A professional who sets up and operates turret lathe to perform series of machining operations, such as turning, facing, boring, and tapping, on metal workpieces, such as machine, tool, or die parts, analyzing specifications and deciding on tooling, applying knowledge of metal properties, shop mathematics, and turret-lathe operations. Respnsibilities include:

• Studies blueprint to visualize machining to be done, and plans sequence of operations.
• Selects and installs work-holding fixtures on machine, such as collets, faceplates, two-jaw chuck, or specially-shaped holding devices, and positions and secures workpiece in holding fixture, using wrenches.
• Selects cutting speed, tool feed rate, depth of cut, and cutting tools for each operation, according to knowledge of metal properties and shop mathematics.
• Positions and secures tools in toolholders at each station of turret and cross-slide toolpost, and positions tools in relation to workpiece.
• Moves stops, cams, or levers to control rotation of workpiece and feeding of tools.
• Turns handwheels to feed tools to and along workpiece and to indexing toolholders between operations, or engages feeding and indexing mechanisms.
• Turns valve to direct flow of coolant, against tool and workpiece.
• Verifies conformance of machined workpiece to specifications, using measuring instruments, such as gauges, calipers, and micrometer.
• May sharpen tools with bench grinder. May operate tracing attachment to duplicate profile of template or model on workpiece.
• May work on nonmetallic materials, such as plastics.
• May be required to have specialized experience with particular material, product, precision level, machining process, or size, type, or trade name of lathe.
• May be designated according to whether lathe is primarily equipped to machine bar stock fed through headstock of screw machine as tool screw-machine set-up operator; or workpiece held in chuck as tool chucking-machine set-up operator.
• May be designated according to type of lathe as vertical tool turret-lathe set-up operator.