Re: Sherline for robotics, do I need CNC?


"ErikBaluba" <erik1969@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:dueulh01m73@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Well, I haven't build one so far :-). But I am not thinking about
anything
big, typical fight bots which weight up to some kilos, meaning parts are
rather small. I kind of want to do stuff like depicted on robotroom.com,
and
to make enclusures for curcuitboards.

Briefly looking at that website, it actually looks like a Sherline would
probably do what you want. I'd say your maximum working envelope for a
Sherline mill is something like 6x4x3". While the table and the magnitudes
of the axes are larger than this number, you'll quickly learn that it is
awkward to use every last inch of capacity that a machine has.

I'll assume you'll be using a lot of plastic and aluminum. The Sherline is
capable of machining steel, but you'll find the whole experience more
enjoyable (i.e. faster) by not trying to make any major structural
components out of steel.

Can you point me to any graphical examples of what would be the limitation
of a lathe/mill like like sheerline's. I guess I can find the maximum
diameter of the various types of methal that I can use in the mentioned
lathe by reading the specification for it?

That is true to an extent. While you can physically fit a Ø3.5" piece of
material in the lathe, you may have trouble actually machining it due to
power and rigidity limitations of the Sherline. If you're just going to be
making small shaft couplers and bearing mounts, you'll probably be ok with
the lathe.
..

Just what I thought. But what do you think about DRO, will that make my
life
much simpler, or is it just being fancy?

I'd say it will certainly make your life easier. Ideally you should learn
without a DRO. You should learn how to count the turns on the handle and
account for backlash. However, you may just want to get workable parts off
the machine and in that case a DRO will help you do that faster.

Are there many
instructions/projects that requires a specific rotation etc? I would think
not...

The DRO won't really improve your accuracy. It just makes your life faster
in that you don't have to count the number of handle turns you've made, and
you can set one reference point and always have a reading from that point.

Most people learn by doing better than they learn by reading. You'll
probably have to get on the machines and cut some metal before you'll truly
understand the specific benefits of a DRO.

HTH.

Regards,

Robin


.

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