8x16 Metal Lathe Buyers Guide

[Dabbler]

@6.5 Fan I was going to suggest Rocketronics - BUT it is not a ''bolt on''. There is quite a bit to do to adapt it to your machine.

You have to mount an encoder coupled to you headstock that wil count at least 1,000 times per revolution that is compatible with the system (they are very helpful in getting you the right one)

 

[guitarchitect]

@6.5 Fan I was going to suggest Rocketronics - BUT it is not a ''bolt on''. There is quite a bit to do to adapt it to your machine.

You have to mount an encoder coupled to you headstock that wil count at least 1,000 times per revolution that is compatible with the system (they are very helpful in getting you the right one)

it's a hard thing to mass market. In the CNC side of things there's a semi bolt-on CNC solution for Grizzly and WM210-V lathes courtesy of BDTools. There's a company called ProCut CNC that makes a true bolt-on CNC solution for PM/Craftex lathes, but they don't respond to communication and have been known to take money without delivering product.

there's one newcomer to the space though, from Beryl CNC called Multiform. It's as bolt-on as you can possibly get but can't do threading, so it's a non-starter for something ELS-like. pretty cool product but the current version only has about 1.5" of Z travel

 

[6.5 Fan]

Thanks for the heads up on the ELS, need something bolt on and idiot proof, when computer talk starts my eyes glaze over and i become deaf.

 

[Susquatch]

@6.5 Fan I was going to suggest Rocketronics - BUT it is not a ''bolt on''. There is quite a bit to do to adapt it to your machine.

You have to mount an encoder coupled to you headstock that wil count at least 1,000 times per revolution that is compatible with the system (they are very helpful in getting you the right one)

1000 counts per rev eh..... That's within spitting distance of DRO Precision. Makes me wonder if a strip of that magnetic tape used in the magnetic scales of a DRO could be wrapped around the spindle of a DRO and sensed by a quadratic scale sensor to generate the required signal.

The gap might be fun. And of course I can't help but wonder how that would work at 3000 rpm. Certainly not within the scope of a standard Arduino....

 

[Dabbler]

1000 counts per rev eh..... That's within spitting distance of DRO Precision.

There are lots of encoders that achieve this, but people usually use a cheaper encoder. It is done by making a timing belt 2:1 or 3: drive to the encoder.