Simple lathe

[billp]

Now if you want to do some turnings from your local woodlot, (and aren't worried about dust collection) there's another option;
http://www.woodmizer.com/en/sawmills...athemizer.aspx

[gene]

I have a legacy wood mill and the production is not very fast. It is a very versitile tool and i have gotten myself out of a jam a few times with it . I have turned post for fireplaces and post for in bathroom decor around the hot tub bath . it seems to me if you program your bot to do the up and down cuts along the center line of the piece being turned you could turn stair parts faster on a bot than a legacy.
Magnate sells the tooling for the legacy and have a 1 1/2 " bottob cleaning bit i use to surface my table . on the legacy i use the same bit for rounding the materials . also they have good bits for lettering . Gene

[gene_marshall]

Thanks Gene,
thats a good tip.

I was refering to a raster cut vs the legacy.
I think that the legacy is a great tool, but have never used one, so my opinion of the thing could be off target.
We generally cut raster, 200 passes/inch, at a speed of 1.75/sec(with new motor 2.25/sec).
so our turnings take quite a while.

I assumed that on the legacy, once the blank was rounded, the flutes were cut in a linear fashion.

My point was that the bot can carve columns where the legacy cannot.
I also am not sure of how complicated the legacy is to set up or repeat.
AND, since the legacy is not automated The comparison is slim.
I am sure everyone here would attest to LOVING starting the bot and letting it run.
If you would rather spend the man hours... I assume a copy attachment for a lathe wouldspin the blanks... and then you could transfer the blank to the bot(or legacy) for fluting.

But with the way we cut...
the file is simple,the peices are repeatable, and the machine runs without manpower being dedicated to it.

seriously, the indexer is a good little mony maker. If you have a woodshop, and don't have the indexer...GET ONE!
That part of the market is not something to ignore.
Gene, can you post some pix of the legacy?

Thanks
Gene Marshall
Ps, Gene, does the legacy burn the flutes at the end? The bot does not.

[jhicks]

The more I hear the more inclined I am to sell the legacy. Looks like all of you who are happy are East coast or South East. Anyone in the Midwest with an indexer I could possible get together with?
The Legacy constraints on repeatability, set up, and manual operation definately are NOT the way to go in my opinion.

[gene]

Gene ,
The legacy will burn the end so what i do is to start about 1/2" forward and reverse then go forward. the largest collum i turned on the legacy was 8" x 5.5' then set it on a square base at the corners of a tub .You can index with a legacy but if i could only have 1 machine it would definately be the bot.the legacy is a good MANUAL machine where once you have a file written for the bot then there's no room for errors. Also the legacy is gear to gear driven , if it jumps a tooth then its not going to turn out right, especally on spiral work.
Gene

[Merln Kronmueller (Unregistered Guest)]

Thanks to all of you for your help. I've decided to raise the x-axis, weld up the y-axis (different post) and replace the z-axis and do some bot work and forget the legacy. Looks like we now have our post for lathe/indexer work. Chip, your stuff looks great. Love that lighthouse.
Bill (Merln)

[marshawk]

Thanks Bill,
I appreciate the kudos.

Talk to Gordon about getting a motor with a planetary gearhead for the indexer too. We just bought one and it has made a world of difference. It is a little more pricey than the stock motor, but well worth the cost.

Cheers!

Chip