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

Mistakes Happen: Turning Student Crashes into Teachable Moments with Your CNC Mill

College freshman are immersed in new experiences at the start of the fall semester – their first time away from home, shopping on a budget, and, many times, their first time coming face to face with a CNC machine. We’ve all seen them.

 Cutting threads is an important element of machining. Even if you aren’t into making your own, custom-sized threads, it still helps to know how to create them. We’ve seen customers get pretty creative with their machines and cutting methods, but with a Tormach mill, there are three main ways to cut threads.

Every machinist knows things work a whole lot better when turning if you can get your tool tip right on the centerline. During a trip to Tormach to test their CNC lathe before I got one years ago, I saw this first hand. I “eyeballed” a tool tip to center and made an OD turning pass. The cut was fine, but the finish seemed poor. So, we set the tool on centerline using the ruler trick:

 Whether you’re new to the world of turning or you’ve been using a lathe for years, it’s important to know your tools and the best way to use them. Lathe tooling designations are there to help, but they can be just as confusing as the tools themselves.

If you’re already using a mill, a natural extension of your shop would be to add turning capabilities with a lathe. CNC milling and CNC lathe work are quite similar, but there are some glaring differences that are easy to miss if you’re new to turning.