Anybody see this? (Mill2Lathe)

[devers6]

I was bouncing around YouTube yesterday and ran across this outfit (Mill2Lathe.com) that offers a tooling system to allow you to do lathe work on a CNC mill, at least for short, small diameter parts. It seems like an eminently DIY'able project - all it is is a solid block with one or more lathe tools mounted so that you could use the X and Z axis feeds on the mill to do limited, but seemingly useful, CNC lathe work.

I have a CNC'ed X3 mill with the Tormach Quick Change tool system and a homebrew pneumatic draw bar (I'm going to post pics of this Real Soon Now). Even though I have a mini-lathe, the prospect of doing CNC lathe work is appealing to me, for such things as balls, contoured parts, or multiple copies of parts. I could handle 3/4" diameter stock directly with the Tormach system, and I'll bet if you kept the spindle speed down with the appropriate adapter you could mount a small (3") 3 or 4 jaw lathe chuck and handle even larger parts. It could probably handle most small jobs that don't require turning against a center in the tailstock, even single point threading with a way to get an index pulse from the spindle. I think I'm going to try it!

Here are some videos of their setup in action:

http://www.mill2lathe.com/seeitwork.html

(this is a Quicktime video from their site, better quality than the YouTube videos but takes a long time to download)

(these are links to several of the YouTube videos)

YouTube - Convert your CNC mill to a CNC lathe! MILL2LATHE.COM.COM

YouTube - Convert your CNC mill to a CNC lathe! MILL2LATHE.COM.COM

YouTube - Convert your CNC milling machine into a CNC lathe!

YouTube - Convert your CNC milling machine into a CNC lathe!

YouTube - Convert your CNC mill into a CNC lathe!

YouTube - Convert your CNC mill into a CNC lathe!

YouTube - Convert your CNC mill into a CNC lathe!

YouTube - Convert your CNC mill into a CNC lathe!

YouTube - MILL2LATHE converts your CNC mill to a CNC lathe!

YouTube - MILL2LATHE converts your CNC mill to a CNC lathe!

[wwendorf]

I'd love to be able to do this. I just don't understand how to program it.

I have to learn a lot more about G-Code before I begin something like that.

Wade

[blades]

I used to do stuff like that all the time when I ran a Bridgeport a few years back. Makes a great lathe for small diameter, simple operations. And the workpiece runs extremely true in a collet. This is a very elaborate setup though... I used to just clamp a toolbit in the vise.

[Stepper Monkey]

You can also just bolt a small lathe head to the table, line up Y to center on it, and use a convenient spot on the Z to attach the turning tools to. Sherline and Taig lathe headstocks are small enough the fit nicely under many mills. If you have a Taig or a Sherline mill you can take the whole spindle assembly off of Z and simply mount it on the table, and a chuck screws right onto the collet chuck thread. Sounds weird but it is actually quite simple - here is an example from YouTube;

YouTube - Taig CNC mill/lathe

YouTube - Taig CNC mill/lathe

[hoss2006]

It's been almost a year since I made this video, time flies when you're having fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFevPdUw23s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFevPdUw23s

It also doubles as a 4th axis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc9ntuCwTdA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc9ntuCwTdA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUd3QsPYrVQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUd3QsPYrVQ

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=hossmachine

[ironDigit]

I'll vote a taighead on my millbed.

Just because of the possiblity to use a tailstock.Wich offcourse is very nice when cutting soft materials that are ,more then twice their diameter in length.

I'll keep this one in my mind for sure.

thx.

[devers6]

Thanks for the videos, Hoss and Stepper Monkey.

While I appreciate the benefits of mounting a lathe head on the mill table (in fact I am building a 4th axis following Hoss'es approach out of a mini-lathe headstock and stepper motor), I still find myself drawn to the simplicity of the Mill2Lathe concept, specifically:

1) No moving parts in the attachment; just fixed tools. Has to be easier and faster to get going.

2) It retains the standard axis orientation for a CNC lathe - Z being along the length of the rotating work, and X moving in and out against the work. Makes it simpler for newbs like me to wrap my head around the necessary G-Code, when I am still trying to remember that my mill axis directions are different from my gantry router (it's the direction of the tool through the work, stupid!)

3) I love the concept of the axial tools (like drill bits and boring bars) sticking straight up while the work feeds into them. Must be the most rigid mounting possible.

On the other hand, not having a tailstock could be a problem for many turning jobs. I have a 7x14 minilathe (manual) so I can still do this kind of work if I need to, albeit without the benefits of CNC.

All in all, just another clever idea to add to the bag of tricks!

[hoss2006]

Just make both!
I have this old taig video in my favs for ideas, one day i'll get around to it too.
A little simpler setup than the Mill2lathe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbfXXeiSHsw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbfXXeiSHsw

The lathe head setup with tailstock can also be used with a trunnion table.
Add the 5th axis and figure out the g-code for that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0-tXDEvAqg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0-tXDEvAqg

There's more fun things out there than I have time to play with.
Hoss

[ironDigit]

when i sum this up i guess a mill2lathe kit on the Z and a taighead on the millbed(don't say taighead on the millbed to many times)would be getting the best of both worlds featuring rigid toolpositioning ,gangtooling and rigid worksetup by using a tailstock.

Can someone please explain why lathes ever got to be such a succes?

lol

[tobyaxis]

Originally Posted by ironDigit Can someone please explain why lathes ever got to be such a succes? lol

One reason could be that a Manual Lathe is the only Machine that can make itself.

Today, with the capabilities of modern cnc, and a full 4th axis you can do just about anything.

LOL, in a pinch I used to use a Bridgeport Mill as a Lathe to make pins, arbors, and fixtures. But that was old school long before I even got into this trade. Not to mention a time when a machinist was expected to do Milling and Turning unlike today where a Mill hand is a Mill hand and a Lathe hand is a Lathe hand. I still believe that a real machinist should be able to do more than just one thing

[Bob Adams]

Have you seen this site:
http://www.cad2gcode.com/cncprojects/
Bob A

[wwendorf]

Really nice site!

I've got a sherline that i'm thinking of tearing apart and mounting to my Syil X3's table. Then build some sort of plate that hangs off the head to attach tooling to and I should be set. Beat's the heck out of CNCing the Sherline (even tho I do have the stuff to do that) and then I can also mount a servo on the headstock with a gear drive for a 4th axis!!!!

Wade