Mini Lathe Tooling

Drilling

Another common operation on a lathe is drilling holes on the axis of the lathe.

Drilling on the lathe works backwards from drilling on most other machine tools. Instead of the drill bit turning, the work rotates and the drill bit is fixed in the tailstock. To hold the drill bit you need a drill chuck. The drill chuck attaches to an arbor of the proper size for the drill chuck on one end and for the tailstock on the other end.

Drill Set Options

Drilling an accurate hole on a lathe is a three- (or more) step process. First a very short and stiff drill bit (called a center drill) is used to drill a small starter hole. The stiffness of the center drill ensures that this starter hole is in the correct location. Then a relatively small drill is used to drill a pilot hole. Finally, successively larger drills are used to enlarge the hole to the required size.

Center Drill Options

Drilling Tool Options