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Author Topic: Tapping on a non-reversible lathe  (Read 1683 times)

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Offline mc

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Tapping on a non-reversible lathe
« on: February 11, 2013, 03:46:12 PM »
If I was to build a simple tap holder, that is capable of disengaging and letting the tap spin after a set distance, what G-code would you use?

I'm trying to eliminate having to move the parts to my manual lathe, just to run a tap up the centre. If I could do it on my (little) CNC with a non-reversible DC spindle, running the tap back out by hand will still be quicker than swapping lathes.
I'm thinking a tap holder that's mounted onto a round shaft, and when retracted is held stationary by a couple drive dogs/pins. Just before the required thread depth is reached, the Z-axis stops moving, and the tap holder keeps going until the the drive dogs disengage. I'd have the tap holder always slightly floating, to allow for Machs lack of rigid tapping or speed/syncronisation variations.

This isn't going to be a long term solution, as I'm already planning a bigger and better lathe, so I'm trying to spend as little money as possible.