Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Lathes for retrofit was Re: Crashing CNCs: what gives ?

Hi Ballendo;

Thanks for the additional information!

I've considered a number of different paths including going it my own
similar to Gingery. A slightly larger lathe such as a 9x20 is sitting
a bit higher on my list of posibilities mostly because I see the
potential for using the larger capacity.

My trip to NAMES this spring sort of sparked my desire here.
Frankly I'm torn between implementing a mill/router/engraver and a
lathe. I had a number of very interesting conversations with
different people at NAMES, some of the innovations where very
surprising. In fact I missed the oportunity to attend any of the
lectures do to the very slow wander around the display floor, very
impressive displays even after leaving the CNC area!

My biggest limitation to lathe size at this moment in time is due to the
fact that my "shop" is in the cellar. Even if I could find a nice
used lathe on the larger size, it would cost me a fortune to get the
lathe in place :( In fact to go larger than a 9x20 would be a major
undertaking, possibly having to disassemble the subject lathe
completely. I have been collection a number of items of interest from
the scrap bin so atleast I will be able to do the converson with a
minimal of out of pocket expenses.

I spend a bit of time on one of the 9x20 lists also. Always good
information there. As far as actual conversion what advantages foes
the Lathemaster lathe provide over the others? It does seem to be
difficult to get comments form people concerning the Lathemaster
lathe. The are always plenty of comments on how to get the HF and
Grizzley lathes running but very little on the Lathemaster.

It is interesting your comments on the manual aspects of the Grizzley,
HF and similar lathes. That is all well and good but if you really
want flexibility, even for manual operations, the rational thing to do
would be to motorize those axis. Hardinge has been doing this for
just about forever on their tool room lathes, unfortunately not direct
drive but very flexible none the less.

Thanks
Dave



ballendo wrote:

>David,
>
>How small? The site I posted (Dakeng.com) has a converted 7x10 lathe,
>with enough how-to for someone such as yourself to duplicate it...
>Its owner, Dave Kowalczyk, is a member here; and can be found at the
>TurboCNC yahoo group for sure. (TurboCNC itself is an outgrowth of
>this lathe project!)
>
>And there's always the Taig and Sherline retrofits.
>
>Done well, any of these three will give performance far in excess of
>typical expectation...
>
>If going a bit bigger, the 9x20 type sold as "lathemaster" is a good
>choice, or the 8x18 type sold as a BV-20. (I run a group called
>9x20Lathe, where we don't think much of these two lathes, preferring
>the "REAL" 9x20 types sold by Griz, HF, Enco, Jet, and others. But
>that groups' focus is NON-cnc, so the things like QCGB, and carriage
>drive by worm gear are useful, if not necessary. With a CNC retrofit,
>these "good for manual use" things just get in the way.)
>
>Go one size larger, and a whole new world of options arises...
>Depends what one's meaning of "small" is<G>
>
>Hope this helps,
>
>Ballendo
>
>--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "David A. Frantz"
><wizard@e...> wrote:
>
>
>>At the moment I'm looking around for a small lathe to become a home
>>CNC project. It is a bit amazing to realize that I can do this in
>>an affordable manner with out a huge outlay of $$$$$$$$$$$.
>>
>>Thanks
>>Dave
>>
>>
>>