Millingmachine

A lathe and a milling machine are the two most important workhorses of any complete machine shop. With either one, you can perform many of your fundamental machining techniques. Each is great at cutting away metal.

But they aren’t great for round shapes. And just like a lathe, the capacity of your mill will limit the maximum size of your workpieces.

Many types of screws require that a pilot hole be drilled before they are installed. Self-drilling screws can, of course, drill their own pilot hole, but other types of tapping, thread cutting, thread forming or thread rolling screws need help getting started. Blunt tipped screws like Type B Tapping, Type F Thread Cutting & Thread Forming Screws for Plastics or Metals require the proper sizing to allow for insertion into material. Even sharp pointed screws such as Type A or Type AB Self-Tapping Screws can split wood or distort metal as they're driven if they don't have a properly sized pilot hole. Below, we have included charts displaying pilot hole diameter and proper drill bit sizing for most varieties of screws we carry. At the end of this section, we've also included a chart showing common drill bit sizes and the names used for them.

On a router, an operator holds the cutting tool in a handheld machine. The operator moves around inside the workpiece to create the needed shape. This makes a router a good woodworking tool but impossible to use on metal.

In this article, we’ll compare a lathe vs. a milling machine equipment, taking a look at key differences and use cases so you can make the right call for your shop.

Lathe millingfor sale

The tool itself is held in a tool holder either in a fixed position or it can be raised or lowered to meet the workpiece. To make your cuts, you move the workpiece along an axis perpendicular to the spindle axis against a rotating but stationary cutting tool.

Lathe millingattachment

Due to the wide variety of materials and material thicknesses that these screws are used with, please refer to the spec sheet here.

Well, you would be correct. Except, much like the difference between a wood lathe and a metal lathe, the difference lies in who holds the cutting tool.

Some people get confused by the distinction between a wood lathe and a metal lathe. The differences between these two types of machines really comes down to what (or who) holds the cutting tool.

So whether you start with a lathe, a mill, or both, keep this in mind: Given the horsepower you need to cut metal, a 3-phase machine will provide smoother operation—meaning better surface finishes, longer tooling life, and less scrap.

Milling machines, like the well-known Bridgeport style of vertical mill or knee mill, offer precision capabilities for complex parts.

Latheverticalmillingslide attachment

This makes a metal lathe much more versatile because the lathe can be used on wood or metal. Or just about anything else you can put in it for that matter.

On a wood lathe, the machine’s operator holds the cutting tool. The operator moves the piece by hand to create complex shapes. Because a wood lathe requires manual operation, you can only use it for wood and cannot use it for metal.

In order to allow for precision, drill bits come in an extremely wide range of sizes. The sizes use several different naming conventions, including fractions, numbers and letters. All fractions of 64ths, from 1/64th through 63/64ths, are named by their lowest fractional equivalent (1/32", 1/16", 5/64", etc...). There are also size options that fall between many of these fractions. Common # sizes go from #80 through #1, in ascending sizes, up to .2280. Sizes over .2280 which aren't named for their fraction of 64ths, are named by letters, ascending from A (.2340) through Z (.4130). The chart below shows drill sizes up to 1 inch in diameter.

Depending on all that, a lathe is a good starting point for hobbyists. Partly because, with the right skills, you can do (nearly) all the milling you need on a lathe. But not necessarily vice versa.

Metallathe milling

But you can’t do everything on a lathe. The capacity of your lathe also limits the size of the workpiece you can accommodate.

But you might only have space and budget for one of them. The decision will come down to a variety of factors—projects you want to do, machining operations you want to use, even things like headroom in your shop.

You might think of a drill press for that last task on the list, but a mill allows you to drill holes much more precisely.

Taiglathe millingattachment

A lathe machine is a versatile machine that spins a metal workpiece at high speed. By bringing a non-rotating cutting tool against the rotating but stationary workpiece, you can cut and shape metal in many different ways.

While a lathe is the way to go for cylinders and symmetry, a mill is ideal for when a machining process involves creating flat surfaces and irregular surfaces, gears, grooves, and other features.

Minilathe millingattachment

A metal lathe and a milling machine are also key complements to the fundamental metalworking tools in your home machine shop. The lathe is for your cylindrical and symmetrical shapes. The mill is for non-cylindrical workpieces.

A mill is a machine that cuts metal by rotating a cutting tool, or spindle, rather than the workpiece within tight tolerances.

Typically, turning removes excess material from the outer diameter of a workpiece with a facer, grooving tool, or other cutting head. But you can also remove material from the inside of a workpiece with a boring bar or the flat surface opposite your chuck as long as the amount of stick-out isn’t unsafe.

A milling machine holds the cutting tool much more securly, making it possible to perform cutting operations on both metal and wood.

Lathe millingmachine

It’s good that you’re thinking through the issue of lathe vs. mill. Because, like all things machining, proper planning is crucial.

Machining is a precise discipline (tips for beginning machinists here). The more measured your approach, the more successful you will be. But ultimately, you have to try it and see what works for you!

They work together to create complex shapes and can both be used on wood, metal, plastic, or a variety of other materials.

No 3-phase power in your shop? No problem! An American Rotary phase converter will provide the reliable, efficient 3-phase power. In fact, with the right sizing, it will power any three-phase machine and peripherals in your shop at the same time.