Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe schreef:
"jan olieslagers" wrote in message
...
The recent thread about lathes and related machinery leaves me at a
loss with the terminology, me not being a native English speaker.

A) I think I can imagine a lathe, if I understand correctly it is called
a "tour" in French and a "draaibank" in my native Dutch. That means,
the piece of stock you are going to work on is clamped between two
centerpoints, the machine makes it turn, then you press a tool
somewhere and it cuts a circular groove. Right so far?

Yep. You make round stuff smaller.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_lathe

Hm. I might have found that one on my own
if I wasn't dog-tired from an early navigation flight exercise...

B) If correct on A, how to understand the dimensions? Perhaps a 36x9"
lathe has 36" between centers, and 9" is the max. diameter of basic
stock?

Right again. (well, the 9" is the distance from the bed to the center -
you may have trouble mounting 9"stock)

This still leaves some confusion - what's "the bed" ?
If it is the place where you rest your tool,
9 inches should allow for 18" stock minus the minimum free tool length?

C) if we're done about the lathe, what is a mill (in this context)?
Google wasn't too helpful on this one, given windmills and what not.


There are many types, but a verticle mill (what most of the people here
would like use) has a spindle that turns and hold a tool (like a drill,
but typically flat on the end). The workpiece (the stuff you want to
remove metal from) is clamped to the table and the table has cranks that
you turn to move the table to the left and the right as well as towards
and away from you. The spindle also moves up and down and the head of
the machine (that holds the spindle) can be tilted away from verticle if
you want.

This type of work results in a flat surface or flat grooves or...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Miniature_mill.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milling_machine

OK, this is what we call "een freesmachine" in Dutch, the cutting
tool itself being "de frees". In French it must be "une fraise"
though that's their word for a strawberry, too...
I have a small handheld machine of this kind that cuts
wonderful straight grooves in wood - if I hold it firm enough.

Excuse my lack of English profiency, thanks in advance!

Only if you will excuse my lack of French or Dutch profiency.

No problem at all sir, thanks for confirming me on the track!
KA