Taig CNC or Sherline CNC?

Hello,

As with the previous posted replies, I think you'll be happiest if
you combine the two machine's strong points.

Since you want to use EMC, use the Sherline electronics, which are
already set up for EMC.

Use the taig mill. Here I'm gonna depart from the other two replies
and say to use the WHOLE sherline head/spindle/motor. And mount it to
the Taig XYZ mill base. My main reason for this is that I believe
Sherline has a better (much,IMO) range and quality of spindle
accessories. Another is in the PS at the bottom of the msg.

So for the easiest plug-n-play, I'd buy:

1)Taig cnc-ready mill, without motors and headstock.

2)Sherline headstock and motor (You may also want the 1297 mill head
spacer block- you will need the mount pin for the headstock--you can
see it in the 1297 picture. There are two types. One has a flange,
and the other has a tapped hole. You want the one with the tapped
hole. It has a 1/4-20 thread, so it will be REALLY easy to mount the
sherline head to the taig body)

3)Sherline motors and control/software
The Sherline motors are 135 Oz. in. driven by a unipolar chopper at
24 volts, with a 4A power supply. The drive has quad microstepping
for smoothness. One reason to use the sherline drive system is that
it's already set up for the Sherline rotary table; which everyone
agrees is the best for the money on the market. Another possible
advantage is that with 4 drive channels; if one should fail for any
reason on a friday night, with part due monday you might be able to
swap cables and get your work done...

Against this the Taig motors are 200 oz. in., and their drive is a
bilevel type (they engage in what I feel is a bit of "marketing" in
their description of it as a bilevel "chopper" drive.) No specs for
the power supply amps, but the hilevel volts is 55, and they claim
30IPM travels. which is believable, and bilevel drives DO have their
advantages... But only 200steps/rev, which means it may be prone to
mid-range resonance. Owners of that system will have to guide you
here.

If the Taig motors will work with the Sherline drive, I'd probably
use 'em. But now we're beginning down the slippery slope... Up to
now, everything has been pretty plug-and-play, out-of-box. One 1/4-20
tapped hole notwithstanding<G>. Once you start down this path, it can
get complicated fast. If you use the taig motors, you'll need to put
new connectors on 'em for the sherline control, for example. OR...

At that point...

Why not use the DenverCNC control box? At 475 bucks, it's
significantly less expensive than the Sherline, and uses a Xylotex
drive board which will be capable of giving faster axis travels with
EITHER the Sherline or Taig motors, Much faster. As a /8
microstepper, it will also be smooth. And it also has 4 axes, so you
don't lose any of the "Sherline" advantages mentioned above. It's a
bipolar drive, giving you additional motor options for the future.
But again you'll be reconfiguring the connectors of the motors. FWIW,
I WOULD use one of the two motors mentioned, taig or sherline, to
start with.

Side note: I understand the DenverCNC box is being refitted with
drives based on the lmd18245 chip. (not sure when this new model will
begin shipping) At 3A and 55V; this is really one of the better
stepper driver chips available. If they can hold their price point,
the DenverCNC box will be perhaps the best value in a Desktop CNC
driver unit.

So, the first setup above is the plug-n-play best, IMO.

But the overall BEST (But requiring more work on your part) would be:

1)Taig CNC XYZ mill base with motors. No head, driver/controller, or
software.
2)Sherline head, mount pin, and maybe #1297 spacer plate.
3)DenverCNC control/driver box- they sell cables too, but I don't
know which connectors, so I can't say whose cables might be best. BUT
its a good bet that Sherline's will be available for a LONG time...
4)The sherline EMC software pkg.

Now You've got a 40IPM-plus, robust CNC mill, with excellent tooling
capabilities and also sherlines excellent software/product support.

Hope this helps,

Ballendo

P.S. One thing not immediately apparent is that with the Sherline
head capability to be rotated on its mount pin; angled holes and
features can be milled. Using CNC to interpolate the otherwise hard-
to-do interaction of the z and y or x. Taig mills can tilt their
column, but as the pivot is at the base (like the minimills), it can
be pretty hard to reach some features on your part.

P.P.S. Although Joe Vicar says he's working on a version of his
toolchanger for the Taig, the one he has NOW is based on the
Sherline... worth keeping in mind, IMO.

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "Armistead, Matthew D -
Norman, OK" <matthew.d.armistead@u...> wrote:

> I'd like to hear opinions/experiences with Taig and Sherline CNC

mills.

> I'm trying to decide which one to purchase. The Taig machine looks

to be

> built a bit heavier than the Sherline, but the Sherline has more
> horsepower and lower spindle speeds. Can the Taig CNC be run ith EMC
> rather than the DOS software that comes with it? The Taig appears to
> have higher torque steppers. Sherline has variable speed control

while

> Taig appears to have step pulleys.
>
> Help!!
> Thanks!
> Matthew Armistead
> USPS Training Center