Lathe Work Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Description |
| 3AT | Atlas Lathe Collet |
| 3C | SB 9 Collet |
| MT | Morse Taper (sizes 0MT, 1MT...7MT) |
| 5C | 10L Lathe Collet |
| 6K | 10K Lathe Collet |
| R8 | Common Milling Machine Collet |
| AXA | A wedge locking QCTP (AX is the piston type) from Aloris. Now widely copied. |
| BMS | Bright Mild Steel |
| CG | Change gear(s) |
| CI | Cast Iron |
| CLOCK | Dial Indicator |
| CNC | Computer Numerical Control |
| CRS | Cold Rolled Steel (1018, 12L14, etc) |
| D1- | Cam locking lathe spindle adapters. Comes in different sizes (D1-4, D1-6, D1-8 etc.) |
| DIR | Dial Indicating Readout |
| DRO | Digital Read Out |
| ER25,ER32,ER40 … | A more modern type of collet found in newer design milling spindles. |
| HDPE | High Density Polyethylene |
| HMD | Horizontal Motor Drive |
| HRS | Hot Rolled Steel (A36, etc) |
| HSS | High Speed Steel |
| HTRAL | How to Run a Lathe (classic book by South Bend) |
| IC | Included center(?) |
| JT | Jacobs Taper, a non releasing taper for attaching chucks to arbors. Comes in different sizes. |
| NEMA | National Electrical Manufacturers Association |
| PGMS | Polished & Ground Mild Steel |
| PTFE | PolyTetraFluoroEthylene (Teflon) |
| QC | Quick Change |
| QCGB | Quick Change Gearbox |
| QCTH | Quick Change Tool Holder |
| RPC | Rotary Phase Converter |
| SBL | South Bend Lathe. |
| SS | Stainless Steel -or- Silver Steel (British term for drill rod) |
| TDI | Thread Dial Indicator |
| TGP | Turned, ground, and polished |
| TIR | Total Indicator Reading |
| TPI | Thread per Inch |
| TSP | Tri-sodium Phosphate (cleaner) |
| UMD | Underneath Drive Motor (Under Machine Drive) |
| UWMW | Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene |
| VFD | Variable Frequency Drive |