If you get the drawbar, be sure to get the foot pedal with it. When changing tools, you need to remove a tool, install another tool, and hold the drawbar button. That's three jobs, and you only have two hands. With the foot pedal, tool changes are much easier.
Frederic
[URL="http://www.pure-geometry.com/"]Pure Geometry LLC[/URL]
Vertical Lathe tool holders and more.
+1 there. Tormach should just omit the pendant and include the foot pedal. Impractical without it.Originally Posted by TXFred
If anyone needs the foot pedal, let me know. Mine has been used maybe 10 times and then I got the ATC and I dont use it now.
Shoot me a PM if interested
David
Foot pedal sounds like a good idea. I might be if the price is right....
I skipped ordering the foot pedal with my PDB. I can see how it could be an advantage in some situations, but I've gotten pretty comfortable with holding the outgoing and incoming toolholders both in one hand while the other operates the push buttons, and I rarely have any trouble with this approach. I avoided the foot pedal out of an (apparently futile) attempt to minimize clutter around my machine; in particular, an extra cord on the floor was something I didn't want, plus the pedal and handle seems like it could get in my way when moving around the machine with armloads of stuff. A minor consideration, to be sure, but it does turn out that I'm happy enough without the foot pedal. I've thought about rigging up a foot pedal suspended from the bottom of my stand, so it's in a fixed location off the floor and has no loose wiring, but so far I haven't been motivated enough to get away from my two-handed tool change approach to bother with the extra project.
In short, I'd rate the pedal as optional, depending on personal preferences. I can easily see how some people may encounter excessive hassle with the two-toolholders-in-one-hand approach that I use if your hands don't quite fit both toolholders comfortably at the same time. The footpedal is an option you can easily order at any time and add with trivial effort, so you might want to try without first and see if you find yourself wishing you had the pedal. One of the great things about Tormach's product lineup is that you get to pick-and-choose all of your accessories and install them yourself after machine delivery at any time; I don't think they have a single factory-installed option that you need to choose before ordering your machine. As somebody who bought the "whole nine yards" when I ordered my machine, I now advise potential Tormach customers to order a fairly minimal setup to get started, and then upgrade as your skills and needs expand.
I also didn't get the foot pedal with the PDB. Don't really seem to need it. I can see whrere the foot pedal could be advantageous but one can really do OK without it.
Don
Must admit, I started without the foot pedal, then put it on after 2 months. Would hate to go back.
seems as though the PDB and TTS is a popular option ... also seems to be arguments on both sides of the fence regarding pull out. some saying it should never happen with proper DOC and speed/feed - others saying its a risk...
Seems that the 30 taper spindle and a kurt style DB would be a good option. i think it would be cheaper initially though tool holders are more expensive. also that option eliminates the potential ATC upgrade.
will a kurt style DB work with the Tormach? other than the cost of tool holders and the ATC limitation - any other reasons to exclude this option?
Hoping to place an order soon - trying to finalize my initial component list
Having used R8 holders/TTS with a manual DB and using TTS with a PDB I will never go back to using a manual DB again. No argument just my opinion from personal experience. BTW I never had a pull out with TTS.
Don
I use the PDB and have had pullout on TTS tools (chiefly a long 3/8" EM chattering in Alu), but I still wouldn't want to go back to the manual DB and R8. No foot pedal for me either.
Hmm.. ok, wonder if the TTS spring stack is insufficient? Regardless If I can sell my CNC'd Rong-fu, I'll get the 1100 with PDB/TTS... Meanwhile I've been going crazy on ebay and cragslist selling off stuff to help pay for it
FWIW, I have a beta PDB. The Belleville stack was increased (by 2 I think) on the production units. Except for that one part, nothing else has been a problem.
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