Several spherical-shaped mold inserts with varying radii around 1 in. in 0.010-in. increments presented us with a machining challenge. A lathe wouldn't work, so we did the job on a CNC milling machine ...

The lathe is known as the King of Machine Tools for a reason. There are very few things that you can’t make with one. In fact, people love to utter the old saw that the lathe is the only machine tool ...

3D printers, or even small CNC routers may seem like relatively easy machine tools to obtain for your hackerspace or garage. They are both very useful, but at some point you may want to start working ...

The Sturges Turning Head by Dan Sturges of Sturges DesignWorks, Portland, Oreg., lets users produce prototypes, one-offs, custom machines, and devices that require CNC lathe parts. Basically, the ...

Jordan Kube has created a unique open source glassblowing lathe, aptly named the Kube OpenLathe, which costs less than $2,000 in parts and provides a lathe that is accessible to all says it’s creator.

This tool disk (upper) sports a generic setup for part families. Hardinge's ESA tool disk eliminates having to re-set tools when they are removed and reinstalled. The relationship between a lathe's ...

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in ...