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Mini lathe CNC Conversion - Work in progress

Discussion in 'CNC Lathes' started by Justinat, May 27, 2014.

Mini lathe CNC Conversion - Work in progress

Mini lathe CNC Conversion - Work in progress

Discussion in 'CNC Lathes' started by Justinat, May 27, 2014.

My on going build of CNC Mini Lathe

CNC Mini Lathe
  1. Justinat

    Justinat New
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    #1 Justinat, May 27, 2014
  2. bobt

    bobt Well-Known
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    OK justinat what is the base machine (MFG, Model and such) because it look alot like an older SIEG C3. I was just wondering what changes might have to be done to convert one of the standard mini lathes such as this.
    [​IMG]
    Maybe some small changes will make it useful.

    Bob
     
    #2 bobt, May 28, 2014
  3. Justinat

    Justinat New
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    Its a Clarke 12in bed. Basically the same as your pic there are a bunch of companies that brand these lathes. Mine was purchased a few years ago from tractor supply.

    I started off with a 1605 ball screw and mounts ( got them from automation technology but they are available from a bunch of sources ) for the carriage

    The cross slide was a little more challenging as a small ballscrew setup is pricey so I decided to go with acme lead screw single start 3/8 righthand( From McMaster ) and a Delran zero backlash Nut ( From Dumpster CNC ) - At this stage I'm still working out the bearing setup for the Leadscrew

    The electronics I went with a Gecko G540 and 381 oz stepper motors a index pulse board and Variable speed control ( From cnc4pc.com )

    my goal is to have a machine that's capable of making small parts and treading.

    the one down side I see with these machines is they were never intended to be more than a hobbyists machine and stock they have a very rough build quality. I had this one sitting around so I thought it would be a good learning experience.
     

    Attached Files:

    #3 Justinat, May 28, 2014
    Mark Carew likes this.
  4. TadB

    TadB New
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    I have actually seen a conversion kit for the harbor freight lathe. O am currently in the planning stage of taking a jet mini wood lathe and automating it. So look forward to seeing more of your build.
     
    #4 TadB, Apr 25, 2015
    T619 likes this.
  5. stargeezer

    stargeezer Journeyman
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    Hi. I was wondering if there's been any progress? I'm wanting to build a CNC lathe to go with the rest of my automated shop and I'm looking for direction and perhaps a bit of inspiration too.

    I keep debating if I should follow the path you are following with a "doner" lathe of some sort, or just start from scratch building the whole thing. I should add that I'm not looking for a big lathe either, one in the 12-16" length would work fine as long as the spindle is hollow.

    You fan,
    Larry
     
    #5 stargeezer, Jul 17, 2015
  6. stargeezer

    stargeezer Journeyman
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    Thanks Justintime, I had looked at the mini at Harbor Freight and assumed that was the red one pictured above. As I think you surmised, I'm looking for 3/4-1" bore through the chuck to accommodate threaded rod and other CNC project parts. We live between Chicago and St. Louis (exactly 150 miles each way), both of which have a lot of small machine shops. I'm watching ebay and craigslist for a viable donner machine - not too big, not too small, just right. :)
     
    #6 stargeezer, Jul 18, 2015
  7. winand

    winand Well-Known
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    This is an interesting build!
    Keep us informed please :thumbsup:
     
    #7 winand, Jul 20, 2015
  8. Thomas Crawford

    Thomas Crawford New
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    So what ever happened with this ??? o_O
     
    #8 Thomas Crawford, Feb 10, 2017
  9. MStillman1966

    MStillman1966 New
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    Here is my first attempt at integrating a Jet Mini lathe into a 3 Axis system.
    I will be making fishing lures/plugs.
    I expect the XY axis to profile the lure while the lathe is spinning on slow.
    then will manually index the spin for drilling eyes and other holes (Z axis)

    I'm in Ft. Lauderdale area. anybody local that builds and fishes??
     

    Attached Files:

    #9 MStillman1966, Mar 13, 2018
    MaryD likes this.
  10. T619

    T619 New
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    I have the Harbor Freight mini lathe , their is a company that makes the CNC parts to mount the steppers.
     
    #10 T619, May 8, 2018
  11. stargeezer

    stargeezer Journeyman
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    Hello, I'm following a simular path to your lathe conversion. So far I have a grizzly mini lathe connected to a z/y axis frame with digital speed control.

    I'll try to get some pics up soon and thanks for posting your jpeg.
     
    #11 stargeezer, May 8, 2018
  12. Steve123

    Steve123 New
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    A Youtuber has freely published his mini lathe conversion plans. Franco has links to his Fusion 360 files in the video description.

     
    #12 Steve123, May 28, 2018
    Michael.M likes this.

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