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« on: November 15, 2019, 06:56:39 AM »
What is acceptable practice is subjective. As a hobbiest you are the boss of your machine shop and can do as you wish. If you worked in a shop you would find that they have typical procedures which you should follow. That said the following higher level sequences should be considered.
1. Confirm that the CNC lathe is configured for how you want to work and is functional.
2. All the lathe tools that are available for use should be defined in the tool table.
3. My words ....... Reference the lathe. Referencing a lathe is just defining to Mach3 where the lathe
center is located relative to the tools. ie; Machine Coordinate X =0.
4. Set home location. Home can be anywhere but logic implies that it should be away from the
stock such that any tool to be used will clear the the stock.
5. Define the work offset. That is the distance ( G54 work offset ) from the tool to the center / face
of the stock.
(Understand that usual gcode for the lathe assumes that X and Z zero is the basis of the gcode and that the gcode is also based on using radius or diameter mode.)
How do I do the above?
I will always just check basic functionality of cnc lathe before using it and know what modes are active. The tool table is populated via probing, and once done, no need to fool with the tool table. Then I probe to find the lathe center. Then I set an appropriate home position. Usualy I will insert the
stock into the chuck before setting home and minimize the tool travel to the work.
Sorry,no plans on sharing my screen set.
RICH