Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] CNC wood Lathe

Hi Bob (?),

What you need is a "controller program". There are several available,
which you can find info on in past posts or the FAQ. CNCpro, Master5,
FlashCut, MaxNC, TurboCNC and SuperCAM (and more) are products you can
currently find. Join the TurboCNC list here on Yahoo and for $20 you
can get a controller and the source code!

The controller program typically works through a parallel port, and
drives each axis with two signals: step and direction. Your Oatley
boards I think accept step/dir. What size steppers are you using?
Depending on the size of the wood lathe, you might get by with 60 oz/in
(if a SMALL lathe), however 150+ sounds more reasonable. Timing belts
and pulleys can be used to give you another 3:1 reduction. You will
probably need something like a 1/4"-20 leadscrew thread (SMALL lathe),
bigger as necessary. Ballscrews may or may not be needed depending on
the accuracy you require.

Then you'll want CAD/CAM software (Vector is my favorite) to generate
"Gcode" (a part code that the controller program interprets).

Quite a few different fields to master to build your own CNC, but well
worth it! I had the pleasure of cutting a part last night using MY OWN
controller program, Retrofitted Sherline mill, and home-built Driver/PS
w/ Gecko drives! Can't beat that!

You can pick and choose which of the many parts you want to build/write
yourself, and which you want to buy. My next project is my own PCB mill
using surplus parts.

HTH

Alan KM6VV
P.S. I left Bill's list of FAQ's and support info on the bottom of this
post (as digest readers won't see it)
.

aubob2002 wrote:

>
> I would like to build a CNC wood lathe for my father.
> I am an Electrical fitter with machining experience so making the
> lathe is no problem.
> I would like help in the CNC gear, I have laptop, stepper motors and
> driver boards, purchased a kit(K142)from Oatley electronics
> (www.oatleyelectronics.com)but they are not much help in getting it
> working. Where do I go from here ? Do I purchase software, do I need
> other parts ? Could someone please advise me on what to do next?
> The more I read, the more confused I get.
>
> Addresses:
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> FILES: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO/files/
>
> OFF Topic POSTS: General Machining
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>
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>
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