Business / Machine Shop Glossary

Bushing: A sleeve or a lining for a bearing or a drill jig to guard against wear.

Caliper: A device used to measure inside or outside dimensions.

Cam: A device for converting regular rotary motion to irregular rotary or reciprocating motion. Sometimes the effect of off-center lathe operations.

Capillary Action: The force by which liquid in contact with a solid is distributed between closely fitted faying surfaces of the joint to be brazed or soldered.

Carbide Tool Bits: Lathe cutting tools to which carbide tip inserts have been brazed, to provide cutting action on harder materials than the high speed cutters are capable of.

Carbon: A nonmetallic chemical element that occurs in many inorganic and all organic compounds. Carbon is found in diamond and graphite and is a constituent of coal, petroleum, asphalt, limestone an . . . View Full Definition

Carbon Steel: A broad term applied to tool steel other than high-speed or alloy steel.

Carriage: A principal part of a lathe that carries the cutting tool and consists of the saddle, compound rest and apron.

Case Hardening: A heat treating process, basically carbonizing that makes the surface layer or case of steel substantially harder than the interior or core.

Cast Iron: A family of alloys, containing more than 2% carbon and between 1 and 3% silicon. Cast irons are not malleable when solid and most have low ductility and poor resistance to impact loading. Th . . . View Full Definition

Casting: A part made by pouring molten metal into a mold.

Castle Nut: A nut with grooves cut entirely across the top face for the purpose of resisting loosening with vibration.

Center: A point or axis around which anything revolves or rotates. In the lathe one of the parts upon which the work to be turned is placed. The center in the headstock is referred to as the “live” . . . View Full Definition

Center Drill: A combination drill and countersink.

Center Gage: A small, flat gage having 60º angles that is used for grinding and setting the thread cutting tools in a lathe. It may also be used to check the pitch of threads and the points of center.

Center Head: A part of a combination square set that is used to find the center of or to bisect a round or square workpiece.

Center Punch: A pointed hand tool made of hardened steel and shaped somewhat like a pencil.

Chamfer: The bevel or angular surface cut on the edge or a corner of a machined part.

Chasing Threads: Cutting threads in a lathe or screw machine.

Chatter: The vibrations caused between the work and the cutting tool which leave distinctive tool marks on the finished surface that are objectionable.

Chip Breaker: A small groove ground back of the cutting edge on the top of a cutting tool to keep the chips short.

Chipping: The process of cutting metal with a cold chisel and hammer.

Chisel: Any one of a variety of small hand cutting tools, generally wedge-shaped.

Chromium: A lustrous, hard, brittle, steel-gray metallic element used to harden steel alloys, in production of stainless steel and as a corrosion resistant plating.

Chuck: A device on a machine tool to hold the workpiece or a cutting tool.

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