Svarvar

Svarvar is a Swedish term with multiple uses in machining and woodworking. In its most common noun sense, svarvar is the plural form of svarv, meaning lathe. A lathe is a machine tool that rotates a workpiece while a cutting tool is held to shape it. Lathes are used in woodturning and metalworking, and modern shops employ a range of models from manual bench lathes to computer numerical control (CNC) machines. Typical features include a spindle, chuck, tailstock, and tool rest, which support operations such as turning, facing, threading, and drilling.

As a verb, svarvar is the present tense form of svarva, meaning to turn on a lathe or to shape material by turning. In technical writing or workshop speech, the verb describes the action of removing material as the workpiece rotates. Example usage would be a sentence like, “Hon svarvar träet till en cylindrisk form” (She turns the wood into a cylindrical shape).

Etymology and usage notes: svarv (lathe) is a core term in Swedish machining vocabulary, and svarvar in its plural noun form appears in inventories and shop floor talk. The word is primarily found in technical contexts related to wood and metal turning, and is less commonly used outside industrial or craft environments.

See also: svarv, turning, lathe, woodturning, metalworking.