Parts of a Wood Lathe – Headstock, Banjo, Rest, Tailstock

All 20 parts on the diagram

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The whole lathe 14

Headstock It holds the spindle and its bearings. It also holds the drive that turns the wood.
Bed The headstock is fixed to it. The tool rest base and tailstock slide along it.
Tailstock It supports the free end of the wood. It can be locked anywhere along the bed.
Tool rest The turner braces a hand tool against it. The edge is then levered into the spinning wood.
Motor It drives the spindle, usually through a belt inside the headstock.
Spindle The motor turns it, and it turns the wood. Centers and faceplates fit onto its end.
Spur center It fits in the spindle. Its point goes into the center of the wood's end and its spurs bite in, so the wood turns with the spindle.
Live center It fits in the tailstock quill. Its point turns with the wood.
Tool rest base (banjo) It slides along and across the bed by hand. That lets the tool rest sit close to the wood. Turners call it the banjo.
On/off switch It turns the motor on and off.
Speed control It sets how fast the spindle turns.
Outboard handwheel It lets you turn the spindle, and the wood, by hand.
Spindle lock Pushed in, it stops the spindle turning. Used for fitting or removing a faceplate.
Faceplate It screws onto the spindle. Wood such as a bowl blank is screwed to its face.

Locks, quill and handwheel 6

Tailstock handwheel Turning it moves the tailstock quill in or out.
Tailstock quill It holds the live center and carries it toward the wood.
Tailstock lock lever Loosen it to slide the tailstock along the bed. Tighten it to hold it there.
Quill lock lever Tighten it to stop the quill and live center moving.
Tool rest lock handle Loosen it to raise, lower or turn the tool rest. Tighten it to hold it.
Tool rest base lock lever Loosen it to slide the base along or across the bed. Tighten it to hold it.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 and kept only where at least two of these use it. (1) A maker's owner's manual for a 16-inch wood lathe, https://cdn0.grizzly.com/manuals/g0462_m.pdf : headstock, spindle, spur center, live center, bed, motor, tool rest, tool rest base (or banjo), tool rest lock handle, tool rest base lock lever, tailstock, tailstock quill, quill lock lever, tailstock handwheel, tailstock lock lever, faceplate, variable speed lever, power switch. (2) A second maker's user manual for a midi lathe, full text at https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-5908837 : headstock, spindle with spur center, spindle lock, outboard hand wheel, tool rest and base, tool rest locking handle, tool rest base locking lever, live center, tailstock quill and its lock handle, tailstock hand wheel, tailstock locking lever, face plate, on/off switch, speed control knob, lathe bed, motor. (3) A third maker's user guide for a 20-inch lathe, full text at https://archive.org/details/manualsonline-id-024ccacb-6798-8194-e9d5-392b78a86a5a : spindle lock button, handwheel, speed control dial, tailstock quill, live center, spur center, face plate. (4) A fourth maker's owner's manual for a 12-inch wood lathe, full text at https://archive.org/details/craftsman-wood-lathe-113.228163 : on-off switch, spindle lock, tool rest lock, tool rest base lock, tailstock lock. (5) Wikipedia, Lathe, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lathe : bed, headstock, spindle, tailstock, and the banjo and tool rest of a woodturning lathe. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's lathe, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A benchtop wood lathe from the front, with a block of wood held between centers, then the tool rest and tailstock close up, where four levers lock everything in place.

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Between centers

The headstock holds the spindle, which the motor turns. A spur center in the spindle bites into one end of the wood, and the live center in the tailstock quill holds the other end. Turning the tailstock handwheel pushes the quill toward the wood, and the quill lock lever holds it there.

Where the tool sits

The tool rest stands in its base, the banjo, which slides along and across the bed by hand. The turner rests a hand tool on the bar and levers its edge into the spinning wood. One lock holds the rest in the base; another clamps the base to the bed.

A wood lathe has no carriage or lead screw: the tool is held by hand on the tool rest.

Questions and answers

What are the main parts of a wood lathe?

The bed, the headstock with its spindle and motor, the tool rest on its base, and the tailstock. A spur center at the headstock and a live center at the tailstock hold the wood between them.

What is the banjo on a wood lathe?

The turners' name for the tool rest base: the piece that sits across the bed and holds the tool rest. It is moved by hand, along the bed or toward the wood, and locked with a lever.

What is the difference between a spur center and a live center?

The spur center fits in the headstock spindle and drives the wood: its spurs bite into the end of the piece. The live center fits in the tailstock and supports the other end; its point turns with the wood.

What does the tailstock do on a wood lathe?

It supports the free end of the wood. It slides along the bed to suit the length of the piece and locks in place; its quill then carries the live center up to the wood.