lathe: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos

Close-up of a metal lathe cutting a cylindrical metal piece, with the cutting tool in contact and the workpiece spinning rapidly.

An artist in New Zealand using a wood lathe.

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Topics

tracer lathe turret lathe speed lathe engine lathe screw-cutting lathe chucking machine bar machine multiple-station machine boring machine tool grinding machine reamer drill press milling machine boring machine planer shaper broaching machine jigs and fixtures

Key People

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Henry Maudslay

British engineer and inventor

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Giuseppe Campani

Italian inventor

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Richard Roberts

British inventor

Blanchard, Thomas

Thomas Blanchard

American inventor

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Jacques Besson

French engineer