Cutorama offers CNC lathe and CNC turning services. Using digital control while rotating the stock opens up some nice combinations of conventional turning with CNC controlled face milling. Spinning the object while moving the cutting spindle horizontally and vertically can mill a profile like a stair picket or newel post. Adding some surface milling on the flat facets such as engraving a medallion on all four sides of the top of a newel post is something that can not be done on a conventional lathe. Having thus rotating 4th axis bridges the CNC Router and the lathe.
More artistic projects can be realized with cylindrical milling, cylindrical etching and cylindrical cutting. Slowing rotating and 4" piece of PVC pipe to cut some line patterns and or holes will produce interesting tube lights. Rotating material 90 degrees at a time of cubical or rectangle stock will allow for multi surface milling. With a conventional flat bed CNC one would likely need to jig and manually rotate stock to achieve this. We should note there are rotational accessories for the Laser Engraver which offers similar surface milling.
