|
Taig
lathe: 
The
Taig lathe is not set up for CNC although there are some
conversions available for it. I needed a small, inexpensive,
sturdy and accurate lathe which could be used
for metal turning and woodturning, and could also be easily
modified (as I had many modifications and improvements
in mind to adapt the machine for my purposes).
The Taig lathe fit these requirements
One of my planned modifications was to convert the lathe
for CNC. The Taig cross-slide is lead screw driven, however
the carriage is not. The carriage is driven by
a rack and pinion arrangement. This is great for manual
use because it allows rapid traverse of the entire carriage
length. I wanted to keep this feature for manual operation
but I did not consider it rugged enough, or accurate
enough for
a
stepper
motor drive. Some Taig lathe CNC converters would
disagree and have driven the rack and pinion itself.
My
decision was to augment the rack and pinion arrangement
with a lead screw which could be engaged or disengaged
by use of a "split nut". Essentially a "split nut" is just
that, a nut split in half. By "clamping" it onto
a lead screw or "unclamping" it from the lead
screw it can be engaged and disengaged. This modification
has the advantage
of not only
preparing the lathe for CNC by supplying a lead screw for the
carriage axis, but also during manual turning it provides
for a smooth
rate of feed which greatly improves finishes.
As I planned my lead screw conversion I was given a great amount
of help and encouragement from Alan
Pinkus who had come up with a good design for a lead screw
addition to the Taig which I used as the basis for my own (thanks
Alan!)
In addition to the carriage lead screw/split-nut modification
on my lathe, I have also made a number of other modifications
and
improvements, and created a number of accessories to make using
the lathe easier. There are links below to descriptions
and photos of these.
It should be noted I also
own
a larger
milling machine, a Grizzly
gearhead mill/drill G1126 ,and have
access to larger metal lathes through work and friends. Some,
if not all,
of the modifications I have made and accessories I have created
require these larger machines. Having said that, a lot of Taig
lathe owners actually use a milling
attachment on the lathe to
accomplish some truly amazing things despite the size limitations
 Misc. pictures
of my Taig lathe
Accessories,
modifications and improvements
Carriage
lead screw/split-nut modification
Duplicator
for wood turning
Some
lathe projects
Last
changed
March 19, 2003
|
