Router or Lathe

[Dman65]

I have been reading and working on a design for a router table and I have plans to convert a Harbor Freight mini lathe to CNC.

Last night I was looking to see what would be involved to CNC convert a wood lathe and now I am not sure what the best approach is. Is it better to take a wood lathe and then create a two axis system to move a cutting tool up and down the length of the item being turned and then move the tool toward and away or is it better to create a three axis system where on axis turns the piece a certain amount and then the other two axes move a router along the length and in and out. Or is there something totally different that I should be looking into?

Thanks for the help.

[ger21]

Originally Posted by Dman65 Last night I was looking to see what would be involved to CNC convert a wood lathe and now I am not sure what the best approach is. Is it better to take a wood lathe and then create a two axis system to move a cutting tool up and down the length of the item being turned and then move the tool toward and away or is it better to create a three axis system where on axis turns the piece a certain amount and then the other two axes move a router along the length and in and out. Or is there something totally different that I should be looking into? Thanks for the help.

Really depends on what you want to do. If you drive the spindle with a stepper or servo, you can set it up to work both ways. Either continuously spin it, or rotate to any position you'd like.