CNC for shafts and inlays

[Cuemaker Supply]

I am new to cuebuilding but have studied it for many years. I recently picked upa used Mid America large bore machine and I am ready to start playing. I have been into woodworking as a hobby for 20+ years and have built and owned a few cnc machines.
I currently have a cnc router parts pro 4x4 machine with a PC 7518 as the spindle. When I built this machine a few years back I made it to where the router can overhang the x axis by a few inches with intentions of being able to mount something on the end as a 4th axis. I am pretty certain that the big PC router is no where near accurate enough to be able to inlay with any degree of accuracy so I have been thinking of maybe buying a Wolfgang spindle to either swap around or mount in a piggyback to the PC. As of now I am wanting to put together something to spin the 4th axis at the end of the cnc and have done a ton of reading but no clear path yet.
I was hoping to get some feedback and maybe some examples of some of you seasoned pros would recommend. I would prefer an all in one solution such as a spinner whether it be a taig head or sherline spinner driven by a stepper mounted to maybe an 8020 extrusion. The 8020 is a lot easier to come by than a long taig bed and I see no need for a cross slide. I am unsure if I can get the speed out of a stepper motor for the tapering and if not I guess I could build a separate spinner taht could be mounted to the cnc bed with a stepper when needed. I have been looking at DZ's videos and looks like he has a pretty nice setup for this. I would prefer to mount one to the end of the cnc as mentioned earlier and be done with it.
Also to touch on another aspect, it seems as if Bobcad is the go to software for you guys. Is it the undisputed winners or are there any other recommendations. I have absolutely no 4th axis experience and would not be opposed to starting out using some manual indexing if I ever make it to the point where I want to play with inlays. Any feedback good or bad will be greatly appreciated and thanks for the wealth of knowledge all you guys have provided already through the years of posting on this forum

 

[Zirroe]

Check out dzcues.com
Bob made his own spinner for holdind shafts and butts on his cnc, if you shoot him an email he should be very helpful for what you are looking to do

 

[MVPCues]

Disclaimer: I'm not a "seasoned pro".

I have never owned a wolfgang but considered buying one in the past. Feedback on them are generally very good in terms of the accuracy. They are underpowered though. A router that precisebits makes accurate collets for is probably a better option since you can do both turning and inlay work. That is what I use.

You may know this since you looked at Bob's site (or maybe not), but he used two Sherline lathe beds back to back, a shorter one and a longer one. Together you have a full range for cues with only a 4" or so gap in a shorty area because the headstock is mounted to the short bed. Again, that is what I did. You do have to line two lathe beds up perfectly to each other as well as the machine axis. For spinning the parts, I have found the stock Sherline VS motor works just fine. I found a speed that provides a clean cut for shafts and have not had a need to change it yet. I can't compare the Sherline motor to spinning with a stepper motor. I also know little about 4th axis.

 

[Cuemaker Supply]

Thanks guys. I have looked at DZ's over and over and it looks pretty much like exactly what I am aiming for. I will try and contact him. I do have the precise bits collet set for my router and it is very nice. I have even bought a handful of their bits and done some cutting and engraving with them. They are also top notch. Mvp - I am looking forward to the release of your taper software and will surely be a customer. Looks to be fairly simple and well thought out. I am pretty sure it will take 2 different heads one for inlay and another for tapering. Looking at the specs on the shelling rotary one revolution of the handle is 5 degree so a stepper motor would have to be humming to get any real rpm .