"Leo Lichtman" wrote in message
...

Cliff Knight wrote: Correct, "swing" in machine tool talk is radius
(like
a swing hanging from a tree.(CLIP)
^^^^^^^^^^^
Cliff, too bad you didn't stop right after the word "correct." Pal had it
right, so "correct" is correct. But swing is not a radius. The radius of
the maximum size his lathe will turn is 3"--the swing is 6", the DIAMETER.
The illustration of a swing hanging from a tree merely adds to the error
of
calling the radius the swing.

Might as well get in this perennial semantic free-for-all. Actually,
American lathes (and perhaps British) aren't all that consistent -- or at
least, were not in the past. For some American lathes, the swing is the
biggest diameter that can be turned. For others, it is the twice the
distance from the center to a line drawn across the ways. For example, my
12" clausing, can actually turn something 12.75" in diameter (but not over
the saddle). I've seen other, older, American lathes that understated their
"swing." To add to the confusion, most gap-bed lathes can turn something
significantly bigger than their "swing." Does any one have even more
confusion to add to the discussion?

Boris

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