Using End Mills on Wood Lathes

Overview

Craftsmen use a lathe for woodworking projects. A lathe has an array of design features which highlight the smooth rounded shaped and posts that can be created easily with a turning lathe. Techniques that shape and change stock pieces of raw wood into the design elements that are created in the imagination of the woodworker, and allow furniture and craft pieces to be built from precision shaping and cutting. While a lathe can be used to shape the outside of wood, it also creates concave shapes, and end milling cuts that are used to set anchor points or for milling on work pieces being created by a lathe.

Step 1

Build your lathe end mill by inserting a drill bit or carbide bit into the end mill adapter and secure it into the chuck on the rotating spindle of the lathe. This will now allow the lathe to do cutting of work pieces that require additional alterations to the face or end of the object. Depending on the type of bit you insert into the end mill, you can drive long burrowing holes into the end of table legs for the placement of set screws or anchor points. Create perfect angles for the end of a work piece that can only come from a level and true milling machine cutting into wood.

Step 2

Install a head stock vice so that the work piece can be squarely secured in relation to the lathe end mill bit. Because most lathes do not have an ability to end mill without a head stock vice adapter, you will need to attach the head stock vice to secure the work piece to the lathe prior to any cutting can be performed. The head stock vice that comes with adjustable movements offer woodworkers more options to the types of end milling the can perform on any pieces they want to create. Without an ability to move the work pieces after they have been secured, the lathe will only be able to mill in one place. While this is good for drilling holes down the length of a finished piece, but does not allow for much milling of the face of the piece.

Step 3

Secure project wood stock or semi-finished piece into the head stock vice. Making sure that the piece is setup so that it is square and true in relation to the end mill bit, you have check that all the angles and position is set before the first cut is made. Once you have secured the piece, you can introduce the drill bit or end mill to the surface of the object.

Step 4

Continue to complete the cuts according to plan, and you have learned how to use an end mill on a wood lathe.