This is one of the many topics that seems to engender religious fervor from one side versus the other. I personally went through several hundred online articles and correspondences I’ve had with our G-Wizard customers about this choice. For my upcoming Tormach CNC Lathe, I initially had ordered it set up for gang tooling based on my needs, but then hastily added a turret after several conversations with the turret aficionados, just so I could write about and compare the two more fully, and I’m glad I did.

If you’re already using a mill, a natural extension of your shop would be to add turning capabilities with a lathe. CNC milling and CNC lathe work are quite similar, but there are some glaring differences that are easy to miss if you’re new to turning.

In this new Tormach Fab Lab episode, we're showing the basics to setting up a Quick Change tool post on a CNC Lathe.    The QC toolpost kit for our 15L Slant-PRO CNC lathe is size CXA, which holds 3/4" tools.  There are many different styles QC tool holders that you can purchase for this post, but the three used the most are: