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Looking for a book for learning cnc lathe.

H

Higgins909

Aluminum
Joined
Nov 19, 2018
I'm still trying to learn a CNC lathe at work. I've got the manual for it to learn how to program it and I also have a basic book to learn about lathes, "Metal Lathe for Home Machinists by Harold Hall". I'm only about 20 pages in and so far it hasn't taught me much. I know things are done mostly by CAD/CAM now, but I'm not looking for that, for now. Most of the parts I will ever make are on the simple side. The things that I don't know at this time is chamfers (I roughly know how to do a 45deg but that's it) and threading anything whether it be tapping or single point, and how to properly make a part to size as in how many passes at what feeds and speeds with what tool. (I'm hoping my book will teach me at least this last part)

Essentially looking for a book on Amazon or something, that will teach me how to take advantage of a CNC Lathe, as a beginner. (I'm looking at a Dummies Machining book)

Thanks,
Higgins909
 
CNC Programming Handbook by Peter Smit great book, although it includes mills, It thoroughly discusses almost every aspect of programming a lathe. I went from knowing NOTHING about my new CNC lathe, since a hired worker was sent to the training, to running it and programming it in no more than a week of working with the book. Fast Forward 16 years, and I still program the lathe at the machine, no cad, cam writing g code at the control, able to write a NEW program in literally MINUTES. The book was a great help.
 
litlerob1 said:
Are you trying to learn "metal lathe for home shop machinist" things? Or like real things?

R
Click to expand...
Real things, that could potentially give me an edge over the other programmers, here at my work. Which is a CNC shop but I only do basic program edits for Hass g code mills and did a thing or two for the large I’m trying to learn. I’ve been working here for a couple years now as more of a bar puller. With the basic machine setup every now and then.

Edit: I’m also not really looking to go to school/college for this.
 
If you know how to read, you don't need to go to college to learn programming. College is where people go that need to be taught. Some people can't just pick up a book and figure it out, and they need to be baby sat by someone else.
You're IN a school if you're working in a CNC shop. While your machine is running LOOK at the control as it's doing it's thing, and analyse what it's telling your machine to do. Sometimes it goes by so fast you can't keep track of it. Two years of running a CNC machine, if you had decided you wanted to learn, you should have figured it out already. ASK your co workers, suck up their knowledge. On the job training is WAY better than going to a school.

Buy a book by Peter Smit, quit screwing around.
 
I never learned programming (as a verb) from a book. Not saying you shouldn't, just that I didn't.

I only learned it from doing it.

R
 
Just go over to the Titans of CNC page and start the CNC Rocket class for lathes. The amount you will learn in no time is amazing. It is all by doing and following simple instructions so no worries about trying to remember 10 things from a book until you can try to actually use them. Really great stuff to learn from. Broken down into CAD, CAM, then actually making a part. Nicely organized. Think it's call Titan Academy.

Hope it helps.
 
Brian@VersaMil said:
CNC Programming Handbook by Peter Smit great book, although it includes mills, It thoroughly discusses almost every aspect of programming a lathe. I went from knowing NOTHING about my new CNC lathe, since a hired worker was sent to the training, to running it and programming it in no more than a week of working with the book. Fast Forward 16 years, and I still program the lathe at the machine, no cad, cam writing g code at the control, able to write a NEW program in literally MINUTES. The book was a great help.
Click to expand...

I'll echo Brian's comments. Lathe programming is generally pretty simple, and everything you need to know to get started is in that book. It's probably elsewhere too, and probably cheaper, but it's in that book for sure :). I taught myself how to run a cnc lathe from that book, and by running and watching the machine. Good luck.
 
Get a printout of the program you’re currently running. Read thru it. Watch what the machine is doing. If you don’t know a G or M code, look it up.

Most programmers have a format they follow. See what is repeated over multiple programs. Speeds and feeds are in the handbook, learn to use it.
 
Jaxian said:
Just go over to the Titans of CNC page and start the CNC Rocket class for lathes. The amount you will learn in no time is amazing. It is all by doing and following simple instructions so no worries about trying to remember 10 things from a book until you can try to actually use them. Really great stuff to learn from. Broken down into CAD, CAM, then actually making a part. Nicely organized. Think it's call Titan Academy.

Hope it helps.
Click to expand...
I'll look into CNC Programming Handbook by Peter Smit. It is a bit pricey. I've heard of Titans of CNC/Titan Academy, a long time ago. I've tried to learn their G and M code programming for mills but got sidetracked. I thought they were all mills, I will have to take another look. I usually use every excuse to not read any of my books after work. Despite my young age, I'm a very tired person for some reason. Usually hungry and after work I want to play and usually at work is when I have motivation, but can't really focus on learning. Hence my two years~ and still not programming. But I do want to learn. I see tons of cool things on the internet and wonder why it doesn't work for us. (like why are we having chatter on a SS .875" dia part with 2.5" sickout?)


I'll take a look at Titans of CNC for some free stuff and then look more into Peter Smit's book. (Quite a bit more then the Dummies book, but I'm sure it's worth it) Do any of you use Machinery's Handbook or would I be good with Peter's book?
 
Higgins909 said:
I'll look into CNC Programming Handbook by Peter Smit. It is a bit pricey. I've heard of Titans of CNC/Titan Academy, a long time ago. I've tried to learn their G and M code programming for mills but got sidetracked. I thought they were all mills, I will have to take another look. I usually use every excuse to not read any of my books after work. Despite my young age, I'm a very tired person for some reason. Usually hungry and after work I want to play and usually at work is when I have motivation, but can't really focus on learning. Hence my two years~ and still not programming. But I do want to learn. I see tons of cool things on the internet and wonder why it doesn't work for us. (like why are we having chatter on a SS .875" dia part with 2.5" sickout?)


I'll take a look at Titans of CNC for some free stuff and then look more into Peter Smit's book. (Quite a bit more then the Dummies book, but I'm sure it's worth it) Do any of you use Machinery's Handbook or would I be good with Peter's book?
Click to expand...

Good Lord dude, have you tried Addarall? Less coffee?

Note the section in bold above, if you ask us specific questions like that we are happy to answer them. You're probably not dumb, your just a spaz, so quit it.
 
You are using a HAAS Lathe, the HAAS programming manual will teach you every thing you need to know and you can download it for free as a PDF from the HAAS website, and several other places(I like the 2015 version, it offers the best explanations ). Start at the beginning of the book with the Cartesian coordinate system and go from there.
Most 2 axes lathe programs are written at the machine by hand not with CAM.

The Peter Smit book is good, it is expensive and no better then the free PDF.

When you run into problems come on to the forum and ask specific questions.
 
That's your problem. You choose to screw around after work. I was the same way 22 years ago, at 15. Quiting time means screw off time. Well I always got raises fast at companies when I was 18+ because I got tired of a slow as pace on things and wanted things to move faster. So I would ask the owner/manager for manuals and read and photocopy them if possible on the weekends. But I always got the other end of the stick a year or 2 later when I was so good, they got rid of a lot of people and wanted me to do everything all the time.

Now that I'm self employed for 13 years, I try to make a habit of buying at least 3 books a year that go along the lines of the work I do. Such as after you learn CNC hardcore, then buy a metallurgy book. Learn more about the material and you will start tweaking the programs for more speed or accuracy.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
Programming lathes is at least 50% about just knowing your particular machine. Like getting married: there's books about whimmen, but there ain't no book on your woman :D
 
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