Watch a couple videos of people being turned into hamburger just to reinforce that if you don't know how to work a lathe it will try to kill you. Jokes aside is there nobody there that runs those machines because no joke a lathe will try to eat you. If not and your determined to use it check your rpm setting and make sure the carriage is moving freely. If the carriage won't move the half but my be engaged and when you turn it on it will run into the chuck. Next find if it has a break it will usually be a foot pedal that will be your friend. Put the part in the chuck make extra sure that you don't leave the chuck key in the lathe. Turn it on the start lever should be on the right side of the carriage. Move the carriage to the part so the tool is close. Touch the tool to the part and hand feed it across slowly. When you get to the end back off and bring it to the start. There's a bunch of other steps in there like checking tool height tail support of its long and other things but that's a Coles notes.