Editing Lathe (section)

=== Metal-spinning ===
{{Main|metal spinning}}

In [[metal spinning]], a disk of sheet metal is held perpendicularly to the main axis of the lathe, and tools with polished tips (''spoons'') or roller tips are hand-held, but levered by hand against fixed posts, to develop pressure that deforms the spinning sheet of metal.

Metal-spinning lathes are almost as simple as wood-turning lathes. Typically, metal spinning requires a mandrel, usually made from wood, which serves as the template onto which the workpiece is formed (asymmetric shapes can be made, but it is a very advanced technique). For example, to make a [[sheet metal]] bowl, a solid block of wood in the shape of the bowl is required; similarly, to make a [[vase]], a solid template of the vase is required.

Given the advent of high-speed, high-pressure, industrial die forming, metal spinning is less common now than it once was, but still a valuable technique for producing one-off prototypes or small batches, where die forming would be uneconomical.