Proper maintenance is crucial to keeping your lathes – and your shop – running at peak efficiency. Metal lathes are typically used in industrial environments full of dirt, grit, metal shavings, and other particles that can cause serious damage to your equipment if not properly maintained.
Fortunately, cleaning and maintaining your metal lathe isn’t necessarily difficult; it just requires knowing what to do and when to do it. To help you out, here’s a simple maintenance checklist and cleaning guide to help you keep your lathe in top shape.
Following a maintenance checklist
Cleaning is only one part of a longer maintenance checklist that every operator and machine shop should follow. Everyone, including hobbyists with a small lathe in their workshop, should follow a regular maintenance schedule; even the metal lathe represents a significant investment, and cleaning and maintenance is far cheaper than expensive repairs.
A proper maintenance checklist will include a number of tasks on different schedules. Daily tasks might include basic cleaning and checking for wear on the tools. Monthly maintenance often involves more detailed cleaning and inspection of hydraulics and oil levels. Annual maintenance takes everything one step further, requiring a full overhaul of the machine down to the electricals and gearbox.
Not every small machine shop or hobbyist will follow a strict maintenance checklist, but even basic maintenance and cleaning can dramatically impact the life of your metal lathe and the quality of your work.
Cleaning a metal lathe
With that said, how do you clean a metal lathe?
- Remove shavings
Don’t wait until your lathe is half-buried in a pile of metal shavings. At the start of your cleaning routine, brush the shavings out of the bed of the lathe and off the body. These will be the biggest pieces, but a brush may not be fine enough to get tinier shavings.
Use an air compressor to blow out any shavings from around the headstock and spindle, then move down the length of the bed. Be sure to slide the tool mount around and remove any shavings trapped behind it.
- Wipe down the lathe
Once you’ve removed all the metal shavings, wipe down your lathe thoroughly. A rag dipped lightly in kerosene or a solvent like WD-40 will help to remove any tiny contaminants. Pay close attention to chucks and bearings where grit can accumulate. Change the rag if it becomes grimy.
- Replace the lubricants
Wiping down the lathe will have removed much of the grease and oil that traps shavings and dust. Of course, those lubricants also help to protect your lathe, so once you’ve finished cleaning it you’ll want to replace them. Start with the locking system and the tailstock, and move up the spindle to the headstock. Use a cloth dipped lightly in oil to lubricate everything, paying particular attention to lathe joints.
- Add a protective coat
After you’ve covered everything carefully, use a new cloth to add a final light layer of oil to your metal lathe. During normal use, this top layer will attract grime and grit that can be wiped off at the end of the day.
Additional considerations
The above steps are enough for most lathes and most cases of dirt and grime. But there are times when extra measures are called for.
- Built-up dirt and grime
If a lathe has been poorly maintained, grease and metal shavings can build up into a hard, caked-on mess. Use liberal amounts of degreaser to help break down the grime, and don’t be afraid to use heavy scouring pads to help. Cases like these are more likely when buying used lathes or restoring old lathes.
- Advanced CNC maintenance
Top-line lathes may require specialized maintenance available only from a manufacturer’s technician. This maintenance is often done on a rare but regular basis, such as annually, but it can be helpful to avoid costly breakdowns.
While cleaning your metal lathe may seem like a hassle, it’s far better to take the time to clean it than to wait for it to break down completely.
