[topchippy1]

I want to start using my 4th axis to turn spindles and newel posts.....does anyone have any thoughts on which software would be best for this....be very gratefull for any input...regards Ash

[awerby]

You can't really "turn" parts on a 4th axis like you can on a lathe. For one thing, it goes a lot slower. So you need to have a fluted tool in the spindle that revolves at a pretty fast rate, unlike a lathe where you can use a fixed tool. If you're sticking to radially symmetrical parts, the software isn't too complicated; you can use any program that will take multiple passes at a given depth of cut, starting from a profile.

But really, parts like that are best done on a lathe; it goes a lot faster, and the tooling is a lot cheaper.