[Walter7]

I'm interested to buy a new 4 or 5 axis Taig setup, and from my understanding Taig only sells the 3 axis mill setup. If price is not an issue, who or what small company sells the best 4 axis setup or conversion who has the best support, too....? Is there a clear frontrunner?

Thank you!

[awerby]

Taig does offer a rotary 4th axis table and tailstock, either as an upgrade to an existing mill or along with the purchase of a new one. We're authorized Taig/Microproto distributors, and can offer you a discount on it, as well as a selection of software, chucks and other accessories to help you make best use of it. We do support these products, as does Taig. I'm not sure about 5th axis setups, though; there are a few people offering trunnions that might fit the Taig, but I haven't heard from anybody who's using them successfully.

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

[Scottluther]

I was wondering if you could mount a rotary on the z axis with a high speed spindle for the 5 axis. I am intending to use for jewelry. I thought about the trunnion table approach but it doesn't leave much room in the Z axis after you use about 2" to top of 4 axis table, another 2" for the 5 axis rotary, and then you have the chuck on the rotary.

Has anyone tried to put a rotary on the tiag Z axis?

[awerby]

Usually the trunnions use a dropped table suspended from the rotary table to compensate for the loss of height. The surface of the trunnion should be at the A axis zero point. On the other hand, trying to put a swiveling/tilting mechanism on the Taig's Z axis would use up all the headroom pretty quickly; I've never heard of anybody doing that. But if you manage to work it out, please post a picture...

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

[Bob La Londe]

For jewelry? I know one high end jeweler modestly well, and he does ultra fine media lost wax for a lot of custom stuff. He cuts the wax blank on a pretty small 4 axis mill. Unless you are planning to do something like a huge indian squash blossom (not usually considered high end (or usually done from a mold), but some are really good) I don't really see working envelope as a huge problem. You planning to make tiarras?

A Taig 2019CR has a 12X/5.5Y/6Z envelope stock out of the box. Both X and Y can be expanded atleast an inch fairly easily. With Z if you are working higher off the table there is room to mount your spindle a little higher. Remember though you do not have to clear the 4th axis with the spindle. You just have to clear your workpiece.

Deepgroove1 Paul Heinrich (spelling?) on Ebay has some decently priced Taig packages, and he has a really nice looking 4th axis now. Jeff Birt (Soigeneris) is another guy to talk to about setting up a Taig. He has setup as many different Taig machines as anybody. I chat with both of them when I need to do something on my Taig mill.