Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] New Lathe

heemanshu B Shah wrote:

> Dear Guys,
> I have had enough of these guys who make lathes and
> mills for us I am going to manufacturer Lathe and mill
> for all of us. so kindly pour in with your suggestions
> and requirements I will try and incorporate them. Also
> send drawings if possible and all the information you
> think will be useful

If ypou want to see how a really NICE lathe is made, take a look
at the 13 or 15" Sheldons, made after about 1972. I just got one,
and the design details of this lathe are amazing! It uses clutches
to drive the power feeds, instead of gears that mesh to engage.
These also serve as overload clutches, of course. It has a
separate 'spindle' around the main spindle, that is driven by
belts from the gearbox, which is mounted on the motor. The
outer spindle rides on its own bearings, not on bearings
riding on the main spindle, and drives the main spindle through
clutch teeth for direct drive. The idea here is to get rid of all
gear vibrations in the headstock (except when using the backgear
drive). I haven't seen this sort of design on any other lathe.

The only possible problem I see is that the front of the bed has
the inverted Vee way, and it wears pretty fast. It might have been
better to put the flat way in front (where it bears the downforce from
the cutting tool) and the Vee in the back.

Make the bed extremely strong and stiff. I was amazed at how easy it
was to twist the (1500 Lb) bed of this 3000 Lb lathe! Under the weight
of the machine, it gets twisted as easily as the bed of my 350 Lb
Atlas 12". I didn't expect that.

Jon