Of course a suitable controller is at the heart of any CNC machine.

My CNC lathe will start life as a Hafco AL-320G, then will be stripped and converted to CNC. It is a 600mm (24") lathe which is all I really need.

Here is a link showing full specifications:

https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/L141

Lathe was picked up on 23rd November 2019, now the fun starts!

I have quite a bit of the gear I need to do the conversion, so this should not take more than a couple of weeks to do, but this may be just wishful thinking!

The main modification I made to this lathe was the addition on a Quick Change Toolpost.

This really is a necessity.

I made the mini-lathe QCT the same tool height, that way I can interchange tools between both lathes without changing height of the toolholder.

I was planning on maybe converting this lathe to CNC, but the spindle bore was just too small.

I really need 37mm bore, so I sold the lathe and will replace it with a shorter bed with larger spindle.

I rented out my house (and garage) and moved into an apartment.

Mill is in storage and I will replace the lathe later, probably with a Hafco AL-320G and this will get the CNC treatment as well.

Best offer on Ebay was $1500 which was well under value, but at least I did not have to move it to storage!

I have a requirement for really accurate work, so I added a 6 jaw Adjust-tru type chuck.

I say "type" because it is Chinese, but it can zero work perfectly, so gets a big tick from me.

Because this lathe is European, the spindle nose is not a standard camlock, but a DIN standard, and is very easy to change chucks with a bit of practice.

This in my C8C toolroom lathe.

It is fitted with a 6 jaw  Adjust-tru type chuck, and turns out very nice work if I do my part correctly.

My son convinced me to buy a kit to print some parts that are just easier to make than machine on my mill.

The Ormerod kit is available from RS Components, and the kit was well packed and complete. Construction was done following the instructions on the website. The build took a lot longer than it should have, but I took my time and made sure everything went together properly.

I use this machine for cutting points as well as engraving.

The main modification I made is to install a 12,000rpm spindle at the front of the mill for engraving. This works really well. I also added a rod assembly so it is easy to swing down an indicator for levelling work, making sure the vice is square, as well as checking calibration of the axes.

Here are a few pictures and a video of engraving aluminium.

Some of the items that have needed replacement or repair:

• Timing belts - these just break! It is worth buying a few extras, particularly for the spindle.
• Spindle motor - this blew out after a few years and I bought a replacement. If it happens again, I will ditch it and go to a servo motor.
• Spindle index - this stopped working so I changed it for a 3D printer optical endstop which works quite well.
• Stepper motor - I had one on the X axis that I think had a bearing problem, but it was easy to replace.