USING THE AUTOMATIC TRAVERSE TO TURN

A LENGTH OF STEEL

Sometimes there is a need to reduce the diameter of a long piece of steel. A centre lathe is ideal for this type of work. Usually one end of the steel is held firmly in the chuck and the other is supported by the tailstock centre.
1. The lathe tool (held in the toolpost) is moved by the cross-slide handle until it touches the steel and the cross-slide dial is set to zero.
2. The lathe is started and the automatic feed lever is engaged. The feed should be set to a slow traverse. This moves the saddle, including the toolpost, at a set speed, from left to right - towards the chuck.

Just before the lathe tool reaches the chuck / headstock the automatic feed is disengaged and the lathe turned off. The cross-slide handle is then wound anticlockwise a small amount. This moves the tool back from the steel. The saddle handle can then be used to move the saddle back towards the tailstock. The cross-slide handle is then turned clockwise until the dial reaches zero plus a little more. Usually 0.5 mm is more than adequate for the next cut with the lathe tool.