Metal Lathe loading challenge

[daddo]

Looks like a nice lathe. Clean that puppy up and let us know when it's working.

[JDuke]

I looked at putting a similar manual lathe on a tool box and it put it to high to comfortably use.

The CNC makes height less of an issue, but I wish the HF boxes were just a little lower.

[BloomingtonMike]

I hear ya.

Because the shop is a ways of being done the toolbox makes it mobile-ish which I need. If it is unbearable I do still have the original factory base and there is also the option of taking the toolbox off the casters once it is permanent (doubt I will do that). JDuke, Was yours a metal lathe? Handwheels on a manual lathe and now CNC control and pendant use make it easier on my metal setup  vs me using a wooden setup. It actually makes the parts easier to see for me. Always have options with no downside I guess - at worst it gets its own stand and I still have the storage and I have plenty of room for the box.

[JDuke]

Yes a metal lathe.

I'm a novice with metal working but it seemed to me that having it and a height where you can turn the wheel comfortably and smoothly work better

[Stytooner]

How is the new lathe working out, Mike?

[daddo]

I get the picture of a man locking himself in his shop for days on end, no food or water, working around the clock in a frenzy, on the edge of madness, just a little more time, one more adjustment.


 Maybe someone should go check on him.  

[BloomingtonMike]

The girls and I cleaned it up a bit and the lathe is up on the toolbox. I ended up spraying the chip tray, end cover, and top cover in tractor enamel. I also made and sprayed new plywood toolbox tops for this box and the other 72 box I use as a bench. On the toolbox it is a bit tall for sure but 1100lbs and mobile till I get it in its new spot so it will stay like that a bit and I will use a step/riser till it is in a perm spot. My direction now is on building out the LinuxCNC controller and wiring in the Mesa 7i76 breakout boad and getting Tormach's Pathpilot software working with it. Also going to setup a VistCNC P2-S pendant to work with LinuxCNC on it. All this while prepping a Disaster Recovery Exercise next week at the day job so lots of stuff to do. And time to mow and time to.. and I still have walls to make. Anyone one else want to come llock in with this stuff lol!!

[Stytooner]

Looks great. Path Pilot is the way to go on a simple lathe. The shuttle pro express also works extremely well with it. You don't have to buy the one with the Tormach logo.
The ones on Amazon are plug and play with path pilot. More buttons on it than is really needed.
If you have trouble getting it setup correctly, there are several guys on the Zone that has installed path pilot on a non Tormach lathe. I installed it on a non Tormach mill, but I was not the original trail blazer for that. Just a hobo on that train to better operation through Path Pilot.


You have a great team of setup specialists there as well. They did an excellent job.

[daddo]

I notice it doesn't have a feed rod for the carriage. Is this a cnc only?

[Stytooner]

Probably so.
There is really no reason any longer to use the change gears, but more importantly, Path Pilot can handle just about any thread size and pitch you would want with the right tool. With a Shuttle Pro or other pendant, you have control of .0001" steps. I would venture to say that is much better than manual.