COMMON TYPES OF TURNING TOOLS AND THEIR USES

The process of turning is widely used in most industrial applications to achieve exact diameters or reduce material uniformly on rigid pieces. The process is done on a lathe machine using various types of turning tools. The rigid material is firmly held into position and rotated against a tool that scraps off a certain depth of material. Turning can be done either on the outside of a body for material reduction or on the inside to increase the diameter of a hollow. Different types of tools are used in the process depending on the shape of work piece, desired output and extent to which the material has to be formed.

The jaw set is one of the most essential turning tools that are used for virtually all turning processes. It is used to hold the work piece in place while it is rotated on a lathe machine. There are two main types of jaw sets. These are the self-centering type and the manual-centering type. The self-centering type has three jaws that are able to center the work piece automatically. It is used to hold regular cylindrical bodies that have a definite center. Manual-centering jaw sets are made of four jaws that operate independently. They are used to hold irregular pieces during turning processes. They have a calibration system made of concentric circles used for centering the work-piece.

Other common turning tools include the tool head, collet, precision chunk, drill chunk, keys and sandpaper kits. The tool head is made of high-speed steel so as to reduce on its rate of wear. Its geometric design ensures minimal tool wear and maximum efficiency during the process. An operator may have to use a coolant to reduce on heat and tool wear as well. Special tools are used to sharpen the tool heads once they go blunt. Blunt tools can be hectic to use and require higher forces.  

A collet is used to hold small bits of turning tools that cannot be held firmly by the chunk. The tools are fixed on one end of the collet, which is in turn fastened to the chunk. There are two main types of chunks. These are the keyless chunks and keyed chunks. Keyed chunks are fastened using keys and can be used to hold different sizes of drilling bits. Keyless chunks are used to hold specific sizes of drilling bits and collets. Most lathe machines have a user manual that is used to describe how the mentioned tools can be used to conduct the turning process.