G-Wizard v4.73 Released [ New Graphical Lathe Menus ]

I just uploaded G-Wizard v4.73 to the download page.

It contains a tremendous number of improvements to the Graphical Tool Menus and Tool Crib.  As such, it is PC-only, and I am going to leave it as an optional download for a week or two to make sure no problems develop.  That means you'll have to download and install manually using the link above.

Here's the details on the new functionality:

All Tooling Available on Mills and Lathes

Prior to this release, you couldn't see the Lathe tooling unless the machine selected was a Lathe.  In this release, all tooling is available regardless of the selected machine type.

This makes life easier for those with Mill-Turn machines or those doing turning on a Milling machine (yup, you can stick the stock in the a collet on the spindle and with the tools on the table do all sorts of clever things).  Plus, I had a lot of folks wonder whether G-Wizard supported turning when they didn't see any turning tools available in the menu.

Currently Tool Cribs are still either for Mills or Lathes, though you can select all tools for either.  I will be eliminating that distinction in a future release as well to simplify things.

New Graphical Lathe Menus

The graphical tools menus are here for turning tools:

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Just select "Turning" from the main list and then choose your Tip Shape to get Turning, Boring Bar, Parting, Threading, and Grooving tools.

Seems like such a little thing to describe, but graphical menus are so much more satisfying than just a simple list.

Tool Crib Now Handling Tool Holders

I've added a set of fields to help keep up with tool holders:

There's now a "Holder" row in the pop up tool editor for the Tool Crib that has:

• Description
• Type
• Holder Diameter
• Holder Length

Types include:

• Other
• Collet
• Weldon / Side-Lock
• Shell Mill / Arbor
• Drill Chuck
• Compression Tapping
• Morse Taper
• Shrink Fit
• Milling Chuck
• Hydraulic Chuck

Together with the ability to track Serial #, empty holders (a tool type) and vendor re-ordering information, this gives the ability to uniquely identify all the tools and holders in the shop.

There'll be more functionality to help out in that area soon.

If you've never tried our G-Wizard Calculator, you're missing out.  Check out a free trial today!