Wanted - Precision Lathe with automatic thread gearing system.

Hi and welcome.

The reason for gears is simple, they physically connect the spindle to carriage so you can make accurate and repeatable threads. They are cheap and durable and have gotten the job done for centuries.

Im pretty sure almost every lathe under about $10k is used by a hobbyist or very small job shop. Production shops generally have very little space for manual equipment and their staff can probably program a CNC machine faster than using a manual anyway.

So, like every other market, products are built for the demand. Many lathe owners never do threading so adding several hundred dollars to a machine for an already price conscious market doesn’t make sense.

John
 
JimDawson said:
We've been doing that way for the last 200 years so why change now? :)

You are correct, today it would be relatively inexpensive to have lathes come equipped with electronic lead screws. Most likely would be less expensive than a quick change gearbox or even manual change gears. I think the manufacturer's really have no incentive to do it, if there was a market, then it would happen.

But the real question is: Why use a lead screw at all? All manual lathes have a rack & pinion carriage drive. Just drive the carriage with that for threading. Add a linear scale and a pneumatic backlash compensator and start threading. Add a drive on the X axis and you have a full CNC.
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This I will learn more about, Thanks!
 
Winegrower said:
Welcome, you have an impressive learning curve. Perhaps you should drop the connectors and start a lathe business, blow those no- nothings away.
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I'm seriously thinking to do so. I would supply a fully loaded quality true "ELS" system (with many different kinds of methods for increase of accuracy) fairly priced and open sourced for each and every manual lathe out there from cheap AC/DC lathe to monster engine lathes. So that no one would never ever have to do a "5 min" gear change on a manual lathe. Might not be big deal but it wouldn't hurt to have on a lathe you really love.

I could be thinking ahead of myself :)
 
rajhliux said:
I could be thinking ahead of myself :)
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Bingo.....


Lots of people on this forum have given you lots of good advice in an impressively short timeframe.

Seems you’ve been in ‘talk mode’ quite a bit more than ‘listen mode’. Please go back and read what others have said. It’s good stuff.

Or go start a CNC lathe business... your choice.
 
JRaut said:
Bingo.....


Lots of people on this forum have given you lots of good advice in an impressively short timeframe.

Seems you’ve been in ‘talk mode’ quite a bit more than ‘listen mode’. Please go back and read what others have said. It’s good stuff.

Or go start a CNC lathe business... your choice.
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Well i disagree with your statement of my "talking mode". I've read and re-read all the comments, and I am still in a delima. I think I am going to buy a used lathe and modify it with an "ELS" system or perhaps buy a new lathe with an ELS system. I still need to be sure before I dump thousands of dollars as a new beginner.
 
I think you are back to the start here. If you buy the Jet and install an ELS, you still can't cut tapered threads. No taper attachment, unless I missed something.
 
If you want to cut tapered threads, a CNC lathe will do the job. Also a CNC mill with a threadmill cutter.

Modifying a lathe with an ELS will cost between $400 and $1,000. The Clough42 ELS is the least expensive way currently. The Rocketronics ELS is around $500 more but is more versatile since it incorporates a cross feed drive. It is capable of cutting tapered threads. AFAIK, it is however, only removed from a full CNC lathe, capble of running G code, by the controller. It may make more sense to just build/buy a CNC lathe.
 
If you are going into (or have already started) a business you will be dollars ahead to judiciously invest in the equipment needed to be successful from the start. Research what others in your industry are doing and don't assume you can do it better, cheaper, or with a greater success. There are many good reasons that most industries source components or products from overseas, and the ones that are successful building everything in the US mostly have long standing relationships/contracts with their customers.

You would not be the first person, or even the first on this forum to explore the possibility of running a small manufacturing business to serve an under-served segment of a market you are familiar with. We have many members who are doing it now and might be able to offer both manufacturing, and business advice if you ask and are willing to listen.

From what I've read your machine requirements really dictate a CNC machine for the accuracy and ease of use desired. There are new units available from Tormach. https://tormach.com/machines/lathes.html And a wide range of used commercial equipment available if you have the space and power.

If you don't have the money and/or space here is a thread on a very nice CNC lathe project done by one of our members for inspiration.

https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/home-made-cnc-lathe-using-servos.74039/

This is a great forum with many knowledgeable members who pursue this "hobby" while working in industry of after retiring from a career in where they did this kind of stuff for a living. Me, I'm just a hack but I can't tell you how grateful I am to have this community to help me along.

Cheers,

John
 
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