[Spinnetti]

1. Is there a light in the full enclosure? Seems like a big oversight if not - I didn't see one in any of the materials. Sure would be nice to be able to get it with the full enclosure to start with and save some money and install hassle.
2. Looks like it comes with the controller/computer (as opposed to the mill you can get without)? Seems odd that it comes with computer but no display/keyboard.
3. I know lots of turret fanboi's here, but whats the advantage of that over Gang tooling? (gang is faster). I'll never have more tools than the gang plate can do. Any considerations I'm not thinking about?

Thanks.

[tmarks11]

Full enclosure is the way to go, IMHO. Coolant in a lathe is messier than coolant on a mill.

[mountaindew]

From a programming point of view I see the gang tooling being a little tight in many cases. Easy for a tool along that axis to crowd into work piece when another tool is in use.
I don't have a sbl and only see this when setting up sprutcam operations for the machine. And I haven't seen many examples of how to setup tool plates, Betting there is some tricks I'm missing on order, placement depth, spacing or something else.
Something to consider.

[menzzer37]

There's no light in the enclosure.

[LeeWay]

Waterproof LED spots are cheap and easy to install. I put one on each side of my mill enclosure for less than $50 total. It is like daylight on my mill with very few shadows.
My little lathe uses gang tooling. I like it. My parts are very small though. 1" diameter or less. My first position is a QCTP. I mainly use a parting tool in there to do facing profiles and cut offs. I have two other positions that use TTS tool holders. ER collets. They usually have a drill bit in each. 1 is a 3/16". I use it as a center drill, but it allows me to make bushings with a 3/16" ID.
The other is .25" drill. I have several tools setup for the QCTP. They are quick and easy to swap in when I need them. So three standard tools and 3 that I manually swap out gives me a lot of versatility. Mach 3 handles them well.

I try to set my Z positions within .1" of each other on my standard 3 tool set. X positions in mine are each about 2" apart. This gives plenty of clearance on tools at the chuck.
A turret would be nice, but you still have tool/chuck clearance issues with them.
5C collets instead of a chuck might be a better chioice.

[Spinnetti]

Thanks for the replies...

Leeway - what lights did you use?

[LeeWay]

These are what I used on my mill.
LE 10W Super Bright Outdoor LED Flood Lights, 100W Halogen Bulb Equivalent, Daylight White, Security Lights, Floodlight - - Amazon.com

Very bright.

[Spinnetti]

thx.

[sanddrag]

Anyone know of any waterproof fluorescent fixture? It may be more diffused than LED. I don't want to see spots after getting blinded by a light. Also, does anyone know what the big knockout in the top of the enclosure is for? I'm thinking a status light in there would be cool. Finally, I don't like that the turret can run with the enclosure open. It seems like a simple software option, but a serious safety hazard.

[tmarks11]

Finally, I don't like that the turret can run with the enclosure open. It seems like a simple software option, but a serious safety hazard.

The door has a microswitch that disables the spindle, but I do't think you would want to disable the turret. It doesn't swing fast enough to do much injury, and it would be a PIA to change tools if you had to shut the door every time you wanted to index it to a new position to load a tool. A safety circuit like that would be one that quickly gets bypassed by the end user, reducing overall machine safety.

[adamvs]

I use a combo of QCTP and gang tools, mostly gang tooling for doing axial stuff, eg, drilling, tapping, some boring, etc. For gang tools I give them a negative tool number in SpritCAM, which you can't do in the dialog box, but can do in the settings below the the operations tree on the left of the screen. The SprutCAM post processor is modified to recognise when two gang tools are used in sucession, so it draws the carraige back a bit to a safe Z and indexes to the next tool, no 'Cycle Start' required. For QCTP I've gotten pretty good at reaching under the shroud and changing a tool. Main advantage to this is price, Upgrading to a turret would be about 5K, I can't justify that yet. As far as coolant splatter goes, I made a guard for the headstock end of the machine out of a piece of 1/16th lexan ( about $20 ), which not only works really well, but is coverred with coolant the moment you start cutting something. Other than that I have a piece of clear vinyl sheet hanging down from the shroud. You'll get coolant mist out the back, but not much. I've been making a variety of wierd stuff out of aluminum, titanium and hardened 4130 ( Rockwell C30 ), repeatability is within a tenth or two. I'm like'n this tool!

[300sniper]

Also, does anyone know what the big knockout in the top of the enclosure is for?

I have not seen the Tormach but my turning center has a hole in the top of the enclosure for a coolant mist collector.