Which component on a lathe is associated with moving the cutting tool into the workpiece via a screw thread?

Which component on a lathe is associated with moving the cutting tool into the workpiece via a screw thread?

• A. Leadscrew
• B. Bed
• C. Spindle
• D. Carriage

Answer: (A)

Feeding the cutting tool into the workpiece using a screw thread is done by the leadscrew. The leadscrew is a threaded shaft that runs along the lathe bed, and when threading the carriage is engaged with the half-nuts to the leadscrew. As the spindle turns, the leadscrew’s threads translate that rotation into precise linear motion of the tool carrier, so the tool advances into the workpiece by exactly one pitch per revolution. The pitch of the leadscrew is matched to the thread being cut, enabling accurate, continuous thread formation. The bed is simply the base that supports everything, the spindle provides the rotation of the workpiece, and the carriage holds the cutting tool and can move along the bed—primarily driven by the leadscrew when performing threading.

Feeding the cutting tool into the workpiece using a screw thread is done by the leadscrew. The leadscrew is a threaded shaft that runs along the lathe bed, and when threading the carriage is engaged with the half-nuts to the leadscrew. As the spindle turns, the leadscrew’s threads translate that rotation into precise linear motion of the tool carrier, so the tool advances into the workpiece by exactly one pitch per revolution. The pitch of the leadscrew is matched to the thread being cut, enabling accurate, continuous thread formation.

The bed is simply the base that supports everything, the spindle provides the rotation of the workpiece, and the carriage holds the cutting tool and can move along the bed—primarily driven by the leadscrew when performing threading.