Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: CNCing a small lathe

Yeah, ditto on Mach3, the Smoothstepper, and G540.

But there ARE some quality mills available from Harbor Freight, via
their online catalog. They carry the Sieg mills which are supposed to
be good, I have a Taig personally. Taig is a good mill and there are
readily available CNC adapter kits for it to mount the steppers.

Danny

Jeffrey T. Birt wrote:

> The most widely used CNC control program is probably Mach 3:
> http://machsupport.com/ , but there are others. You can download and install
> Mach 3, it is fully functional but has a 500 line limit until it is
> licensed. Most CNC control programs will use the parallel port, although
> there are motion control boards with USB/Enet interfaces such as the
> SmoothStepper: http://soigeneris.com/Warp9.aspx . You'll need a stepper
> driver, the Gecko G540 is a good choice for small machines as it has
> everything built into it (such as Breakout board, all signal opto-islated,
> etc). You can also get complete, plug-and-play drive boxes such as:
> http://soigeneris.com/CNCPartsPage4.aspx (disclaimer: my website), and many
> other types are available.
>
>
>
> Just about any machine tool you get from Harbor Freight should be considered
> a 'kit', the fit and finish is horrible. Grizzley sells machines that look
> to be the same identical design but are of high quality (still not on par
> with USA made equipment). I suspect that on either one you'll wind up
> replacing the lead-screws eventually with something with far less backlash
> but I think the Grizzly screws are likely to be better. (Just my opinion
> from having the opportunity to visit out local Grizzly and HF stores.)
>
>
>
> Sizing stepper motors is dependent upon the pitch of lead-screws, any
> gear/belt reduction you add, the drive friction of the machine, and your
> desired feed rate. When choosing stepper motors bigger is not always better.
> Having the steppers be a good fit for the drivers, power supply and machine
> is the key.
>
>
>
> Before getting caught up on the size of the machine tool ask yourself what
> it is your wanting to build with it. If your wanting to gain some experience
> with a CNC lathe you might want to consider something like a CNC ready
> Sherline lathe. It is small but quite capable and would let you get started
> learning how to use a CNC machine without fiddling with the mechanics. Once
> you get some experience with a smaller machine you may decide to convert a
> larger manual machine and then you can use your small lather to make parts
> for the bigger one.
>
>
>
> Just some thoughts...
>
>
>
> Jeff Birt
>
> Check out -- Soigeneris.com...
>
>
>
> From: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Mike Hagen
> Sent: Monday, July 05, 2010 12:21 PM
> To: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: CNCing a small lathe
>
>
>
>
>
>
> I am new to the list. What PC programs are hobbyists using? Serial
> port output?
> Are there some that I can try with just some steppers set up?
> I see all the homemade stuff but not much mention of what is used at the
> PC end?
>
> The Harbor Freight small 7" Lathe is on sale for $399 in a flyer I got
> (7X10" #93212). Looks awfully small?
> Does it got good enough lead screws and quality to make it worth
> spending time on it.
> What size steppers are suggested?
> The 8" online is $699 (#44859).
>
> On 7/5/2010 4:50 AM, Ron Ginger wrote:
>
>>
>>> Posted by: "turbulatordude" dave_mucha@...
>>>
> <mailto:dave_mucha%40yahoo.com>
>
>> <mailto:dave_mucha%40yahoo.com> turbulatordude
>>
>>> Date: Sun Jul 4, 2010 9:22 am ((PDT))
>>>
>>> seems like a small lathe. the 7x lathes seem to be less expensive,
>>>
>> larger (not by much) and CNC'd all over the net.
>>
>>>
>> The 7x are common, but take a look at the Harbor Freight 8x12. Its just
>> $50 more but a MUCH bigger machine- the 7x weigh under 100 pounds, the
>> 8x12 is 225 lbs.
>>
>> I just did one, I showed it at the recent CNC workshop. I will try to do
>> an article on it on my web pages. It was a very simple conversion and
>> works well. I did not do a tool turret, Im just using an aloris tool
>> holder and I manually switch tools- fine for my needs.
>>
>> Mach works just fine with a single pulse on the spindle and I was able
>> to make a real neat pickup inside the headstock casting.
>>
>> I have started a new set of lathe wizards for Mach which were well
>> received at teh CNC workshop. Hopefully before summer is over Ill have a
>> release.
>>
>> ron ginger
>>
>> __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus
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>>
>> The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
>>
>> http://www.eset.com
>>
>>
>>
>
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