[Illustration: Fig. 27. Diagrams showing Arrangements of Tools on LeBlond Lathe]
=Operation of Special Crankshaft Lathe.=--The total equipment of this machine (see Fig. 27) is carried on a three-tool turret tool-block. The method of turning a crankshaft is as follows: A round-nosed turning tool is first fed into a cross stop as illustrated in the plan view at _A_, which gives the proper diameter. The feed is then engaged and the tool feeds across the pin until the automatic stop lever engages the first stop, which throws out the feed automatically. The carriage is then moved against a positive stop by means of the handwheel. The roller back-rest is next adjusted against the work by the cross-feed handwheel operating through a telescopic screw, and the filleting tools are brought into position as at _B_. These are run in against a stop, removing the part left by the turning tool and giving the pin the proper width and fillets of the correct radius. If the crankshaft has straight webs which must be finished, two tools seen at _b_ are used for facing the webs to the correct width. During these last two operations, the crank is supported by the roller back-rest, thus eliminating any tendency of the work to spring.
[Illustration: Fig. 28. (A) Spherical Turning with Compound Rest. (B) Concave Turning]
After one pin is finished in the manner described, the back-rest is moved out of the way, the automatic stop lever raised, the carriage shifted to the next pin, and the operation repeated. The tools are held in position on the turret by studs, and they can be moved and other tools quickly substituted for pins of different widths. This machine is used for rough-turning the pins close to the required size, the finishing operation being done in a grinder. It should be mentioned, in passing, that many crankshafts, especially the lighter designs used in agricultural machinery, etc., are not turned at all but are ground from the rough.
=Spherical Turning.=--Occasionally it may be necessary to turn a spherical surface in the lathe. Sketch _A_, Fig. 28, shows how a small ball-shaped end can be turned on a piece held in a chuck. The lathe carriage is adjusted so that the pin around which the compound rest swivels is directly under the center a. The bolts which hold the swivel are slightly loosened to allow the top slide to be turned, as indicated by the dotted lines; this causes the tool point to move in an arc about center _a_, and a spherical surface is turned. Light cuts must be taken as otherwise it would be difficult to turn the slide around by hand.