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Congrats on the mill... I've got an older Sherline as well, and other than the underpowered Xylotex driver I put on it, it's been a great little machine for years.



You could go with the...

Definitely learn how to work with G-code yourself, it'll save a ton of time running back to your CAM program when you need to change some little thing.

That program you mention sounds interesting,...

Ah, but you don't NEED to draw a cylinder. Just work out the tool path in X and Z, the rest of the part will follow when it's spinning. :D

I use FeatureCAM at work, and even that doesn't actually...

Pretty cool find! I see they're using the old AC spindle motor and controller.

Sherline uses 20 TPI leadscrews. Post some photos of your machines! :D

Yeah...that's where I'm stuck, too. :(

I've wanted to do this for quite a while... but the speed controller issue holds me back. There are plenty of excellent ESCs available, bit I want computer control of speed and direction.

You're CNC-less? How about photoresist etching the design into brass?

Yeah, 24 volts just isn't enough to really drive a stepper. I love the Geckos I bought for my lathe, if my mill's Xylotex ever burns out like so many seem to do ( mine has been running for years now,...

Is EMC pausing for each new spindle speed command?

Thanks! :D

I'm using 381in/oz steppers from Keling on the lathe, with the Gecko drives, and the performance is incredible compared to my old Xylotex-driven mill.

I know what you're saying; I use a little SHERLINE at home, after all... and love the thing. It runs just like a scaled-down version of the big stuff.

Actually, there's an option for ya, the...

Most of the engraving I do is with 60-degree single-flute carbide engraving tools, and even in a Haas with a 10k spindle I only run them at 5000RPM or so.


Speaking of Haas machines, I work in a...

Don't forget the Mach vs. EMC debate! :D It was one of those threads that convinced me to switch to EMC.

That's why I switched to EMC from Mach, every time I asked about a special G-code or function, the answer was always "do it yourself". With EMC, there are already a bunch of programmers doing just...

Hahaha, that was awesome. :D I love this place.

Very nice!

Congrats, that sounds like quite a treasure. :D

Congrats!

I regularly use my little Sherline mill to cut parts in aluminum, steel, stainless steel, brass, copper, and some plastics. I haven't used a Taig.

My little Sherline mill came from a highschool shop class, the first thing I did was pull out the electronics and stepper motors, and replace it with a Xylotex system. If I were doing it again today...

I just realized that my above post is a bit absent-minded, and talks about the Sherline MILL, not lathe. Oops. There's a LOT more room on the lathe, and I'd love to convert mine, as well.



Nice...

Yes. I've been running my little Sherline mill that way for several years.

VERY nice work, thanks for sharing it!

Congrats!! :D

Absolutely the truth! Tool sharpening and "feeds and speeds" will turn even the best machine out there into a poorly-cutting lump if done incorrectly, or vastly improve a bargain machine if done...

I've done it for fun at work, on a Haas VMC, and at home, on my little Sherline mill:

YouTube- Using a Sherline Mill as a CNC Lathe

Your X stepper driver is wired correctly? The Step and Direction inputs are not reversed?

Your stepper drivers use 16x microstepping? What driver is this? Are you guessing at settings? You'll get accurate performance only by going through each step correctly.

Most machines that I've...

Yeah skip the swivel, it eats up Z clearance and doesn't do much that just unbolting and moving the vise won't do.