Drilling, Boring,

Reaming, and
Tapping

Session 11

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2
To Spot and Drill
Work in a Chuck
• Spotting ensures drill will start in
center of work
• Spotting tool used to make shallow, V-
shaped hole in center of work
• Provides start for drill to follow
• Most cases hole spotted quickly using
center drill
• Extreme accuracy use spotting/
chamfering toolbit
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Spotting Work in a Chuck
1. Mount work true in chuck
2. Set lathe to proper speed for type of
material
3. Check tailstock and make sure in line
4. Spot hole with center drill or spotting
tool

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Drilling Work in a Chuck
1. Mount twist drill in tailstock spindle,
drill chuck, or drill holder
2. Start lathe and set for proper RPM for
workpiece and cutting tool
3. With tailstock spindle handle, move
drill tip to end of part. Note reading on
tailstock spindle.
4. Drill to desired depth, applying cutting
fluid frequently
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Spotting Work in a Chuck
5. To gage depth of hole, use
graduations on tailstock spindle, or
measure depth with steel rule
6. Withdraw drill frequently to break
and/or remove chips and measure
depth of hole
7. If hole is through, always ease force
on feed as drill breaks through work

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Boring
• Operation of enlarging and truing drilled
or cored hole with single-point cutting
tool
• For producing special-diameter holes
• May be drilled in lathe, but not accurate
• Drill become dull or hit hard spot and wander
• Reamer will follow drilled hole and be off
• For reamed hole to be straight and true
• Drill, bore and then ream

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To Bore Work in a Chuck
1. Mount work in chuck; face, spot, and
drill hole approximately .060 in
undersize
2. Select boring bar as large as possible
and have it extend beyond holder only
enough to clear depth of hole to be
bored
3. Mount boring bar holder in toolpost on
left-hand side of compound rest
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Boring Work in a Chuck
4. Set boring toolbit on center
5. Set lathe to proper speed and select
medium feed
6. Start lathe and bring boring tool into
contact with inside diameter of hole
7. Take light trial cut .250 inch long at
right-hand end of work
8. Stop lathe and measure hole diameter
with telescopic gage or inside
micrometer
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Boring Work in a Chuck
9. Determine amount of material to be
removed from hole
• 0.10 to 0.20 in. for a finish cut
10. Set depth of cut for half amount of
metal to be removed
11. Start lathe and take roughing cut
• Slow lathe speed and increase feed if
chatter

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Boring Work in a Chuck
12. Stop lathe and bring boring tool out of
hole without moving crossfeed handle
13. Set depth of finish cut and bore hole to
size
• Fine feed recommended for good surface
finish
13. Check hole diameter

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Reaming
• Quickly obtain accurately sized hole
and produce good surface finish
• May be performed after hole drilled
and bored

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Reaming Work on a Lathe
1. Mount work in chuck; face, spot, and drill
hole to size
• Holes under .500 in – drill .015 in. undersize
• Holes over .500 in. – drill .030 in. undersize
• Holes true – bored .010 in. undersize
2. Mount reamer in drill chuck or drill holder
• Holes .625 in and larger, fasten lathe dog
near reamer shank and support tail

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Reaming Work on a Lathe
3. Set lathe to approximately half drilling
speed
4. Bring reamer close to hole and lock
tailstock in position
5. Start lathe, apply cutting fluid to
reamer and slowly geed it into drilled
or bored hole with tailstock handwheel

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Reaming Work on a Lathe
6. Occasionally remove reamer from hole
to clear chips from flutes and apply
cutting fluid
7. Once hole reamed, stop lathe and
remove reamer from hole

• Caution: Never turn lathe spindle or

reamer backward for any reason.
This will damage reamer!
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Tapping
• One method of producing an internal
thread on a lathe
• Tap aligned by placing point of lathe
dead center in chuck end of tap to
guide while tap turned by tap wrench
• When tapping hole in lathe, lock
spindle and turn tap by hand

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To Tap a Hole in a Lathe
1. Mount work in chuck; face and center
drill
2. Select proper tap drill for tap to be used
3. Set lathe to proper speed
4. Drill with tap drill to required depth
• Use cutting fluid if required
5. Chamfer edge of hole slightly larger
than tap diameter
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To Tap a Hole in a Lathe
6. Stop lathe and lock spindle, or put
lathe in its lowest speed
7. Place taper tap in hole and support
shank with tailstock center
8. With suitable wrench, turn tap,
keeping dead center snug into
shank of tap by turning tailstock
handwheel

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To Tap a Hole in a Lathe
9. Apply cutting fluid while tapping hole
10. Back off tap frequently to break the
chip
11. Remove taper tap and finish tapping
hole with plug or bottoming tap

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Grinding on a Lathe
• May do cylindrical and internal grinding
• Toolpost mounted on lathe used for
cylindrical and taper grinding
• Internal attachment permits grinding of
straight and tapered holes
• Should be done on lathe only when no
other machine available
• Work rotates in opposite direction to
grinding wheel so lathe must be
equipped with reversing switch
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Grinding a Lathe Center
1. Remove chuck or driveplate from spindle
2. Mount lathe center in headstock spindle
3. Set slow spindle speed
4. Swing compound rest to 30º with
centerline
5. Protect ways of lathe with cloth or
canvas and place pan of water below
lathe center
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Grinding a Lathe Center
6. Mount toolpost grinder and adjust center
of grinding spindle to center height
7. Mount proper grinding wheel; true and
dress
8. Start lathe, with spindle revolving in
reverse
9. Start grinder and adjust grinding wheel
until it sparks lightly against revolving
center
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Grinding a Lathe Center
10. Lock carriage in this position
11. Feed grinding wheel in .001 in. using
crossfeed handle
12. Move grinder along face of center
using compound rest feed at a steady
pace

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Grinding a Lathe Center
11. Check angle of center using center
gage, and adjust compound rest if
necessary
12. Finish-grind center
• Polish center with abrasive cloth at high
spindle speed if high finish desired

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