The lathe makes parts by spinning the part and having a cutting tool take material off of the diameter of the stock. A tool is placed in the tool-holder shown in the image above. The part is placed in a chuck that is attached to the spindled shown above. As the part spins, dials on the carriage and compound move the tool along the part. You can also create center drilled holes in your part by placing a drill bit in the tailstock and moving the tailstock into your part.

There are a number a different tools you can use with a lathe. The most common are facing, fillet, boring, and slicing. The facing tool makes a smooth face which can be perpendicular to the axis of rotation or angled off of the axis by a certain degree. The fillet tool creates rounded corners. The boring tool allows you to create a hole partially or completely through your part. The slicing tool allows you to cut through your entire part.