Lathes Buying Guide
| Average Rating | Average Price | Reviews | Products |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
$4326.09 | 406 | 240 |
A lathe is a machine that spins a workpiece (typically a piece of wood) in order to perform various operations, including cutting, sanding, and drilling. While lathes are most commonly used in woodworking and metalworking, those who work with glass and clay (pottery) have found lathes to be extremely useful. Some frequently produced objects made with lathes are: candlesticks, cue sticks, table and chair legs, baseball bats and woodwind musical instruments.
As for a brief history on lathes, their origins date back to 1300 B.C. when the Egyptians developed a two person lathe – one person would turn the workpiece with a rope, the other would use a sharp tool to cut/shape the workpiece. Used throughout Greece and the Roman Empire, the Romans improved the Egyptian design by adding a turning bow.
During the Industrial Revolution, line shafting allowed lathes to be powered by steam engines and water wheels. This addition provided for faster and easier work. Lathe design diverged to a large extent between metal- and wood-working. Metalworking lathes, comparably, became much heavier in weight and size with thicker, stronger parts.
Speaking of lathe parts, here are the main ones:
Headstock – the headstock has high-precision spinning bearings and is the drive end of the lathe.
Bed – This refers to the rails on which the tool rests and the tailstock sits on, and is almost always a horizontal beam.
Tool Rest – is an adjustable horizontal metal rail used to rest cutting tools on.
Tailstock – The tailstock contains a barrel that slides in and out, parallel to the axis of the bed, and in line with the headstock spindle. The hollow barrel’s most common uses are to hold a steel center, which supports long thin shafts while turning, or to hold drill bits.
Power Source - In most modern lathes the power source is an electric motor concealed in the stand.
Our Toolcritic arsenal consists of numerous types lathes, from mini woodworking lathes, to large metalworking ones. Since the two main groups are woodworking and metalworking, let’s cut a little deeper in learning about them.
Woodworking lathes
The oldest type, a wood lathe is a machine used to smooth and shape wood. It can be fitted with a variety of blades with different widths, angles, and shapes. The type of blade used determines the way it will cut and shape the wood. Wider blades with sharp angles are intended to cut away large portions of wood. Sharper, pointier blades allow for more intricate detailing. They are also a capable assistant to sandpapering wood surfaces, finishing in a shorter period of time with less physical demands on the user.
Metalworking lathes
Metalworking lathes use a hardened cutting tool to remove metal from a workpiece. The cutting tools come in a variety of shapes, sizes and uses – the most common styles include round, triangle, square, and diamond. Some of the many mechanical effects that occur when using a metalworking lathe include residual stress, micro-cracks, hardening, and tempering in hardened materials.
While wood and metal lathes are the most common, here a list a of specialized lathes:
Cue lathes – make perfect, radially-symmetrical billiard cues Glassworking lathes – help to create glass tubing Metal spinning lathes – can make sheet metal bowls, vases, etc. Ornamental turning lathes – originally used for decorative work The Rose engine lathe – also used for ornamental turning, particularly engine turning Reducing lathe – help to reproduce an item Rotary lathe – softwood is turned against a sharp blade, then peeled off in a continuous roll Watchmaker's lathes – used for work such as the turning of balance shafts
Types of Lathes
Large
These wood turning lathes are heavy duty machines. The bed is more rigid than lighter models and is typically used my professional and serious wood turning fanatics.
The median rating of the 54 products in Large Lathes is 4.5 and the median price is $9800.04. There are 240 products in Lathes with an average ranking of 4. The average price is $4326.09. Click the Large Lathes product links for additional reviews and information on the specific models.
We've picked one product from Large Lathes that we think stands above the rest. The Powermatic 3520B is our favorite. To find you why, click here.
Mid-Sized
| Group | Average Rating | Average Price | Reviews | Products |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lathes | |
$4326.09 | 406 | 240 |
| Mid-Sized |  |
$1588.01 | 87 | 23 |
The median rating of the 23 products in Mid-Sized Lathes is 3.5 and the median price is $1588.01. The 240 products in Lathes have an median ranking of 4 and an median price of $4326.09. Click the Mid-Sized Lathes product links for additional reviews and information on the models.
Mini
Mini lathes are exactly what they sound like, mini, and are a good starting out lathe. They easily fit into a limited space, although extensions to lengthen the bed are available.
The 24 products in Mini Lathes have an average ranking of 4 with an average price of $543.42. The 240 products in Lathes have an average rating of 4 and an average price of $4326.09. Click on the individual Mini Lathes product links for more information on the seperate models.
Midi
The median ranking of the 31 products in Midi Lathes is 4.5 and the median price is $1282.57. The 240 products in Lathes have an median ranking of 4 and an median price of $4326.09. The specific product links have detailed reviews and information on each model.
Small Metal Lathes
These are used for a wide range of applications, most popularly the removal of metal materials from a rotating workpiece.
| Group | Average Rating | Average Price | Reviews | Products |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lathes | |
$4326.09 | 406 | 240 |
| Small Metal Lathes | |
$1735.36 | 26 | 30 |
There are 30 products in Small Metal Lathes with an average ranking of 4. The average price is $1735.36. The 240 products in Lathes have an average ranking of 4 and an average price of $4326.09. The product links have more information on each model.
Large Metal Lathes
Metal lathes are used for shaping metal. The larger the machine, typically, the more expensive. So before you choose your lathe, carefully consider the length of the bed. You'll be glad you did!
| Group | Average Rating | Average Price | Reviews | Products |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lathes | |
$4326.09 | 406 | 240 |
| Large Metal Lathes | |
$11007.12 | 51 | 78 |
There are 78 products in Large Metal Lathes with an average ranking of 3.5. The average price is $11007.12. The median rating of the 240 products in Lathes is 4 with an median price of $4326.09. The individual product links have more reviews and information on each model.