Fitting and Turning

By the end, you can explain how a lathe works, read precise measurements, describe basic turning operations and workshop safety, and you are ready to apply for a fitter and turner apprenticeship (this path does not qualify you as an artisan).

Career pathwayAbout 80 hours3 stagesFree

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Career pathway. This is a regulated career. Online learning gives you strong foundations and a clear plan, but you will need to study and register formally to work in it. The route is explained on this page.

Lessons play here, from free YouTube courses.

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Fitters and turners make, fit and repair machine parts, using lathes and milling machines to cut metal to precise sizes and then assembling and maintaining equipment. Mines, factories and plants across South Africa rely on them to keep machines running.

Turn on JavaScript to track your progress. The lessons are:FoundationsUnderstand the parts of a metal lathe, what it can make, and the safety rules for machine shops.Task: Draw a lathe and label at least ten parts (headstock, chuck, tailstock, carriage, cross slide, compound rest, tool post, bed, lead screw, spindle). Then write the five most important safety rules for working on a lathe and explain why each matters.Core skillsLearn the main turning operations (facing, turning, drilling, parting, threading), tool setup and cutting speeds.Task: Use the cutting speed formula (rpm = cutting speed x 1000 / (pi x diameter in mm)) to work out spindle speeds for mild steel bars of 20 mm, 40 mm and 60 mm at a cutting speed of 30 m/min. Show your working and explain why larger diameters need slower speeds.Applied practiceSee how skilled machinists plan and complete real parts, including measuring and fitting.Task: Choose a simple part such as a stepped shaft or a bush. Draw it with dimensions and tolerances in millimetres, then write the full sequence of operations you would use to make it on a lathe, including tools, speeds and how you would measure each size.

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What competent looks like

Can name the main parts of a lathe and explain what each does
Can read a vernier caliper and micrometer to 0.02 mm and 0.01 mm
Can calculate spindle speed from cutting speed and diameter
Can plan the order of operations to make a simple turned part
Can explain and follow machine shop safety rules

The South African route

Fitter and turner is a listed trade in the merSETA sector. You qualify through an apprenticeship, learnership or occupational qualification with workplace experience, and then pass a trade test to become a qualified artisan.

Free resources

These links go to free courses and sites run by other organisations. We chose them in October 2026 but do not run them, so check costs, dates and entry requirements on their site. Broken link? Tell us.

Jobs it can lead to

Apprentice fitter and turner
Apprentice fitter
Workshop assistant
Maintenance assistant
Machine operator (entry level)