Thread: Interesting combined Mill/Lathe

I have always been intrigued by combined machines. Live tooling on a lathe, laser engraving head on a CNC mill, 3D print head on a CNC machining centre, et c.


In Australia, there was this "teaching" machine, the Adept CIM:

Adept1.jpg
Adept2.jpgAdept3.jpg

which I had thought about locating/buying. There is one up in the Blue Mountains.
..but the milling spindle only moves in the Z, thus not really a combined machine,
because you can't mill stuff in the lathe chuck.
So, a bit limited, and common sense prevailed.


Then, I just saw this on a FaceBook, in the "CNC Sales Australia" group:

https://www.facebook.com/commerce/li...4511297700573/









$5,500. Probably USD. And probably sans shipping.


I guess technically, it is just a router with an additional rotating C axis spindle, but I like that it is off the side away from the table!

That's a very nice machine.
I'm pretty sure a smart man like you, could build a unit like that.
When will the WIP reports start, and don't forget, plenty of pics please?
Kryn

That looks like a serious machine.

Having built a CNC milling router in the past, my advice will be to ensure the router is electrically/electronically in working order. No compromise in this aspect as this separates a working CNC mill from a pile of scrap.

Saw a video clip on making a mill for a small lathe and thought it may be of interest to someone.
Nowhere near as good, but for starting out it may be acceptable.
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...790#post215790

Thanks for that Kryn.

+ I like the way he has used the lathe chuck as the milling cutter holder.

+ Feed/lead screw for the carriage becomes power feed for X on the mill !

- The slotted table extends over the side of the small saddle rails.
A bit unstable - t'would rock the saddle?

Where there's a will, there's a rich relative Oops sorry wrong quote, there's a way.
Have seen on you tub where people have made a metal lathe also.

Fascinating, a few things I would do differently though. But it looks like it takes light cuts at least.

I recently saw something (in the last few days) working on a similar principle. It was an attachment that may have been a commercial prototype from somewhere between the 50's to 70's or so by the look of it. It was an overhead attachment for a Southbend 9. Belt driven from the lathe spindle and then transferred to an overhead spindle. And attached to the bed in two places.

Thing I wonder about is the ability of the bed V ways to properly support the saddle considering the milling forces and vibration. And considering the dovetail slide is preferable for milling though linear slides also seem to work.

And the rocking of the saddle as mentioned by Nigel.

Further thoughts? Might be a cool thing to make for the fun of it and also for light milling jobs? But taking it easy so as not to ruin your lathe saddle.

You mean something like this?

D7507C14-D164-45E1-A8B5-0EEAB1B33EC7.jpg

It was stated as a copy of the Target milling attachment and was sold by a British bloke who actively restores Myford lathes near Seaford SA.

The attachment appears to be centered by the tailstock, driven by the spindle and pivoted onto one side depending on the direction of rotation (based on my crude interpretation).

Here is a video showing the attachment in action (not showing any actual cutting):

https://www.facebook.com/raymond.mar...ibextid=W9rl1R

Interesting attachment.

The one I saw and mentioned earlier is this vertical attachment:
Looks very light duty but clever and interesting. Limited usage application but I kind of like it.

SB9millattach.jpg

That one based on a south bend is really interesting. This is my odd multifunction machine, a UW1. It has some compromises but is a surprisingly competent lathe and mill (and a pretty average drill, slotter and saw (i don't have the saw bits)

It is best as a lathe though, and by a very long way, it has stops amd power feed on Z and X but X requires putting a gearbox on and a telescoping driveshaft and is not really worth the hassle unless horizontal milling.

Its also pretty pointless using vertically unless you need the last inch of negative Y travel.



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That's a brilliant machine tool, the UW1!
Here's one I once saw in the flesh nd thought it was the ant's pants:

http://www.lathes.co.uk/adcock&shipl...ation/img1.jpg

Wow Joe! Not just a combined mill/lathe, but also a drill press and surface/universal grinder.

I have never seen something so bizarre, because...



1) The various functions are obviously meant to all be used at once:
img0.jpg
(by a team of white dust coat wearing operators )

I wonder if the work is passed clockwise?
From lathe to mill.
From mill to drill press.
From drill press to surface grinder.


2) The grinder is adjacent to the lathe.
In fact, it is slightly higher than the lathe bed,
so the grinding dust sprays onto it???

img3.jpg





I guess a combined machine like this has the benefit of a huge heavy base,
for rigid machining stability, and could share coolant tank/pump.


It seems odd to me, though. Sort of like setting up machines in your workshop,
and having them fixed in that position forever without possibility of a re-org?

These machines were typically setup in ships' workshops, where space and rigidity could be an issue. I'm also not sure if the various functions could be used at the same time, white coats or not, because I believe some of the spindles shared motors - at least I thought they did.