All lathes are definitely not suited for general metalturning work - some are built for woodturning, and those are only really suited for that purpose... although a wood lathe can be used for plastics and in a pinch, for aluminum (provided you need no particular precision). The difference, once you learn to look for it, is pretty clear at a glance - a wood lathe looks simple by comparison to a metal lathe, having a raised T-shaped toolrest between the headstock & tailstock, while a metal lathe has a complex saddle and cross-slide and (usually but not always) compound slide, each with its own crank (and sometimes additional cranks) mounted between the headstock and tailstock, and usually has at least one leadscrew running the full length of the lathe, right out in front.
As always, there are exceptions. A clockmaker's metal lathe is built very much like a wood lathe except it's tiny. It's used for shaping soft (nonferrous) metals like
watch cases, and is generally unsuited for repeatable precision. Also, as mentioned, wood lathes can be used for very light imprecise general shaping of aluminum.
There are other, more subtle differences, like spindle threads and spindle speeds; a metal lathe generally has the ability to spin the work at lower speeds than a metal lathe, since wood likes to be cut at higher speeds than most metals (aluminum being the one notable exception, liking to be cut at high speed). Steel likes to be cut at about 1/10 the speed of wood or aluminum.
Just as a wood lathe is unsuited for turning metal with the thousandth-of-an-inch precision of those slides and cranks, a metal lathe is unsuited for turning wood under most circumstances because the wood flour (like sawdust, but much finer) wicks away all the protective lubricating oil that keeps a metal lathe alive. Also, some woods like oak and cherry contain tannins, which - in the presence of even the
slightest bit of moisture - cause red and black rust on the iron ways. That's not much of an problem for wood lathes, but it's a biggie for metal lathes.
-- Tim --
--- In , "skypecaptain" wrote:
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> I'm looking into getting a lathe for metalworking. Just working on tool steel, nothing fancy like titanium or magnesium. When deciding which one to get I researched a bit on Amazon. None of them states what material they are suitable for. Can all lathes handle metal or are there differences and how can I tell?
>
> I have an MS in engineering and used one lathe for metal work in one of my classes. But that was only once and many years ago.
> I am happy about any help I can get. Some
general information or even a pointer for a useful machine for up to $500. Anything helps.
> Thank you.
>
