What’s a Wood Lathe and How Does It Work?
A wood lathe or wood-turning lathe is a tool that uses an electric motor to spin a piece of wood at a high rate of speed while the operator shapes the workpiece with hand tools such as chisels and gouges. A wood lathe has two main functions:
- Spindle Turning: The lathe supports two ends of a longer workpiece parallel to the body of the machine, allowing you to carve and shape the length of the wood, for example to make a decorative candle holder.
- Face Turning: The lathe supports one end of a workpiece, such as a wood blank or block, perpendicular to the body of the machine, allowing you to carve out the face, for example to create a wood bowl.
Parts of a Wood Lathe
Learning the key parts of the machine helps you understand how a wood lathe works:
- Headstock: An assembly that contains the pulleys and drive belt or gears that turn the spindle
- Spindle: A shaft that holds a drive center, chuck or face plate to turn the workpiece
- Bed: The body of the lathe that supports the tool rest and tailstock
- Tailstock: An assembly opposite the headstock that moves along the bed and locks in place to support the quill and live center
- Tailstock Quill: A component that secures the live center for spindle turning
- Tool Rest: An adjustable platform that supports your gouge or chisel and helps you keep it stationary against the workpiece
Wood lathes often include other necessary parts and accessories, such as centers and face plates. However, you might want to purchase different types for a variety of projects:
- Drive Center: A metal point that attaches to the spindle to turn the workpiece
- Live Center: A metal point that attaches to the quill and holds the opposite end of the workpiece during spindle turning
- Face Plate: A piece that attaches to the spindle and screws to a wood blank for face turning
- Lathe Chuck: A component that attaches to the spindle and grips a wood blank in adjustable jaws for face turning
- Gouges and Chisels: Tools that allow you to cut and shape the wood
Confirm what’s included with the lathe you’re considering. To get started turning wood, you’ll need the centers, a faceplate and some basic gouges.
What Can You Do With a Wood Lathe?
Depending on the lathe, the gouges and chisels you have and your level of experience, you can use a wood lathe to create:
- Furniture legs
- Candle holders
- Lamps
- Plant stands
- Balusters
- Vases
- Bowls
- Plates
- Trays
- Toys
- Pens
Lathes also make it easy to sand your workpieces efficiently. Once you start practicing and developing a technique, you’ll likely have many other ideas for things you can make with a wood lathe.
Types of Wood Lathes
Lathes are either large freestanding shop tools or smaller benchtop machines. Size is a factor in the woodworking projects you can take on, but keep in mind how much workspace you’ll need, as well as your budget.
Benchtop Lathes
- These include mini and mid-sized (midi) lathes.
- They require a sturdy workbench or a stand.
- They work with smaller wood stock and woodworking projects.
- Mini lathes can be comparatively inexpensive models for beginning woodworkers.
- Midi lathes handle most wood turning a typical home woodworker would want to take on.
- They typically run on standard household current.
- Benchtop models are good choices for beginning and mid-level woodworkers.
Freestanding Lathes
- These full-size lathes rest on the floor of a shop or garage.
- Larger models are bolted to the floor.
- These models offer the most power.
- Freestanding lathes can shape longer and larger-diameter pieces.
- They typically require a dedicated higher-voltage circuit on a higher-amperage breaker.
- The power, cost and space requirements of freestanding lathes make them best for experienced or professional woodworkers.
How to Choose a Wood Lathe
In addition to considering available space and budget, understanding key features and specifications helps you choose a lathe that can handle the work you want to do.
Note the Center-to-Center Length for Spindle Turning
If you’re primarily interested in spindle turning, the center-to-center distance is a key specification:
- Center-to-center length is the distance from the headstock to the tailstock.
- The measurement determines the maximum length of your workpiece.
- Center-to-center length is also known as distance between centers or DBC
Note the Swing-Over-Bed Measurement for Face Turning
If you’re interested in making bowls, dishes or other face-turning applications, pay attention to the swing-over-bed size:
- The swing-over-bed measurement is twice the distance from the bed to the spindle center.
- The measurement determines the maximum diameter of your workpiece.
- It can be a key specification for some spindle turning applications.
- Swing-over-bed size is also known as lathe swing.
Look for the Variable Speed Adjustment
Easy speed changes and a wide range of speeds make a lathe easier to configure for different work:
- Large workpieces and rough cutting require low speeds.
- Small workpieces and detail shaping require higher speeds.
- Some lathes change speeds with a switch or knob alone, while more versatile lathes might also require adjusting drive belts or gears.
- Some models have several preset speeds, while others allow fine adjustments within a speed range.
Other Specifications to Consider
- Horsepower is a factor in the sizes of stock the lathe can turn and the lathe’s cutting capability.
- A sliding, pivoting headstock makes the lathe more versatile for face turning.
- Bed material is a factor in weight and stability, with heavier cast-iron models offering more stable wood turning than lighter aluminum models.
- An extension-capable bed allows you to configure the lathe for spindle turning with larger workpieces.
Wood Lathe Safety
Read your lathe manual and follow the manufacturer’s safety procedures when using a lathe. Here are some general safety tips for working with a wood lathe:
- Follow the manufacturer’s specifications for selecting an extension cord.
- Avoid loose-fitting clothes, remove jewelry and tie back long hair.
- Wear a respirator, hearing protection and safety glasses, or for turning that creates wood chips, a face shield.
- Don’t wear gloves.
- Make sure the workpiece is secure in the lathe before turning the machine on.
- Turn the machine off and unplug it before loading a work piece and before adjusting, cleaning or maintaining the lathe.
Key Points for Choosing a Wood Lathe
Craft unique wood pieces like table legs, plant stands, bowls, platters and more with a lathe. Just make sure the machine is suited to your experience and the work you want to do. Remember:
- Spindle turning shapes longer workpieces, while face turning carves out wood blocks to create bowls and plates.
- Benchtop lathes are best for beginner and mid-level woodworkers.
- Freestanding models are full-size lathes that are best for experienced and professional woodworkers.
- Center-to-center length tells you the maximum workpiece length for spindle turning.
- The swing-over-bed measurement tells you the maximum workpiece diameter for face turning.
- More speed options make a lathe easier to use for multiple projects.
Shop Lowes.com for benchtop and full-size wood lathes to suit just about any skill level, budget and project. We’ve also got accessories like chisel and gouge sets and lathe chucks. If you’re not sure which lathe is best for you, visit your local Lowe’s and talk to a Lowe’s Red Vest associate. They’ll help you understand the options and find the right lathe, as well as the safety gear and accessories you need to start turning out beautiful woodworking projects.
Wood Lathe FAQ
The answers to these wood lathe questions can help you choose the best machine for your work.
What’s the Best Wood Lathe for Beginners?
A mini lathe can be a good option for a beginner, giving you an idea of what you can do with a lathe and helping you develop your technique without investing the money for a larger machine. If you have some woodworking experience, a mid-size lathe gives you a machine that can handle the most common wood turning projects.
How Do You Choose a Wood Turning Machine?
Start by thinking about your experience, available space and budget. Decide if you’re more interested in spindle turning or face turning and look for a machine that can handle the projects and wood stock sizes you want to work with. Finally, look for features like variable speeds and solid construction.
What’s the Best RPM for Wood Turning?
Follow the lathe manufacturer recommendations for turning speeds based on the size of your workpiece and the type of work you’re doing. In general, working with large pieces of wood and initial rough shaping call for lower speeds, while small workpieces and detailed shaping work best with higher speeds.