immense, extending from microscopic diode lasers (top) to football field sized neodymium glass lasers (bottom) used for inertial confinement fusion. ...

As a commercial venture, machining is generally performed in a machine shop, which consists of one or more workrooms containing major machine tools. Although a machine shop can be a stand alone operation, many businesses maintain internal machine shops which support specialized needs of the business.

The inferior finish found on a the machined surface of a workpiece. It may be caused by insufficent clamping, cutting conditions or perhaps an incorrectly adjusted machines. It is evident by an undulating or irregular finish, and appear as waves on the surface.

Machining as a hobby

Machining can be a hobby in itself, or it can be useful in pursuing other hobbies. For instance plenty of car restorers would have good home workshops with a range of machine tools. There are also individuals who start building up a home workshop with the idea of eventually building some project, such as maybe a miniature steam locomotive, but get sidetracked into building the machine tools themselves and their accessories. The home machine shop thus may end up being a satisfying hobby in itself. There are in fact at least four magazines that cater to this side of the hobby, "Home Shop Machinist" and "Machinist's Workshop" in the USA, and "Model Engineer" and "Model Engineer's Workshop" in the United Kingdom. "Machinist's Workshop" and "Model Engineer's Workshop" tend to be very project-oriented, while the other two tend to present a mix of projects, techniques, and theory. Model Engineer Magazine was first published (in the United Kingdom) to support the hobby of model engineering in 1898 by Percival Marshall, who was to remain its editor for over 50 years. ...

External links

• The Machine Tool Archive
• Combined site of The Home Shop Machinist & Machinist's Workshop
• Foam lathe
• CNC foam cutter

WikiProject Metalworking:
Milling and machining: Image File history File links Blacksmith-hammer-anvil-50x50. ... Turned chess pieces Metalworking is the craft and practice of working with metals to create parts or structures. ...	Electrical discharge machining | Electro chemical machining | Endmill | Engraving | Hobbing machine | Machine tool | Machining | Milling cutter | Milling machine | Pantograph | Shaper Electrical discharge machining (or EDM) is a method of working extremely hard materials or materials that are difficult to machine cleanly using conventional methods. ... Electro Chemical Machining (or ECM) is a method of working extremely hard materials or materials that are difficult to machine cleanly using conventional methods. ... An endmill is a type of cutting tool used in industrial milling applications. ... Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. ... A hobbing machine is a special form of milling machine that mills gears. ... A machine tool is a powered mechanical device, typically used to fabricate metal components of machines by the selective removal of metal. ... Milling cutters are cutting tools used in milling machines or machining centres. ... Cutters for a milling machine. ... Shaper tool slide, clapper box and cutting tool A shaper is a machine tool used for shaping or surfacing metal and other materials. ...
Metalworking topics:   Casting | CNC | Cutting machines | Cutting tools | Drilling and threading | Fabrication | Finishing | Grinding | Jewellery | lathe (tool) | Machining | Machine tooling | Measuring | Metalworking | Hand tools | Metallurgy | Milling | Occupations | Press tools | Smithing | Terminology | Welding One half of a bronze mold for casting a socketed spear head dated to the period 1400-1000 BC. This article is about the manufacturing process. ... A CNC Turning Center The abbreviation CNC stands for Computer(ized) Numerical(ly) Control(led), and refers specifically to the computer control of machine tools for the purpose of (repeatedly) manufacturing complex parts in metal as well as other materials, using a program written in a notation conforming to the... Turned chess pieces Metalworking is the craft and practice of working with metals to create parts or structures. ... Drilling is the process of using a drill bit in a drill to produce holes. ... A typical steel fabrication shop Fabrication is an industrial term generally applied to the building of metal machines and structures. ... Rotating abrasive wheel on a bench grinder. ... Jewellery (Jewelry in American spelling); comprises ornamental objects worn by persons, typically made with gems and precious metals. ... Conventional metalworking lathe In woodturning, metalworking, metal spinning, and glassworking, a lathe is a machine tool which spins a block of material so that when abrasive, cutting, or deformation tools are applied to the block, it can be shaped to produce an object which has rotational symmetry about an axis... A machine tool is a powered mechanical device, typically used to fabricate metal components of machines by the selective removal of metal. ... Turned chess pieces Metalworking is the craft and practice of working with metals to create parts or structures. ... Metalworking hand tools are hand tools that are used in the metalworking field. ... Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and of materials engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements and their mixtures, which are called alloys. ... Cutters for a milling machine. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Smith (metalwork). ... Power press with a fixed barrier guard A press, or a machine press is a tool used to work metal (typically steel) by changing its shape and internal structure. ... A smith or metalsmith is a person involved in the shaping of metal objects. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. ...