OCR
- 996
- 936
Can You Turn a CUBE on a LATHE?
- Thread starter OCR
- Start date
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
14 replies · 3K views
- 15,780
- 10,656
I guess this is a late April Fools Day joke.
2025 Award
- 17,131
- 10,636
Yes.OCR said:
But it will require mounting six times, once for each face.
1. You can hold the cube in a 4 jaw chuck, then face the end with a tool in the cross slide. Since the centre is not important, depending on what shape you start with, you might hold the work in a 3 jaw chuck.
2. You could clamp the cube to the cross slide, then face it with a cutter held in the chuck. But that would be more difficult to set up for accurate angled corners.
The example shown in the video shows multiple passes of a fly cutter. That suggests it was clamped to the cross slide, but more probably faced in a small milling machine.
DaveC426913
Gold Member
2025 Award
- 24,614
- 8,951
Not sure if Baluncore is deadpan riffing on joke, orBaluncore said:
What I saw was: A lathe. With a cube on it. Being turned.
2025 Award
- 17,131
- 10,636
Repeatably, again and again.DaveC426913 said:
The example cube that turned up on the lathe was not turned up in the lathe.
How could I miss the opportunity to deliver deadpan, a couple of other obtuse ways it could be done, but in, not on the lathe. Can a lathe have obtuse ways, or is it only me ?
DaveC426913
Gold Member
2025 Award
- 24,614
- 8,951
Thought so.Baluncore said:
wirenut
Gold Member
- 90
- 20
Yes, it is possible. See "machining a cube on a lathe" by machiningmomentsbrad on youtube.
DaveC426913
Gold Member
2025 Award
- 24,614
- 8,951
Yes, we know.wirenut said:
- 30,548
- 7,530
It’s not as convenient to produce a ball on a vertical milling machine.
2025 Award
- 17,131
- 10,636
But it is very easy to turn a ball on the bed of a vertical milling machine.sophiecentaur said:
A ball or a cube can be produced pretty much anywhere a magician turns up to remove the cover.wirenut said:
DaveC426913
Gold Member
2025 Award
- 24,614
- 8,951
Machining a ball on a milling machine is functionally identical to machining a cube on a milling machine, except the number of remountings required is somewhat larger.
- 15,780
- 10,656
Here's a video on making a jig that can move the cutting tool in a circular manner.
2025 Award
- 17,131
- 10,636
A tow ball can be made in one setting.DaveC426913 said:
At most, only one remount is needed for a full sphere.
Mount the workpiece in an indexed head, with axis at a slope to the bed, or head tilted.
A single point cutter, offset by slightly less than the ball radius is mounted in the spindle to cut a circle on the ball surface.
While spindle turns cutter, slowly rotate the index head until you have a sphere.
A single point cutter, offset by slightly less than the ball radius is mounted in the spindle to cut a circle on the ball surface.
While spindle turns cutter, slowly rotate the index head until you have a sphere.
Last edited by a moderator:
2025 Award
- 17,131
- 10,636
Pictures help explain the geometry of generating a sphere in a milling machine.
https://www.ctemag.com/news/articles/generating-spherical-surfaces
https://www.ctemag.com/news/articles/generating-spherical-surfaces
- 30,548
- 7,530
Some interesting (and typically PF) responses here. 
I hope you all enjoyed that bit of nonsense.
It's largely a matter for definition, imo. If you put a morse 3 taper lathe chuck into the spindle of my toy vertical milling machine (and lay it on its side?), you've got yourself a lathe, afair. It could be argued that the workpiece rotates in a lathe and the cutters rotate in a mill - hence my use of the word "convenient".
I hope you all enjoyed that bit of nonsense.It's largely a matter for definition, imo. If you put a morse 3 taper lathe chuck into the spindle of my toy vertical milling machine (and lay it on its side?), you've got yourself a lathe, afair. It could be argued that the workpiece rotates in a lathe and the cutters rotate in a mill - hence my use of the word "convenient".