Hello, been a while since I have been on here ad there are so many forums now so I hope this is the right section. I am about to buy a new lathe from Precision Matthews I was going to go with a 12x36 that I had on order but after thinking it over I think I am going to go with the 14x40bv that comes with the vfd ad then convert it to CNC.
I seen these on ebay and was wondering if anybody had any experience with them at all CNC XY Mill Drill Lathe Table Mach3 Bobcad V25 Software with 4 Axis Control | eBay
I do not plan to modify the factory carriage but rather add this on when I need to run CNC and mount it to the bed or the carriage. All the parts I need to manufacturer are all pretty small under about 6" long so there is no need to fully CNC the whole machine. So basically mount a quick change tool post to the corner of this table is what I am thinking. I have read around a little and it looks like for some reason Mach3 has issues with threading especially with stepper motors? I have never ran a CNC mill or lathe. I just have a Dynatorch Plasma table and it is really easy to program. Autocad and then convert program to code.
Anyways, will this table add on work for what I want to do? Or is there a better way or program to do this? I like the table idea so I can remove it if I need to to run manual parts. And not tear apart a new machine other than tap into the VFD. I need to try and figure something out pretty quick with a reliable solution.
I do have some stepper motors here as well as I think it is a hobby cnc board I'm not really sure what all I have. I had somebody that was starting to help me design a Plasma table and then never heard form them again and ended up getting the Dynatorch but I am not sure if I can use any of this or would be better off just buying a package like above. I also like the idea that I could remove it and mount it on a mill whenever I get one if need be. Thanks for any help or a better direction to go. I have about a top budget for CNC stuff of $2500-3000 but the cheaper the better since I am about to drop quite a bit on the new lathe.