Duality Lathe or vertical lathe with 1100?

[Gundawg]

I was sold on the duality lathe as an option for a part I make but now I am second guessing that after doing a search and several people saying they would not buy one if they had it to do over. I am not a cad / cam wizard but I get by drawing 2d parts for my router. I am wondering how hard it is to write code for making some simple profiles. I need to make these parts (photo attached) from 1" 6061 AL. This will be a two step approach I have a manual indexer to do the mill operations but I need to turn the profiles. I have made these parts on my manual machines but they take too long so I have been outsourcing them to a CNC shop. The problem is I have to order a bunch to get the price down and I sit on them for about 1 1/2 years. I would like to make them a few at a time as I need them.

I have other parts to make with the mill as well or I would just buy a CNC lathe. The question is buy the duality lathe with the mill or try and use the mill as a vertical lathe?


Here are some pictures of the shafts and the Fish tables I make the shafts fit into fishing rod holder mounts. The tables are made on my CNC router.

Thanks Mike

[bobeson]

If I were just making that part, I would probably put it into an R8-shank ER40 collet and turn it vertically, then use the 4th axis to finish it. As a Duality owner who is generally unsatisfied with the product, I will say that it would likely turn this part just fine, once you find the wee little intersection of tooling, feeds & speeds that allows you to make the cut without stalling the spindle motor. Setting up the duality for one operation is kind of a pain though. If I were you I'd get the 1100 & 4th axis first and see how vertical turning works out for this part. Then pick up the Tormach PCNC lathe when it comes out in a few more months

[Gundawg]

If I were just making that part, I would probably put it into an R8-shank ER40 collet and turn it vertically, then use the 4th axis to finish it. As a Duality owner who is generally unsatisfied with the product, I will say that it would likely turn this part just fine, once you find the wee little intersection of tooling, feeds & speeds that allows you to make the cut without stalling the spindle motor. Setting up the duality for one operation is kind of a pain though. If I were you I'd get the 1100 & 4th axis first and see how vertical turning works out for this part. Then pick up the Tormach PCNC lathe when it comes out in a few more months

Thanks Bob I am leaning that way and I just talked to Tormach about a 4th axis I already own and it sounds like I could use the one I have. When I bought my ShopBot router in 08 I bought a 4th axis indexer. I was new and had not used this CNC equipment before and through my own ignorance I thought the indexer worked like a lathe and was going to make that part with it. After getting the router and learning the capabilities of it I found that it was not the right tool for the job (indexer not router). It seems I may now be able to make use of that indexer for cutting the flats on the mill and drilling the hole in the proper position. I will try and make the turning portion on the mill as a vertical lathe. It helps to talk this stuff out when you lack in experience.

Thanks Mike

[Gundawg]

Here is a picture of the indexer I have now. The chuck is designed for wood but I figure I could buy another chuck. It is a stepper motor and I took a picture of the plug out of curiosity would that plug directly into the Tormach or would I need another plug?

Thanks Mike

[Wog]

Another option would be to mount the part vertically in a 5C fixture on the table and cut the hex with an endmill. You wouldn't have to mount the 4th axis/indexer.
If you are already turning the alum down to a little under 1" to clean it up, it will fit in a standard 1" 5c collet.

[dbrija]

I was sold on the duality lathe as an option for a part I make but now I am second guessing that after doing a search and several people saying they would not buy one if they had it to do over. I am not a cad / cam wizard but I get by drawing 2d parts for my router. I am wondering how hard it is to write code for making some simple profiles. I need to make these parts (photo attached) from 1" 6061 AL. This will be a two step approach I have a manual indexer to do the mill operations but I need to turn the profiles. I have made these parts on my manual machines but they take too long so I have been outsourcing them to a CNC shop. The problem is I have to order a bunch to get the price down and I sit on them for about 1 1/2 years. I would like to make them a few at a time as I need them.

I have other parts to make with the mill as well or I would just buy a CNC lathe. The question is buy the duality lathe with the mill or try and use the mill as a vertical lathe?


Here are some pictures of the shafts and the Fish tables I make the shafts fit into fishing rod holder mounts. The tables are made on my CNC router.

Thanks Mike

Read through Scott_M's posts. He is the vertical lathe master. I have a Duality and I'll likely just use his methods instead.

[philbur]

I don't think a direct drive stepper is going to be of much use. No torque (you will need a maual lock, then you may as well use a proper manual indexer) and low resolution steps.

Phil

Here is a picture of the indexer I have now. The chuck is designed for wood but I figure I could buy another chuck. It is a stepper motor and I took a picture of the plug out of curiosity would that plug directly into the Tormach or would I need another plug?

Thanks Mike

[TXFred]

If you're going to get a Duality, it makes more sense to just get a regular 7x14 lathe and convert it to CNC. Then you can have it set up full time, with no need for it to be on the Tormach's table taking up space.

That's the approach I'm using. And I plan to use the vertical lathe mode of the Tormach as well for certain projects, such as finishing TTS blanks into complete tool holders.

Frederic

[WOTDesigns]

I have read over and over about the duality lathe stalling. having never seen one I have always wondered: couldn't one just add a better/larger motor?

I think one of the OP concerns was programing for the vertical lathe. it would be one heck of a neat learning experience, but how challenging is it? could one use a turning cam and change the axis on the program or post to create g code for the vertical lathe?

[Gundawg]

If you're going to get a Duality, it makes more sense to just get a regular 7x14 lathe and convert it to CNC. Then you can have it set up full time, with no need for it to be on the Tormach's table taking up space.

That's the approach I'm using. And I plan to use the vertical lathe mode of the Tormach as well for certain projects, such as finishing TTS blanks into complete tool holders.

Frederic

I have 2 manual lathes now far superior to a 7x14 but they are not CNC and I am not wanting a project I want something to use right out of the box. The turning on the mill interest me though and the video's I have seen on here look like it is not that dificult if I can figure out the programing.

Mike

[philbur]

The turning ops on those parts look minimal and very simple. You should be able to do the turning on a dozen of those in a decent lathe in the time it would take you to change and set the part depth 12 times in your mill!

Phil

I have 2 manual lathes now far superior to a 7x14 but they are not CNC and I am not wanting a project
Mike

[davidperry3]

Read through Scott_M's posts. He is the vertical lathe master. I have a Duality and I'll likely just use his methods instead.

+1
The Duality is what you call "a lesson learned the hard way".