Lathe definitions and example sentences on Wordnik

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Definitions (44)

American Heritage Dictionary (2)

noun A machine for shaping a piece of material, such as wood or metal, by rotating it rapidly along its axis while pressing a fixed cutting or abrading tool against it.
transitive verb To cut or shape on a lathe.

Century Dictionary (39)

A machine for working wood, metals, or other substances by causing the material to turn with greater or less speed, according to the nature of the material and the work to be performed, before a tool which is held at rest relatively to the peripheral motion of the object operated upon. Lathes are used for turning, cutting, chasing, filing, polishing, screw-cutting, engraving, and shaping, as in metal-spinning. They range in size from a jewelers' lathe for polishing the finest metal-work. through the various wood-turning lathes, to the large machine-lathes for turning locomotive-wheels, and the heavy machines for polishing stone and marble columns for architectural purposes. The ancient potters' wheel is probably the prototype of the modern lathe. The common wood-turning lathe may be taken as a type of these machines. It consists essentially of the bed or main horizontal frame, the poppets, and the rest or support of the tool used in operating the lathe. The poppets can be moved into different positions and clamped on the bed, and form at the left the live or moving head-stock, connected directly with the source of power, and at the right the dead or stationary head-stock, sometimes called tail-stock. The work or material is placed between these, and is supported by a live-centre in the live head-stock and a dead-center in the dead head-stock; and in the ordinary lathe the cutting is performed concentrically with the axis joining these centers, the material being rotated by the live head-stock. By the adjustment of the poppets on the bed the lathe may be adapted to receive different lengths of material. Usually the dead head-stock only is moved toward or away from the live head-stock in making this adjustment. Facing the work, and clamped to the bed between the poppets, is the tool-rest, on which, in hand-turning, the tool rests as on a fulcrum at a point very near the work, being held in the working position by the hands of the turner, which grasp the outwardly projecting handle of the tool. Such a lathe is driven at high speed, and the amount and character of the turning are controlled by the workman who holds the tool on the tool-rest and before the work. The side-rest is a movable tool-rest carrying an adjustable tool-stock or tool-post in which the tool is rigidly clamped. It slides on longitudinal guideways formed on the bed of the lathe, this movement being controlled by a screw and sometimes being automatic. The tool-rest may be double, presenting two tools, one on each side of the work, as in the duplex lathe. The tool may also be controlled by a templet or model, and shift its position automatically, as in the lathe for turning irregular forms, the nulled-work lathe, spoke-lathe, and last-lathe, of which the Blanchard lathe is the original type. Iron-turning requires a much slower speed than brass-turning, and wood-turning a higher speed than brass. Large metal-lathes are said to be of large swing; that is, the space between the centers and the bed ia great, to admit of turning large objects. In one form of these machine-lathes an opening is made in the bed to permit the work to turn or to give large swing, as in the gap-bed lathe. In many kinds of turning the dead head-stock is not used, the material to be turned being attached to a lathe-chuck, or to a face-plate carried by the live head-stock. Lathes are nearly all described by their names, as beadwork-lathe, button-lathe, foot-lathe, shafting-lathe, etc., the name sometimes referring to some feature of the construction, as the hollow mandrel lathe, and sometimes to the material or work, as the hat-ironing lathe. Could turn his word, and oath, and faith, As many ways as in a lathe. S. Butler, Hudibras, III. ii, 376.
That part of a loom in which the reed is fixed, and by the movements of which the weft-threads are laid parallel to each other, shot after shot, in the process of weaving. According to the greater or less impulse of the lathe, the weft is laid more or less closely together in the plane of the web. Also called batten and lay.
Beadwork-lathe a lathe specially adapted or devoted to turning beadwork.

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The saving, in respect to time, was 10 to 1 in comparison with the same amount of work done by hand labour; while the "truth" or correctness of the work done by this handy little application of the turning-lathe was absolutely perfect I have been the more particular in my allusion to this contrivance, as it is applicable to any lathe, and can perform work which no lathe without it can accomplish. — James Nasmyth: Engineer, An Autobiography.
Livingstone took an interest in the turning-lathe, and increased his knowledge of tools—a knowledge which proved of the highest service to him when—as he used to say all missionaries should be ready to do—he had to become a Jack-of-all-trades in Africa. — The Personal Life Of David Livingstone
So what I did was fabricate this piece with two holes (top and bottom) for the lathe, and the other two for the flange. — Stu's Shed
He had produced both blackjacks and pins on his home lathe, and Colleen Grady had decorated each. — Daily News-Record
He nibbles away the garbage and after a couple trips on and off the lathe, a lot of work and some planning he has a beautiful bowl.

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Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

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saw · chisel · vise · grinder · spindle · shaper · drill

Word Family

lathe: lathes

Etymologies (5)

American Heritage Dictionary (1)

Middle English, a device used by coopers, perhaps a turning lathe, probably of Scandinavian origin.

Century Dictionary (4)

from Icelandic lödh (ladh-), plural ladhar, = Danish lad, a smiths' lathe. Connection with lathe is improbable, unless Icelandic lödh stands for orig, *hlödh; see lathe.
Also laith; from Middle English lathe, from Icelandic hladha = Danish lade = Swedish lada, a barn, shed (in comp. Danish bog-lade = Swedish bok-låda, bookstore), = German laden, a booth, shop, stall, orig. ‘store,’ prob. from the verb represented by Icelandic hladha = Anglo-Saxon hladan, English lade, etc., load: see lade. In this case the word is not connected with English lathe, and G. laden, a plank, board, sash, shutter, etc., lade, a box, chest, etc.: see lathe.
Also lath; from Middle English *lathe (?), from Anglo-Saxon lǣth, lēth, a district; cf. Icelandic leidh, a levy; or (a different word) Danish lægd, a levying district, lægd, a situation, site, prob. from the root of lie.
Also laith; from Middle English lathen, from Anglo-Saxon lathian = Old Saxon lathian, ladhian = OFries. lathia, ladia = Old High German ladōn, Middle High German G. laden = Icelandic ladha = Gothic (Moesogothic) lathōn, invite, call.

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