Have you ever wanted to add a lathe to your shop, but just didn’t have the room?

Users of CNC mill and CNC routers speak a similar language. Both are well aware of the challenges that finding the right speeds and feeds recipes entails, the obsession over finding new tools, and using CAM to make parts come to life.

While we all know the importance of picking the right machine tool for the right job, it’s important to remember that there is so much more to making chips than just the mill or lathe you are using. Choosing the right tools and workholding for your job is just as important, if not more so!

About a year ago, Titan Gilroy, from Titans of CNC, picked up a 770M for their shop. Since then, he’s been busy testing and learning about with the middle range of Tormach’s mills has to offer.

Sometimes, there can be a lot to CNC machining – everything from computer programming to materials science is involved – but paying attention to a few things can make a big difference in the parts that you make. Here are six little things that can make a big difference with your CNC machining.

If you ask five CNC machinists the same question, you’re bound to get seven answers. But that doesn’t mean they're indecisive, just there are many different ways to perform any given CNC operation. That being said, there is no 100% right or wrong way to cut aluminum, but here are a few things to keep your eyes on when buying end mills.