A very basic operation is called ‘facing off’. A piece of steel has been placed in the chuck and the lathe cutting tool is used to level the end. This is done by turning the cross-slide handle so that the cross-slide moves and the cutting tool cuts the surface of the steel.

Only a small amount of material should be removed - each pass of the cross slide. After each pass of the cutting tool the top slide can be rotated clockwise to move the tool forward approximately 1mm. This sequence is repeated until the steel has been levelled (faced off).
When using a centre lathe it is always advisable to work patiently and safely. Do not attempt to removed too much material in one go. At best this will caused damage to the steel being worked on and to the expensive cutting tool being used. At worse an accident will occur.

 TURNING A SHORT TAPER

When turning a short taper the topslide is set a the required angle. This is normally done by loosening two small allen screws and then rotating the topslide to the angle and tightening back up the two allen screws.
When the chuck is rotating the topslide handle can be rotated slowly by hand in a clockwise direction. A small amount of metal is removed each time until the taper is formed. If too much steel stands out from the chuck the steel will vibrate and the surface finish will be very poor.

QUESTIONS:

1. Explain the term 'facing off'. Use diagrams and notes.

2. Using diagrams explain how a short taper can be turned using the centre lathe.

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