DEDICATED TO EXCELLENCE: SERVICE • QUALITY • INNOVATION
ESTABLISHED 1953
Last updated June 2025
The lathe is nothing short of a staple in the industry. With over 18,000 machine shops in the US, the lathe plays an essential role in manufacturing today.
Well, you could be benefitting from the same technology—whether by operating your own or partnering with All Metals Fabricating for precision machining. Let's talk about what a lathe is used for, why they are so widely used in shops and homes, and how our full range of lathe services can meet all your project’s needs.
A lathe is a machine used to create cylindrical, spherical, or otherwise round objects out of a number of different materials, most often wood and metal. At All Metals Fabricating, we specialize in metal parts.
These tools make it very easy to create symmetrical objects out of various pieces by rotating a block at fast speeds to remove uniform amounts of material from it.
Early models of the mechanical lathe date back to 1300 BCE in Ancient Egypt, and the first fully documented use dates back to 1751.
Of course, electric models are now the standard in most machine shops today, with both CNC lathes and manual models being common choices. Those are the models we'll focus on.
Lathes quickly rotate a block or piece of material and allow you to remove a consistent amount of material around the perimeter of the piece—a process known as "turning.”
As the lathe rotates the workpiece at a uniform axis, workers can cut, sand, drill, or turn the piece to their liking.
Mechanical lathes rely on human effort and control. These use gears to help spin the material at the desired speed but require hands-on operation.
However, electric lathes can be set at different speeds for different projects, and they often come with many different attachments to assist with popular crafts. In CNC machining, speed and cutting parameters are often optimized during the design phase, making design for manufacturing a critical factor in a project’s ultimate efficiency.
In general, wood lathes and metal lathes are meant to turn workpieces into rounded objects, whatever they may be. Common uses include:
The list goes on. Lathes are excellent for creating a diverse array of rounded materials and it's fascinating to see how they work.
Lathes vary significantly depending on which type or model you choose—for instance, CNC lathes can incorporate significant automation. But there are some commonalities to most lathes.
The two ends that hold the material are called the headstock (which contains the chuck and the spindle) and the tailstock. The chuck grips onto your material, driving the rotation from the motor.
From there, the lathe is turned on and various chisels or cutting tools remove material in a cylindrical fashion. The lathe will rotate the material at a fast pace and the user carefully applies the cutting edge of the tool to remove material and create the intended shape.
Now that you know what a lathe does, you might consider adding one to your shop or partnering with our precision machine shop for CNC turning services. If that's the case, here are some of the key benefits of lathes and turned parts:
Whether you're making table legs, bowls, or lamp posts, lathes will allow you to make them beautifully out of any material you want. And when you need to use a lathe, there is no other tool that creates such precisely round objects.
Humans struggle when it comes to creating round objects by hand—but we're excellent at spotting when something isn't round. A lathe—especially a CNC lathe—is the best way to ensure uniformity, consistency, and roundness with your project.
Turning operations—especially with CNC equipment—deliver smooth, consistent surfaces with minimal secondary finishing required.
At All Metals, we offer CNC lathe services to produce high-precision metal parts from a range of materials. Our lathes can turn from a quarter inch up to 10 inches in diameter, and up to 30 inches long.
Our equipment lineup features several lathes, including a DMG MORI NLX 2500 dual-spindle lathe with integrated machining capabilities. This machine allows us to perform complex operations on multiple surfaces in a single setup. With high-speed capabilities and advanced automation that enable critical accuracy, our lathe minimizes manual intervention to streamline production.
When you partner with All Metals, our efficient equipment will help you to minimize lead time to deliver cost-efficient, high-quality parts.
Now you can start creating well-rounded masterpieces of your own. Lathes are highly satisfying and highly productive machines that should have a place in any machine shop.
Stay up to date with our latest manufacturing news and feel free to reach out with any questions about our Texas machining services!
And if you’re in need of CNC turned parts, custom metal fabrication, or any of our other services, request a quote today!
