Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Renishaw, digitizers

Hi Smoke,

No, I don't do very heavy work but I do have and old 'clockmaker's throw'
which is the larger version using exactly the same technique. These were
made pretty big and were used for making some of the early church clocks. On
the biggest sizes, the driving handwheel was separate from the main 'lathe'
and was operated by one or two men whilst the tool was also often held by
two men. These tools were very similar to woodwork turning tools but could
have handles up to about 6 feet long so 2 men could get enough purchase on
them to make meaningful cuts on large diameter workpieces. I'm pretty sure I
have also seen engravings of similar lathes being used to turn the earliest
cannon barrels.

Ian
--
Ian W. Wright
Sheffield UK
www.iw63.freeserve.co.uk