Re: Warner & Swasey Turret Lathe CNC Conversion

Don, I've got a W&S 4-A. They're probably one of the toughest
machine tools ever built. They'e also about the last thing on the
face of the earth I'd ever recommend anyone attempt to CNC.

If you look at the ebay pic of the first one you listed ( a 1A or
2A) at the lower right corner of both the main saddle and the turret
saddle there's a lever coming out and up at an angle with a knob on
it. Looks like a gear shift. It is. These lathes have a power
transmission shaft geared back to the spindle which revolves in one
of 2 speed ranges, but in a constant ratio to the spindle. Each
apron has a transmission built into it which is shifted via the
handle to various gears to select the feed. Longitudinal feed is
realized by a gear which drives on a rack on the underside of the
way nearest the operator. On most of these a leadscrew for
threading was an option, and many of them don't have the leadscrew
or threading capabilities. The way they're built allows the use of
drive gears for the feeds which are in many instances larger than
what you'd find in auto transmissions. However, the complexity of
this drive arrangement would make for tons of disassembly work for
removal prior to beginning a conversion. Ball screws would need to
be at least 1.5" diameter, and the servos would be rated in
horsepower instead of in-lbs. Their general layout assumes you'll
use the carriage for OD work and the turret for ID work. This is
another drawback in considering them for conversion, because the
carriage is hung from the front way and bears against a vertical way
down low on the machine. Cross travel is limited because the cross
slide doesnt extend across the machine like youre accustomed to
seeing on an engine lathe. The main carriage alone would weigh as
much as a car engine, and the turret carriage is substantially
heavier than that. Because of the large spindle hole, they have an
A taper nose, generally an A-8 at the minimum. The chucks are
generally worn out from years of use, and when you price a 12 or 15
inch A-taper chuck you'll find you can CNC a smaller lathe for less
than the chuck costs.

Mine has an 8 1/4 inch spindle hole and a 40 hp motor. It will ram
a 4" spade drill blind thru 4340 stock without a whimper. Because
of the wear typically present in these machines from endless years
of multi shift use (these were the turning centers in days gone by),
heavy drilling and the hogging of stock is about all the majority of
them are fit for. Thats all I use mine for, and its in far better
shape than most of them I've ever seen.

Cliff

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "Don Lewis" <dlyh2000@u...>
wrote:

> Does anyone have any experience or comments on
> CNC conversion of Warner & Swasey turret lathes?
> These look like strong and heavy machines, true?
>
> Here are a few examples from Ebay.
> 3814527276 3814633013 3814257982
>
> Thanks,
> Don