Bar Feeder and Bar Support Questions

[Bradyz]

Hey guys. Going to be adding a small gang tool lathe to the shop soon and really need to be able to get a bar feeder or bar support and I had some questions and I'm hoping on getting some suggestions. Budget is tight so I am looking at either buying used or building my own. I just need to be able to run 6' long pieces between 1/4" and 3/4" (For reference I am planning on picking up some kind of GT-27 type tool like an Omniturn or a SNK Prodigy).
Buying Used:
Can any bar feeder be fitted to any lathe? I imagine most just use an M-code and a some kind of switch on the bar feeder.
What would be a good used style of bar feeder to go with?
Building my own:
I have seen some guys talk about mounting a pipe to their machine, lining it with PVC and using a bar puller but I can't find any examples of this. Does anyone know where I can find any info on that? I am fine just using a bar puller so this option seems like the most economical.

Any other thoughts or suggestions are highly appreciated. Thanks guys!

 

[DanASM]

Hey guys. Going to be adding a small gang tool lathe to the shop soon and really need to be able to get a bar feeder or bar support and I had some questions and I'm hoping on getting some suggestions. Budget is tight so I am looking at either buying used or building my own. I just need to be able to run 6' long pieces between 1/4" and 3/4" (For reference I am planning on picking up some kind of GT-27 type tool like an Omniturn or a SNK Prodigy).
Buying Used:
Can any bar feeder be fitted to any lathe? I imagine most just use an M-code and a some kind of switch on the bar feeder.
What would be a good used style of bar feeder to go with?
Building my own:
I have seen some guys talk about mounting a pipe to their machine, lining it with PVC and using a bar puller but I can't find any examples of this. Does anyone know where I can find any info on that? I am fine just using a bar puller so this option seems like the most economical.

Any other thoughts or suggestions are highly appreciated. Thanks guys!

This is what I do. I have Brown and Sharpe Screw Machines. They have 10' long pipe with whatever size pvc pipe I want as a liner.

I have been thinking of buying a similar machine as you are looking at. I want a magazine bar feeder so I can run more than 12' at a time but I am not there yet.

I have the bigger machines with a 55 gallon drum with a hole cut out of the lid for the stand to stick out of. I then put 2 bags of concrete in it to keep it secure.

It is really easy to do if you can use your head a little.

 

[Bradyz]

Thanks DanASM. Do you happen to have any pictures of your setup?

 

[Mud]

Building my own:
I have seen some guys talk about mounting a pipe to their machine, lining it with PVC and using a bar puller but I can't find any examples of this. Does anyone know where I can find any info on that? I am fine just using a bar puller so this option seems like the most economical.

Any other thoughts or suggestions are highly appreciated. Thanks guys!

Here's my deal- Bar pulling bars longer than my spindle

 

[DanASM]

Thanks DanASM. Do you happen to have any pictures of your setup?

I do not. Sorry.

 

[Triaged]

You might want to look at a short bar support like this.

Spindle Liners, Bar Supports, Machine Tool and Lathe Accessories

 

[upm2019]

I have three Omniturn’s and we use lipe bar feeds . They were 12 feet long but we cut them down to just over six feet to help with the bar whipping and improve finish . We also made an extension for the pistons so we can feed the bar right to the collet . If you look you can still find them relatively cheaply . Also there is an advantage to bar feeding over bar pulling and that’s because you can work closer to the collet . With a small diameter the extra distance from the collet you need to pull makes for more deflection affecting finish.
Pete

 

[Delw]

Hey guys. Going to be adding a small gang tool lathe to the shop soon and really need to be able to get a bar feeder or bar support and I had some questions and I'm hoping on getting some suggestions. Budget is tight so I am looking at either buying used or building my own. I just need to be able to run 6' long pieces between 1/4" and 3/4" (For reference I am planning on picking up some kind of GT-27 type tool like an Omniturn or a SNK Prodigy).
Buying Used:
Can any bar feeder be fitted to any lathe? I imagine most just use an M-code and a some kind of switch on the bar feeder.
What would be a good used style of bar feeder to go with?
Building my own:
I have seen some guys talk about mounting a pipe to their machine, lining it with PVC and using a bar puller but I can't find any examples of this. Does anyone know where I can find any info on that? I am fine just using a bar puller so this option seems like the most economical.

Any other thoughts or suggestions are highly appreciated. Thanks guys!

all you need is a 6 foot or 12 foot old either hydralic or air powered pusher style bar feed, most for the omni turn were tall air powdered one.
They use cup washers as the bar pusher. pretty simple and they were cheap to buy as well.
you can probably find a used one for under 400 bucks. or go buy a stick chunk of DOM and make your own its very simple. the pusher is also simple.
there was a place I believe in tennesse that made them for omni many years ago.
no m codes neeeded.
using a bar puller waste too much room on an omni and not worth the hassle.

The code for an omni bar feed is simple

feed to position
open collet
pause
close collet

most use a back end of a 5/8 boring bar or a chunk of 5/8 round stock with a small center drilled in it to allow for the cut off tit on your bar and locked down in a tool holder. some use the side of the tool. you can really use anything you want.
if you do decide to go with a barfeed that has a stop single or is programmable it can be done on a omni with the extra m functions. but the point is WHY? unless you get one for dirt cheap

 

[Bradyz]

Thanks for all of the responses so far guys. I have actually looked at the JFBerns site and emailed them about the Sport holder but haven't received a response yet. Been looking for a simple air or hydraulic pusher but haven't found something that will fit into my space yet.

My other question is. If I use a bar puller or even a basic bar pusher, how can the machine recognize that the bar is too short to cut anymore. I would hate to have the collet try to hang on to 1/4" while it tries to machine something.

 

[Bradyz]

Came across this video that seems pretty helpful on building a hydraulic one.

Overview of the Hardinge HF-1A air operated barfeed - YouTube

 

[FredC]

This old thread has photos and descriptions of the shop built bar feed on my Omniturn conversion on an AHC.
Options for a bar feed retrofit?
Could give more info if interested.

 

[Delw]

My other question is. If I use a bar puller or even a basic bar pusher, how can the machine recognize that the bar is too short to cut anymore. I would hate to have the collet try to hang on to 1/4" while it tries to machine something.

Many ways from a simply ford brake light switch (micro switch) to something wired into the machine.
we always ran a bar of alum just under 1-1/8 that will fit in the spindle tube of the hardinge and necked down to clear the ID threads of a 5c collet.
never had any issues. it also made sure your bar left over was the length of your collet.
never had a problem with is spinning until we turned it off either. we did put a light rigged to a limit switch so we would see it if we were busy. some guys used buzzards

 

[Delw]

This old thread has photos and descriptions of the shop built bar feed on my Omniturn conversion on an AHC.
Options for a bar feed retrofit?
Could give more info if interested.

Fred
that is pretty damn cool. nice job

 

[Spruewell]

One component of the bar feeder is what is called a push bar. When you set up the bar feeder make sure that the push bar cannot extend freely past the end of the collet. You can also shorten/adjust the push bar to stop an inch (Or whatever you are comfortable with) short of the end of the collet. The omniturn control also allows you to set up a cycle counter which will call your program a predetermined number of times. A simple bit of math (length of bar / length of part) will tell you how many cycles you can run before running out of material.
This calculation becomes super crucial for puller set ups. If you run too many cycles, the last bit of material will become lodged in the puller then mashed repeatedly into your collet. Could be catastrophic if the puller cannot accommodate the length of the last bit of stock

 

[upm2019]

This calculation becomes super crucial for puller set ups. If you run too many cycles, the last bit of material will become lodged in the puller then mashed repeatedly into your collet. Could be catastrophic if the puller cannot accommodate the length of the last bit of stock

Been there done that . My bar feeds have a fitting on the end so when the piston passes the air blows off stopping forward movement