A strange idea popped into my head as I was drifting off to sleep last night. I'd been thinking of making some dollhouse decorations for a 2 year old and wondering how I could turn miniature baluster without a lathe. A picture formed of my router holding a dowel in the 1/4" collet and a tool bolted to the table and the router was moving in two axis to cut the baluster - a vertical lathe where the work moves instead of the tool.

Has anyone ever tried this? I was trying to figure out how to set up my axis to accomplish this but nothing is sticking to my aged neurons. I can't imagine it would be all that difficult to accomplish. Of course, being supported only at one end means long workpieces are verboten but since I only have 5" travel on my Z that temptation is moot

Any ideas?

Yes, have seen a few do it, just set up a lathe profile and when you want to turn open the lathe profile, when you want to mill open the mill profile.
Hood

Just look at this, more on you tube,   Jeff


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbfXXeiSHsw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlz0EUq6k9M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZNc43zxRv0

A strange idea popped into my head as I was drifting off to sleep last night. I'd been thinking of making some dollhouse decorations for a 2 year old and wondering how I could turn miniature baluster without a lathe. A picture formed of my router holding a dowel in the 1/4" collet and a tool bolted to the table and the router was moving in two axis to cut the baluster - a vertical lathe where the work moves instead of the tool.

Has anyone ever tried this? I was trying to figure out how to set up my axis to accomplish this but nothing is sticking to my aged neurons. I can't imagine it would be all that difficult to accomplish. Of course, being supported only at one end means long workpieces are verboten but since I only have 5" travel on my Z that temptation is moot

Any ideas?

I've done exactly that on my knee mill.  I once used it to turn a 12" diameter disc for a disc sander I made.  Works great!

Regards,
Ray L.

Well thats encouraging! So it probably wasn't a dementia inspired idea after all