Turning
Glossary · Machining Operations
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- Machining Operations
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- Written in the shop
Turning is machining on a lathe, where the workpiece rotates and a stationary cutting tool removes material to produce round features.
In practice
The part spins; the tool moves along and across it. Turning produces outside diameters, faces, tapers, grooves and threads. Anything essentially round is turned rather than milled.
Why it matters
Turning is the fastest way to produce accurate round features, and features cut in one setup share an axis automatically — which is why a good machinist works out how much can be finished before the part has to be turned around.
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