Newbie questions

Hello,

I am new to this list, but I do have a presence on Livesteamers and
Modeleng-list.

I have a Warco A1S mill and a desire to look at ways of automating the
process of milling.

I have an amount of computer knowledge and a rough idea of CAM. (Although I
know that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing :-)

My son is into computers into a big way and I am sure he can help with the
programming. I have hardware/electronic knowledge.

I am a model engineer, so finding ways of attaching bits and pieces to my
mill "shouldn't" be too difficult.

To start with, some very simple questions.

What sort of size stepper motors will I need to drive the axes? As well as
physical size, I'm interested in the power or current/phase. The A1S is a
large mill (total weight of approx. 1/2 ton) but I won't be taking large or
heavy cuts.

What's the difference between a 4 wire and 6 wire (apart from 2 wires?)

What resolution of control (in degrees?) do I need?

What circuits do I need to drive these motors. I have seen information
about driving steppers from the parallel port and "DANCAD?" software.

Sorry for all the questions.

Cheers

Peter