2.

3 Lathe Accessories
Many lathe accessories are available to increase the versatility of the lathe and the variety of
work which can be machined. Lathe accessories may be divided in to two parts:
1. Cutting - tool-holding devices
It includes: various types of straight and offset tool holders
- threading tool-holders
- Boring bars
- Turret - type tool posts and
- quick - change tool post assemblies
- Lathe Dogs
Most tool bits used in lathe-turning operations are square and are generally held in a standard
tool holder. These tool holders are made in various styles and sizes to suit different machining
operations.
Lathe Dogs
When work in machined between centers, it is generally driven by a lathe dog. The lathe dog
has an opening to receive the work and a set screw to fasten the dog to the work. The tail of the
dog fits into a slot on the drive plate and provides the drive to the work piece.
2. Work-holding and supporting and driving devices includes;
- Lathe centers
- Face plates
- Mandrel (mandrels)
- Steady and follower rests
- Drive plates
-Chuck
2. Work Holding and Supporting Devices
Work holding and supporting is an important aspect of an engineer. All the work has to be held
properly for machining. A good method of holding helps in achieving economy and efficient
manufacturing. Standard work holding devices used in lathe operation are (a) chucks, (b) centers
(c) carriers (dogs), (d) face plates, (e) mandrels. Among the supporting devices, follower rest and
steady rest are more common.
(i) Chuck. It is the most important device for holding the workpieces, particularly of short

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 length and large diameter or of irregular shape which can’t be conveniently mounted
between centers. It can be attached to the lathe by screwing on the spindle nose.
(a) Independent or four jaw chuck. It has four jaws and each Jaw is independently
actuated and adjusted by a key for holding the job. This type of chuck is used for
irregular shapes, rough castings of square or octagonal shape, and in such jobs, where a
hole is to be positioned off the center. independent chuck -has four jaws each of which
can be adjusted independently by a chuck wrench. They are used to hold round square,
hexagonal, and irregular – shaped work pieces. The jaws can be reversed to hold work
by the inside diameter.
(b) Three jaw or universal chuck. In this case, all the three jaws move simultaneously by
turning a key and thus the workpiece may be automatically held in the center of chuck-
opening. It is used for holding round, hexagonal bar or other symmetrical work.
Is used to hold round and hexagonal work. Three-jaw chucks are made in
various sizes from 4 to 16 in or 101.6 to 406.4 mm in diameter.
(c) Collet chuck. It is mostly used for holding bars of small sizes (below 63 mm) and is
normally used where production work is required such as in capstan lathe or automats.
(d) Magnetic chuck. They are either electrically operated or are of permanent magnet type.
In lathe it does not find widespread use.
Other types of chucks are air or hydraulically operated chucks, drill chucks, etc.
(ii) Lathe Centers: Next to chucks, lathe centers are used for work holding during turning
operation. A center hole of particular depth and shape is made at each end of the workpiece.
The lathe centers act as supports for the workpiece and take up the thrust due to metal
cutting. These are made of very hard materials to withstand wear and resist deflection. The
included angle of center is 600 for general purpose work and 750 for heavy work. The shanks
of all the centers are machined to the Morse (0 to 6) or Metric (4 to 6) standard tapers.
The various types of centers are:
 Ordinary center, which is used for most general work.
 Tipped center, which contains a hard alloy tip brazed into a steel shank;
 ball center which has a ball shape at the end of center in stead of a sharp point,
and is used to minimize the wear and strain on the ordinary center while taper
turning by set over method;

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 figure below shows various types of lathe centers and their applications.

Lathe Centers can be:

-the revolving dead center (live dead center) usually it contains anti-friction bearings, which
allow the center to revolve with the work.
-A micro set adjustable center – fits into the tailstock spindle and provides a means of aligning
the lathe centers or producing slight tapers on work being machined between centers.
-The self-driving center – mounted in the head stock spindle, is used when machining the
entire length of a work piece in one operation and when a chuck or lathe dog could not be used
to drive the work.
Groove ground around the circumference of the lathe center point provide the drive for the work
piece. The revolving dead center is used to support the work and keep it against the grooves of
the driving center.
(iii) Collets: A collect is used for holding small semi finished or finished parts so that additional
operations may be performed. It is a practical- device for quickly and accurately chucking
symmetrical workpieces. Collets are available in several shapes, i.e., round, square and
hexagonal holes to accommodate corresponding shapes of worlpieces. The front portion is
made conical and a transverse slope is made in three-fourth of length. The other end is
threaded and has a key way to prevent the collet from turning in the collet sleeve. A tapered
collet sleeve is inserted into the spindle nose. The collet fits and is drawn into the sleeve by a
hollow draw bar that fits through the spindle. Collet action is controlled by either a lever
(pull type) or a hand wheel (screw-type). These extend through the spindle from the back
end. The outside taper of the hardened jaws of the collet fit accurately against the taper of

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 the sleeve. The body is spring tempered. This permits the jaw sections to be drawn together
against the work surface, to hold the workpieces securely and concentrically. Collets are
furnished in sets.
(iv) Carriers and Catch plates: Carriers are also known as driving dogs and used to drive the
workpiece when it is held between two centers. These are attached to the end of the
workpiece by a set screw. Catch plates are either screwed or bolted to the nose of the
threaded, stock spindle. A projecting pin from the dog fits into the slot provided in catch
plate. This imparts a positive drive between the lathe spindle and workpiece. Fig. 2.14
shows three types of lathe dogs commonly used.
(v) Face-plate: Mounting work on a face plate provides an ideal way of supporting certain
types of works. Flat plates may be screwed to the face-plate for operations such as facing,
spot facing, drilling and boring. If the work has several holes, it must be re-centered about
each successive hole.
(vi) Mandrel: It is a hardened piece of round bar with centers and flats at each end. It is used for
holding and rotating a hollow piece of work that has been previously drilled or bored. It is
held between two centers and should be true with accurate center holes for machining outer
surface of the workpiece. It is made of high carbon steel to avoid distortion and wear. Its
ends are made slightly smaller in diameter and flattened to provide effective gripping
surface of the lathe dog set screw. It is tapered about 0.5 mm per meter so that work can be
forced on it with a press 1k and then removed after working. It is used for holding the bored
jobs (gear blanks, pulleys or tubes) on a lathe for the purpose of turning outside surface of
the job. Several types of mandrels are in Common use. Some common types are shown in
Fig. 2.4.
A mandrel – is a precision tool which when pressed in to the hole of a work piece provides
centers for machining operations, like gears, flanges, and pulleys.
- plain mandrel
- the hexagonal mandrel
- gang mandrel – is used to hold a number of identical pieces for machining.
- stab mandrel
- Threaded mandrel – is useful with a threaded hole.

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 Fig. 3.2 mandrels, rotating center and dogs
Types of Mandrels
1. Plain (suitable for one size of bore).
2. Stepped (having steps of different diameters).
3. Collar (provided with solid collars. Helps in reducing weight of mandrel).
4. Screwed (used for mounting workpeices with internal threads).
5. Cone (used for workpieces of different hole diameters). Gang (with one fixed collar at
one end and movable collar at other end).
6. Gang (with one fixed collar at one end and movable collar at other end).
7. Expansion (provided with three longitudinal slots, two of which are cut nearly through

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 and third splits it completely).
8. Taper shank.
(vii) Steady rest: The steady rest is used when a long piece is machined or drilled at its end by
holding the job in a chuck. It avoids the undue deflection of the job at the other end.
It is used to support long, slender work and prevent it from springing while being machined
between centers. A steady rest may also be used when it is necessary to perform a machining
operation on the end of a work piece which is held in a chuck. The steady rest is fastened to the
lathe bed and its three jaws arc adjusted to the surface of the work to provide a supporting
bearing. The jays on a steady rest are generally made of soft material, such as fiber or brass, to
prevent damaging the work surface.
(viii) Follower rest: A follower rest performs the same function as a steady rest, but it is attached
to the saddle and moves along with the tool. It thus supports the work opposite to the tool
and counteracts the cutting forces.
- A follower rest, mounted on the saddle, moves along with the carriage to prevent work
from springing up and away from the Cutting tool. The follower rest, positioned
immediately behind the cutting tool, can be used to support long work for successive
operations such as thread.
Centering
Work to be turned in the lathe may be either held in the centers; or fastened in a chuck, or
clamped to the faceplate. The work which is to be faced or turned true with a finished hole is
held either on a mandrel between centers, or on a special mandrel the shank of which fits the
spindle.

Fig. 3.3 Face plate.

In the case of work to be held between the live and dead centers of the lathe, first sixty degree
counter-sunk holes (which fit the sixty degree lathe centers) are drilled and reamed in both ends

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of the work. The work is fitted in the centers and is usually driven from the face-plate by means
of a dog which is securely clamped to it on the live-center end. The work thus turns with the live
center which acts as a support only, and on the dead center which acts both as a support and a
bearing. In attaching a lathe dog to the work, it should be ensured that the set screw is securely
fastened. If it is required to put a finished end in a dog, it should be protected by a piece of
copper or soft brass between the work and the hardened end of the set screw.
It is very important that the work to be turned is carefully centered. If this is not done then a big
chip will be removed from one side of the diameter and a small chip from the opposite. This
unevenness of cut takes more time and may cause inaccuracy.
The work supported between centers is driven by a carrier dog fastened at one end, the finger of
dog being driven by a clutch-plate mounted on the spindle nose.
Turning Work Supported between Centers
For this purpose center holes on end faces of workpiece are drilled using a combination drill and
Countersink tool (Refer Fig. 2.7). The angle of tool is identical with the center point. The straight
drilled hole not only provides clearance for the center point but also serves as a reservoir for the
lubricant. The center hole should be drilled deep enough to provide adequate support, otherwise
the center point will burn off. On the other hand if the hole is drilled too deeply, center would
ride on lip of holes and groove will wear on dead center. For accurate turning between centers,
the live center should run true and in precise alignment, otherwise a tapered piece will be
produced. Trueness of centers may checked visually by bringing the center points together and
by checking the witness lines on the back of the tailstock for alignment

Fig. 3.4 combination drill and Countersink

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Fig. 3.5 Lathe Accessories
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