Brainstorming: XXI Century Mini Mill

[den-den]

XXI Century Mini Lathe - IMO it would look similar to the "mini-lathe" sold by HF and other outlets but would have electronic powered lead screw - no change gears. I would like to think it would have higher quality but that is unlikely.

 

[homebrewed]

My opinion:

If not a turnkey CNC, the 21st century lathe/mill should be CNC-ready. That includes easily upgrading to ballscrews. The (brushless) motor controller should have a tachometer display and it should have an I/O port so the CNC controller can monitor and control the spindle RPMs.

Selling a CNC-ready machine would reduce the entry cost but allow upgrades as the owner's abilities and ambitions grow.

A CNC-ready lathe should include an ELS as a subset.

A set of specifications for an "industry standard" mini-machine could drive cost down, because it would make it easy for multiple vendors to offer products for them, on the theory that competition reduces cost. But given the hobby market's cheapest-sells-best paradigm, this is an unlikely scenario.

And now I will dream about cold fusion .

 

[Weldingrod1]

This sounds like the "laser bandsaw" discussion on the podcast "home shop machinists".
I was listening to it and realized "wait, I could build that!"

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

 

[verbotenwhisky]

Yes. And because it fits real world logistics. Most shipping companies will not accept packages over 70Kg. And even then, the average person will have a lot of trouble moving a machine more than 40-45 Kg on their own.

Some people think they put plastic gears on them because they are cheap. But the real reason is safety. They know most customers see them as a curiosity / toy (with zero previous knowledge) and plastic gears are cheap insurance against building a reputation of selling people products that rip fingers and possibly hands. If you crash a mini lathe, as SIEG designed it, it's unlikely to cause you a major accident.

In that case I cannot wait to see how long it takes the CPB to mandate Saw Stop technology on them..... (sarcasm intended) I realize this isn't a table saw but it is a machine and we are actually a responsible adults; so, time to stop expecting others to be responsible for our actions.

 

[m1kemex]

In that case I cannot wait to see how long it takes the CPB to mandate Saw Stop technology on them..... (sarcasm intended) I realize this isn't a table saw but it is a machine and we are actually a responsible adults; so, time to stop expecting others to be responsible for our actions.

Wait. Being an adult is a requirement to buy or operate a mini lathe?

 

[verbotenwhisky]

Wait. Being an adult is a requirement to buy or operate a mini lathe?

In the US it is only a matter of time, that was the reference to the table saws which CPB wants to mandate Saw Stop Technology on which will eliminate the cheap saws and price the new low in saws out of reach for most hobby wood workers. I think the cost will be more of a factor than the tech but that is government protecting us from ourselves. The real answer to safety is personal responsibility, if your not certain about safety procedures then you should be adult enough to educate yourself before operating the equipment.

 

[m1kemex]

In the US it is only a matter of time, that was the reference to the table saws which CPB wants to mandate Saw Stop Technology on which will eliminate the cheap saws and price the new low in saws out of reach for most hobby wood workers. I think the cost will be more of a factor than the tech but that is government protecting us from ourselves. The real answer to safety is personal responsibility, if your not certain about safety procedures then you should be adult enough to educate yourself before operating the equipment.

I'm sorry but I'm not with you on this one. I understand your point about the "blade safety technology" being pushed onto everyone, but truth is, no matter how experienced you are, you can always hurt yourself. My dad always told me that he never forgot the first day of his classes back when he started learning to use machines in the shop: his teacher, showing his two missing fingers from a hand, simple stated that in the shop safety always comes first. And yeah, that includes "adult pride".

This guy is quite skilled and clearly explains in the video that he's never had an accident with his "big" lathe because he respects it, but got complacent with his "tiny" Sherline. So in the end, it was the tiny, seemingly innocent lathe what ended up crushing his finger:

If I understand correctly the motor started for a second (some residual charge in the capacitors or something). Enough to have a serious injury. That's why machine manufacturers try to put as many protections built in as possible.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

I'm sorry but I'm not with you on this one. I understand your point about the "blade safety technology" being pushed onto everyone, but truth is, no matter how experienced you are, you can always hurt yourself. My dad always told me that he never forgot the first day of his classes back when he started learning to use machines in the shop: his teacher, showing his two missing fingers from a hand, simple stated that in the shop safety always comes first. And yeah, that includes "adult pride".

This guy is quite skilled and clearly explains in the video that he's never had an accident with his "big" lathe because he respects it, but got complacent with his "tiny" Sherline. So in the end, it was the tiny, seemingly innocent lathe what ended up crushing his finger:

If I understand correctly the motor started for a second (some residual charge in the capacitors or something). Enough to have a serious injury. That's why machine manufacturers try to put as many protections built in as possible.

I am sorry you disagree; however, the final word on your safety lies with you, You are responsible for you. I do not expect others nor any "safety equipment to lessen my responsibility for my personal safety. If you have all the stuff they now install and you decide that it will prevent you from getting hurt then it will likely lead to the injury, we have proven this many times over in the field, most of that stuff is there for 1 of 3 reasons, 1. Insurance, 2. legal liability (CYA for lawsuits) and 3. Government mandates. A manufacturer should be expected to build a piece of equipment which will not harm you under proper intended usage following the procedures set forth in the operations manual. It isn't the manufacturers responsibility to keep you from sticking your fingers where they do not belong; and you do not want the governments idea of safety which is to place you in a rubber room naked and throw your food in like your in a zoo.

Brother Dave Gardner once said, "An Accident is nothing but premeditated carelessness", and I believe that is correct.

 

[m1kemex]

I am sorry you disagree; however, the final word on your safety lies with you, You are responsible for you. I do not expect others nor any "safety equipment to lessen my responsibility for my personal safety. If you have all the stuff they now install and you decide that it will prevent you from getting hurt then it will likely lead to the injury, we have proven this many times over in the field, most of that stuff is there for 1 of 3 reasons, 1. Insurance, 2. legal liability (CYA for lawsuits) and 3. Government mandates. A manufacturer should be expected to build a piece of equipment which will not harm you under proper intended usage following the procedures set forth in the operations manual. It isn't the manufacturers responsibility to keep you from sticking your fingers where they do not belong; and you do not want the governments idea of safety which is to place you in a rubber room naked and throw your food in like your in a zoo.

Brother Dave Gardner once said, "An Accident is nothing but premeditated carelessness", and I believe that is correct.

I read in a book (very interesting book, BTW) that such an idea comes back all the way from Antiquity. Aristotle believed we were perfectly rational beings; and we are not. It was Freud who popularized the notion of the subconscious, or the part of our thoughts we're not in control of, or even aware about.

Machine protections are for our real self, not the idealized one.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

I read in a book (very interesting book, BTW) that such an idea comes back all the way from Antiquity. Aristotle believed we were perfectly rational beings; and we are not. It was Freud who popularized the notion of the subconscious, or the part of our thoughts we're not in control of, or even aware about.

Machine protections are for our real self, not the idealized one.

ignorance can be fixed through education and experience; but, stupid is a terminal illness. Not one piece of safety equipment has ever been invented that will prevent stupidity.

Rig rotating equipment, some the size of a house, with all the signs, stickers, warning labels, guards and barricades in place and they still have to dig some stupid bastards remains out of them on an annual basis.

Tell them in 100+ safety programs, DO NOT get under a suspended load off a crane and we still kill a few of them every year by dropping a heavy load on them.

When you get one of these guy that manages to survive an incident the most common thing you'll hear them utter, "I thought they saw me" and number 2 would be, "They didn't check the equipment". The deadly word in both those statements is they, they are not responsible for ME, I am responsible for me. Anyone on an installation can stop work including me if I believe something is unsafe, I am responsible for me!

Same rules apply to my Garage with the table saw, Lathe, Mill, Air Compressor, Law Mower. "Personal responsibility", it has become a foreign concept.