Re: Asian Lathe Conversion

Tom,
I was considering this problem for my own conversion. If you add a
second lead screw out the back with a low pitch ballscrew (I think
less than or equal to 5 tpi) it will free wheel when not in use. You
may need a belt disengage lever to disconnect the axis motor. You
need a way to protect the ballscrew from chips. The cross slide
could be handled by replacing the handle with a handle/pully
arrangement so it would work both manual and automatic.

Bummer for me is that PC cnc programs (EMC or my favorite Mach1)
don't handle threading. This shouldn't be a problem for you.

Roger