A lathe milling attachment is a way to combine the shaping abilities of a lathe with the drilling and finishing power of a mill.
A lathe milling attachment is a way to combine the shaping abilities of a lathe with the drilling and finishing power of a mill. The lathe milling attachment itself is typically much smaller than a milling machine and is primarily used by hobbyists. Router attachments are made for working with wood or metal, but are typically made for working with metal rather than wood. While some milling machines are automatic and computer controlled, lathe milling fixtures are often manual. Milling units come with many different bits to make different cuts in the material.
Full-size milling machines are commonly seen in the tool and machine manufacturing industry. Although the attachment is similar to a drill, the difference between a router and a drill is how the table that holds the material moves. A drill only holds the material, while a router holds the material and can move the table to cut the sides of the material. A lathe milling fixture is the same as a milling machine in every way except size. The fixture is typically much smaller than a router, but still has the same cutting ability to finish a shape and add additional detail that a lathe cannot add.
To attach the lathe milling attachment, the milled part is placed on the end of the lathe or on the lathe itself. This allows the implement to work immediately on the form made by the lathe, without the operator having to move the material. The size of a milling attachment means that they are generally reserved for hobbyists rather than large-scale industrial use. Milling units are usually manual or manually operated and not controlled by a machine, but some are automatic.
The materials with which lathe milling accessories usually work are wood and metal. Of the two, the milling attachment is more commonly made for metalworking. This is because metal generally needs the holes and finish that router fixtures make to complete the part, while wood generally doesn’t need the same finish.
Depending on the needs of the operator, the lathe milling attachment can be equipped with different drills or cutting holes. Each bit has a different size and line to make a different cut in the material. By having a variety of bits, the milling attachment becomes more versatile and can be used to make a wider variety of parts for the operator.