---
title: Lathe
order: 4
---

A profile of points turned round the shape's local Z axis: solid or hollow, a full turn or part of one. The points live on the local XZ plane, right of the axis: **X** is the distance from the axis, **Z** the height.

![a Lathe turned 270 degrees, showing its cut faces](../../assets/lathe.webp)

## Settings

![the SDF panel of a solid Lathe, an end point active](../../assets/lathe-panel.webp)

| Setting | Default | Range | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Body** | *Solid* | *Solid* · *Hollow* | *Solid*: an open profile whose two ends sit on the axis, so there is no hole. *Hollow*: a closed loop of points, the wall of the hole made of points like the outside |
| **Revolve Angle** | `360°` | 0° – 360° | How far the profile turns. Below a full turn the Lathe is cut, with two flat faces |
| **Side Rounding** | `0` | ≥ 0 (soft 2) | Rounds the edges of the cut faces. Greyed at a full turn; it fades out over the last 30° before one |
| **Points** | | 3 points or more | The point list and the active point's rows, see [Points](points.md#the-points-panel). A Lathe's rows show each point's **X** and **Z** |

The rows every shape has are in [Properties Panels](../../interface/panels.md#rows-every-shape-has).

The two ends of a solid Lathe slide only up and down the axis and have no rounding: their **Kind** row and **X** are greyed. Going hollow moves the ends off the axis and closes the loop with a straight wall; going solid opens the loop at the span nearest the axis. A Corner point's own rounding rounds the profile itself.

A new Lathe is a turned post: a flat foot, a waist, a shoulder and a domed head.

## Angle ring

In [Edit mode](../../interface/edit-mode.md) a circle runs round the Lathe at mid height with a white ring on it. Drag the ring round the axis to set **Revolve Angle**. `Ctrl` snaps to 15° (`Ctrl + Shift`: 1°), `Shift` is precision.

![the angle ring dragged round, with Ctrl held](../../assets/lathe-angle.webp)

## Body button

In Edit mode a grey round button under the handles switches **Body**: a disc while solid, a disc with a hole while hollow.

![the Body button clicked: solid to hollow and back](../../assets/lathe-solid-hollow.webp)

The dots, rounding handles, point handles and add dots are on [Points](points.md#the-handles-in-the-viewport).

## Redo panel

After adding, the redo panel (`F9`) has **Angle** (default `360°`) and **Align** (*World*, *View*, *3D Cursor*).

## Limits

A Lathe holds about 340 Smooth or Corner points. Past that, adding a point reports *"No room for another point"*. A Curve Revolve from a 4.x file becomes a Lathe with sharp rims, see [From Curve](from-curve.md#curve-shapes-from-4x-files).

## See also

- [Points](points.md)
- [Revolve](../../modifiers/revolve.md): turn any shape's section
- [From Curve](from-curve.md): a Lathe from a Blender curve