Wood is primarily held in a lathe by mounting it between the headstock and tailstock for spindle turning, or by securing it to a faceplate or chuck for bowl and faceplate turning. These fundamental methods enable the lathe to rotate the wood, allowing woodturners to precisely shape and carve it using various tools.
The choice of holding method depends entirely on the type of turning operation being performed, whether it's creating long, slender objects or wider, hollow forms.
Holding Wood for Spindle Turning
For spindle turning, which involves shaping the outside of a piece of wood along its length, the wood is held securely between two points on the lathe.
- Headstock Drive: At the headstock end, a spur center (also known as a drive center) is inserted into the wood. This component features sharp prongs or teeth that embed into the wood, gripping it firmly and transferring the rotational power from the lathe's motor.
- Tailstock Support: The opposite end of the wood is supported by a live center (or sometimes a dead center) housed in the tailstock. A live center rotates freely with the wood, minimizing friction and heat build-up. The tailstock is moved forward to apply pressure, ensuring the wood is held tightly and centrally between the two points, preventing it from wobbling or coming loose during rotation.
This method is ideal for projects such as:
- Chair legs and table legs
- Spindles for staircases
- Baseball bats and tool handles
- Pens and other small, cylindrical items
Practical Tips for Spindle Turning:
- Center Alignment: Always ensure the spur center and live center are perfectly aligned to avoid off-center turning or excessive vibration.
- Secure Grip: Make sure the spur center bites deeply enough into the wood, especially with harder species.
- Tailstock Pressure: Apply adequate, but not excessive, pressure from the tailstock to keep the workpiece stable without compressing it too much. Learn more about spindle turning techniques.
Mounting Wood for Bowl and Faceplate Turning
When creating bowls, platters, or other wider forms where the wood needs to be presented perpendicular to the lathe's axis and isn't supported at both ends, different methods are employed.
- Faceplate Mounting: A faceplate is a circular metal disc that screws onto the headstock spindle. The wood blank (often a rough-cut disc) is then directly attached to the faceplate using screws. This method provides a very strong and stable connection, allowing the entire blank to spin as one unit.
- Lathe Chucks: Lathe chucks are highly versatile gripping devices that screw onto the headstock spindle, similar to a faceplate. They feature adjustable jaws that can expand into a pre-drilled recess (tenon) in the wood or compress around a protrusion (mortise) to hold the workpiece. Chucks are particularly popular for:
- Holding bowl blanks after the initial shaping on a faceplate (for finishing the bottom).
- Mounting small, irregularly shaped pieces.
- Quickly changing workpieces.
Common Turning Types and Holding Methods:
| Turning Type | Primary Holding Method | Key Components & Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Spindle Turning | Between Headstock & Tailstock | Provides stability for long, slender pieces. |
| Bowl/Faceplate Turning | Faceplate or Lathe Chuck | Allows for turning of wide, unsupported forms like bowls and platters. |
Practical Tips for Bowl and Faceplate Turning:
- Screw Selection: When using a faceplate, select screws that are long enough to provide a secure hold but short enough not to protrude through the finished piece.
- Balance: Try to choose or prepare blanks that are as balanced as possible to minimize vibration and enhance safety.
- Chuck Tenons/Mortises: If using a chuck, ensure the tenon or mortise is properly sized and shaped for a secure grip, according to the chuck manufacturer's guidelines. For more on lathe chucks, check reliable woodworking resources.
Ultimately, both approaches—securing wood between centers or mounting it to the headstock directly—allow the lathe to effectively rotate the material, enabling precise shaping and detailing with turning tools.
