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Posted by Winston on September 25, 2008, 12:39 pm
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Brian Lawson wrote:
> wrote:
(...)
> Hey Winston,
>
> Super answer!! Wish we could all take the time to do that nice stuff.
Thank you, sir.
> I agree with what you say. CNC versus manual machines is the
> equivalent to doing thesis work in chemistry after the junior year.
> You still need to know the basics.
>
> Now CAD-CAM, on the other hand, is a way to produce acceptable
> drawings without the draftsman's full skill-set. Makes life and
> learning easy.
I love CAD! (Yay Rhino! http://www.rhino3d.com/ )
An intro drafting course would be a great idea. If none are available,
careful attention to competent drawings will reveal hints on how to
represent an item clearly and how to dimension it properly.
Hint:
1) Let your drawing 'cool' over night. Look at it the next
morning from the perspective of the machinist who has to make
the part.
2) Chuckle sheepishly at the specification or dimension that you
forgot. (This works for me!)
> To Vernon:
>
> (...) But if a bit more money and a bit more
> room is available, then get the two as separate tools. There are
> quite affordable separate machines in the same size range as the
> EMCO -5, for close to the same dollars.
Plus, while your son is hogging out the crankcase on the mill,
you can be turning the cylinders and pistons on the lathe.
:)
--Winston
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Posted by RB on September 25, 2008, 1:05 pm
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Brian Lawson wrote:
But if a bit more money and a bit more
> room is available, then get the two as separate tools. There are
> quite affordable separate machines in the same size range as the
> EMCO -5, for close to the same dollars.
Missed this the first time.
I don't know what the price point on this Emco is, or if there are other
considerations.
But in my observation, Emco machines, though finely built, are priced
out of proportion to their utility. And accessories are
machine-specific, expensive, and scarce.
I'd suggest (Shields up!) a new Seig Minilathe from any of the usual
suspects. Once he has the hang of that, get him the minimill next year.
Support is limitless, accessories cheap, tooling standardized.
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Posted by Maxwell Lol on September 25, 2008, 7:55 pm
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> I'd suggest (Shields up!) a new Seig Minilathe from any of the usual
> suspects. Once he has the hang of that, get him the minimill next
> year.
And you can add CNC to it later (DIY).
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Posted by Karl Townsend on September 25, 2008, 7:34 am
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> I am considering buying an Emco Compact 5 lathe with mill as a gift
> for my son. I don't know what generation the machine is. However,
> this is not a CNC capable machine.
Good choice for first machine. Do CNC later when he shows interest.
As said in the other response, if its possible to get him to a couple
classes at a tech. college he'll learn a ton. Of course, telling a young man
what he should do and having him listen is a truly rare event.
Karl
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Posted by RB on September 25, 2008, 12:37 pm
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Vernon wrote:
> While I am fascinated by machining I have neither skill nor experience
> as a machinist. Therefore, I will appreciate your help.
>
> I am considering buying an Emco Compact 5 lathe with mill as a gift
> for my son. I don't know what generation the machine is. However,
> this is not a CNC capable machine.
>
> Will we regret not finding a machine that has the CNC capability? Or
> is this the appropriate place to start. My son is studying chemistry
> and has an inventor's genius.
I recently bought the CNC version of this machine.
Same lathe, except it has the steppers in place of handwheels.
The milling attachment is the same, no CNC milling control.
This is a very fine precision lathe. It works best for brass, aluminum,
and plastic. It can be used for steel, but don't push it.
The milling setup is pretty light duty. Mine does not have a fine feed,
but yours may. If it was all I had for milling, I'd sell it ($500 on
ebay) and buy a Chinese minimill.
One good alternative I saw was divorcing the mill column from the lathe
and attaching it to it's own X-Y table.
But yes, if you can buy it right, it's a great starter lathe for a kid
of any age.
Be sure it comes with all the tooling, because each piece is expensive.
Typical factory tooling usually included:
3-jaw chuck
collet chuck for lathe
ER25 collet set
Indexer
tool-post, preferably quick-change (2 styles)
Milling table (slotted plated about 5"x6")
Milling clamps
Milling vise
I can send you pics of most of those if you need them.
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