[MichaelHenry]

Has anyone hear tried the Sturges Turning Head system on a Tormach or other CNC mill?

Turn any CNC mill into a precision CNC lathe with the Sturges Turning Head

I'm wondering how well it works in practice for turning aluminum, brass, and SS, how well a 3-J or 4-J chuck installed in the 5C spindle works, and if there is any sort of resale market for these.

If purchased, I would probably be selling the Sturges when the Tormach CNC mill comes out, so resale value is an important consideration.

I'm a little surprised that it has only a 1/2 HP motor, but that is better than the "claimed" 1/3 HP that the Duality has and the Sturges looks like it could be mounted in a vise, which would really simplify switching between CNC lathe and mill operations. The built-in 5C collet chuck is a benefit for small work, too, but the manual closer looks a little awkward.

Thanks, Mike

[Steve Seebold]

Yeah but did you look at the price? By the time you buy the lathe, tooling, tailstock and compound slide, you're in it $6,840.00.

For my money, I could use the Duality Lathe, and just take a little longer.

I'm supposed to be retired, so I have nothing but time.

[philbur]

If you are over 60 then the last thing you (we) have to waste is time!!!!

Phil

I'm supposed to be retired, so I have nothing but time.

[philbur]

Michael, it sounds like you are getting a bit desperate. However 0.5 hp on what seems to be a vfd driven motor doesn't sound like a prudent buy for the asking price. It is possibly very capable within it's limitations, but for your application is it significantly better than the Duality.

Phil

[sperman]

Another thing to consider is the spindle bearings. It is much easier to damage the bearing race if the bearing isn't spinning.

[Steve Seebold]

The Sturges Turning Head looks like a sorta kinda good idea with a few exceptions. The biggest one that comes to mind is with the tools allowed to rotate, how are you going to cut a thread, or do internal work.

At $6,800.00, I think I'll wait for the Tormach lathe to come. I'm hoping it will be here next year.

If the lathe works as good as the mill, I'll have the ULTIMATE "HOBBY" shop.

[MichaelHenry]

Yeah but did you look at the price? By the time you buy the lathe, tooling, tailstock and compound slide, you're in it $6,840.00.

For my money, I could use the Duality Lathe, and just take a little longer.

I'm supposed to be retired, so I have nothing but time.

True Steve, but the Duality lathe tooling could probably be used with the Sturges, which mostly eliminates the need for the $350 (ea) toolholders and the $600 cross slide. At present most parts would be short so no need for the $1200 tailstock. That makes it a $4k deal, which is better but still quite expensive for what you get. Many parts would be bigger than 1-1/8" diameter so some sort of 5-C mounted 3-jaw or 4-jaw chuck would be needed so that adds to the cost by a few hundred.

With respect to the Duality lathe, I can live with a long run time, but threading is an issue with even very small OC (0.002") in aluminum and small DOC in SS can be a problem from the standpoint of work hardening.

Mike

[MichaelHenry]

Michael, it sounds like you are getting a bit desperate. However 0.5 hp on what seems to be a vfd driven motor doesn't sound like a prudent buy for the asking price. It is possibly very capable within it's limitations, but for your application is it significantly better than the Duality.

Phil

Phil - the 0.5 HP motor is one of my major concerns, too. Workholding is another. Some of the parts that need to be made won't fit in a standard 5C collet, though the a pot collet might work.

I'll be setting up the Duality later this week and will see how well it handles some of the non-threaded parts.

It's also looking like there is very little resale value in the Sturges which is a bit disappointing. Better to find out before buying, than after, though.

Mike

[MichaelHenry]

The Sturges Turning Head looks like a sorta kinda good idea with a few exceptions. The biggest one that comes to mind is with the tools allowed to rotate, how are you going to cut a thread, or do internal work.

At $6,800.00, I think I'll wait for the Tormach lathe to come. I'm hoping it will be here next year.

If the lathe works as good as the mill, I'll have the ULTIMATE "HOBBY" shop.

Steve,

I too am anxious for release of the Tormach lathe, but I'm guessing it will be at least 6 more months before it will be in production. That's too late for this opportunity.

Mike

[john2532]

Mike,

If you run across a Dyna-myte DM3000 lathe it might fill the void until the Tormach arrives. I have one and it works well. The resale also seems to be good. My only issue is with the 3/4" spindle bore and I'm looking to upgrade when the Tormach becomes available.

John

[MichaelHenry]

Mike,

If you run across a Dyna-myte DM3000 lathe it might fill the void until the Tormach arrives. I have one and it works well. The resale also seems to be good. My only issue is with the 3/4" spindle bore and I'm looking to upgrade when the Tormach becomes available.

John

The DM3000H has been on my short list for a while, but I haven't found locally (Chicago area).

Mike

[Steve Seebold]

Steve,

I too am anxious for release of the Tormach lathe, but I'm guessing it will be at least 6 more months before it will be in production. That's too late for this opportunity.

Mike

I've been without a lathe since 1990, so I can wait a little longer.