Tailstock

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Tailstock, click on image to see naming of parts HwacheonCentreLathe-tailstock-mask legend.jpg
Tailstock, click on image to see naming of parts
Tailstock used for drilling Tailstock.jpg
Tailstock used for drilling

A tailstock, also known as a foot stock, [1] is a device often used as part of an engineering lathe, wood-turning lathe, or used in conjunction with a rotary table on a milling machine.

It is usually used to apply support to the longitudinal rotary axis of a workpiece being machined. A lathe center is mounted in the tailstock, and inserted against the sides of a hole in the center of the workpiece. A Tailstock is particularly useful when the workpiece is relatively long and slender. Failing to use a tailstock can cause "chatter," where the workpiece bends excessively while being cut. This bending can also cause finished parts to exhibit an unintended taper where the unsupported end of the part is larger in diameter compared to the end supported by the headstock.

It is also used on a lathe to hold drilling or reaming tools for machining a hole in the work piece. Unlike drilling with a drill press or a milling machine, the tool is stationary while the workpiece rotates. Holes can only be cut along the axis that the workpiece is set to spin. [2]

Usually, the entire tailstock is moved to the approximate position that it will be needed by manually sliding it along its ways. There, it is locked in place and the tool mounted to it is moved with a leadscrew to the exact position where it is needed. When a cutting tool such as a drill bit or reamer is used, the feed is done with this leadscrew. The extendible portion of the tailstock is called the barrel, and usually has a Morse taper mount in the end of it to secure the drill or reamer. If the work is heavy, the drill may be further secured from turning with a lathe dog as shown in the photo.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indexing head</span> Dividing head

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In machining, boring is the process of enlarging a hole that has already been drilled by means of a single-point cutting tool, such as in boring a gun barrel or an engine cylinder. Boring is used to achieve greater accuracy of the diameter of a hole, and can be used to cut a tapered hole. Boring can be viewed as the internal-diameter counterpart to turning, which cuts external diameters.

In the context of machining, a cutting tool or cutter is typically a hardened metal tool that is used to cut, shape, and remove material from a workpiece by means of machining tools as well as abrasive tools by way of shear deformation. The majority of these tools are designed exclusively for metals.

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Milling is the process of machining using rotary cutters to remove material by advancing a cutter into a workpiece. This may be done by varying directions on one or several axes, cutter head speed, and pressure. Milling covers a wide variety of different operations and machines, on scales from small individual parts to large, heavy-duty gang milling operations. It is one of the most commonly used processes for machining custom parts to precise tolerances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vertical lathe</span>

A vertical lathe is a lathe where the axis of rotation is oriented vertically, unlike most conventional lathes which are oriented horizontally. Many of them are frontal lathes, meaning they do not have the option of mounting a tailstock, but vertical lathes can also be implemented as parallel lathes.

References

  1. Burghardt, Henry D. (1922), Machine tool operation, vol. 2, McGraw-Hill, p. 244.
  2. "Different Types of Machining Operations and the Machining Process". www.thomasnet.com. Retrieved 2023-10-05.