Advice on Wood Lathe CNC

[U B]

Hey guys ✌
Newbie here wanting advice on what kind of cnc to purchase to make wooden dolls in quantities. I am imagining a lathe type but have no clue where to start 🤷 Hit me with any info, advice etc as I will take all i can get . TIA 🙏

[BoneInspector]

Would need to know more about exactly what you make and how you plan to make it before commenting.

there are options for rotating axis machines that might fit the bill.

[U B]

480968These are the type I am wanting to make :)

[elanjacobs]

Also need an idea of how much you're able/willing to spend, if you have previous experience with CNCs, and whether you're able/willing to fiddle with a machine to get it doing what you want.

The cheaper stuff can often need fine tuning from the user; if you want something that's simply unpack, plug in and go, expect to pay a premium.

Another alternative is a manual copy lathe that works to a template such as this WOOD TURNING LATHES | Miscellaneous Goods | Gumtree Australia Canning Area - Cannington | 1255654185 (https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/cannington/miscellaneous-goods/wood-turning-lathes/1255654185) obviously not automated, but there's zero learning curve and you never have to deal with "computer says no" and the computer WILL say no on occasion, if you're lucky it will tell you why :doh:

[U B]

I am totally open to all prices at this point as I am unsure of the amount of human input I am prepared to physically do. I seriously would pay for a machine that was extremely automated even though I have zero experience with CNC... I wouldnt shy away from learning. It has been suggested to me that a copier lathe might be good but I am not really wanting to stand at a lathe all day. Would love some links or recomendations if anyone uses one....Im sure at the end of the day there will have to come a balance of price , effort and common sense....but I am seriously wanting to explore all options available.

[elanjacobs]

Well, if you want to go totally automatic, you'd need a lathe with a pneumatic chuck and powered tailstock and a robotic arm. With that goes 3-phase power, air compressor and a pretty sizeable dust extractor (you'll need that no matter what), so we're probably talking a 6-figure setup cost before you cut a single chip.

One problem that I'm seeing straight off is that you need to turn both between centres (so you can get all the way to the bottom of the part and for support while roughing the part out) and in a chuck (to get all the way to the top of the head). Or you could turn half and half in a chuck, either way it's 2 operations per part. You will also need to make custom chuck jaws for each base diameter you make so they don't dig in and damage the part.

If you're happy to manually load/unload, you could look at something like this (single phase) New Sieg SIEG CompactTurn SUPER CNC Turning Centre CNC Lathe CNC Lathe in DANDENONG, VIC (https://www.machines4u.com.au/view/advert/SIEG-CompactTurn-SUPER-CNC-Turning-Centre-CNC-Lathe/406120/) or this (3 phase) L770 - L33HS OPTi-Turn Optimum CNC Lathe | Hare & Forbes Machineryhouse (https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/L770)

That's my 2c, I'm sure there will be other ideas

[U B]

WOWSERS ! Thanks for the detailed info, that was amazing ! Genuinely appreciate your 2c :) Looks like I have more to consider than I imagined. You've certainly given me a place to start and LOTS to think about ! :thanx2:

[elanjacobs]

That's coming from an industrial background, I'm not really up with the hobby-level machines, so there could well be a cheaper option.

Also depends on what kind of quantity you plan to make; if you're looking at making these somewhat commercially, the speed of an expensive machine will pay itself off