What is a Lathe?

A lathe is a machine tool that can be used to spin a block of hard material for reshaping. The objective here may be to cut the material, sand it, drill it or deform it. This can be done by applying several different tools to the work piece. After the lathe fulfills its use, a new object is formed, whether for commercial or industrial use. Lathes are used in such hobbies as woodturning, metalworking, metal spinning, and glass working. The newest trend for lathe production is in CNC (Computer Numeric Control). CNC lathes are units that can be controlled by computer. This allows the lathe to make a much more precise cut and in much more efficient time. This has helped industrial workers and crafters tremendously. Lathes can be used to shape pottery just as they can create ornamental three-dimensional works of complexity.