The Rose Engine Butler system was developed by ornamental turners for use with a rose engine.

It is designed to provide the ornamental turner a way for synchronising activities on the rose engine using stepper motors, in a manner which also assists the ornamantal turner with reducing the workload for onerous tasks.

Design goals

We want the Rose Engine Butler system to provide the ornamental turner the ability to:

1. Execute relatively simple movement using menus.
2. Remove the mundane tasks from the ornamental turner’s activities, increasing the likelihood that the final product will have fewer errors (e.g., adding a turk’s head design onto the end of a piece).
3. Control more complex designs using standard gCode (such as software simulation of geometric chucks).

We want the Rose Engine Butler system to be one which:

1. Is powerful enough to drive simultaneous movement on 8 axes:
   • 2 spindles
     • traditional spindle
     • rosette phaser/multipler
   • 4 linear axes
     • X
     • Y
     • Z
     • W (parallel to Z)
   • 1 rotary axis
     • B
2. Can control complex movement using standard gCode (such as software simulation of a geometric chuck).
3. Is integrated with the devices provided by ornamental turning vendors.
4. Can be upgraded as needed when the underlying technologies are no longer available.

Rose Engine Butler is more than the software or the hardware

The ornamental turner needs a system which is not just powerful, but which has a set of tools surrounding it to make it functionally easy to use. To that end, there are additional pieces being provided.

Designed with the ornamental turner in mind

The system configuration files are developed around the needs of an ornamental turner using a rose engine.

Online user manual

There is an on-line user manual which will be continually updated.

Based on Debian Linux, but easy to use

Though it is based on Debian Linux, the user interface has been customised so that the usage of the system will be very intuitive (you only need to double click on the Rose Engine Butler icon on the desktop).

We also know that ornamental turners are smart and will want to experiment with changes to their system. That is supported in the file structure we provide. And, we are also providing a recovery feature to restore everything back to the "factory settings" if you do not achieve the results you want.

Supports very complex work using gCode

LinuxCNC allows for the use of standard gCode. The LinuxCNC gCode language is based on the RS274/NGC language, and outlined in the International Organization for Standardization’s standard, ISO 6983-1.

We are providing an online library for gCode programs developed by ornamental turners, allowing for their re-use by other ornamental turners. The intent is that the gCode will be documented in such a way that users can easily take a bit of gCode and modify it as needed for their own needs. This library will continue to grow over time.

There are links to gCode manuals for quick reference.

OT equipment vendor support

We are working with vendors of ornamental turning hardware to have their parts designed for use with Rose Engine Butler. For example, a curvilinear slide could come with a stepper motor attached, and also have the necessary jack to plug it into the Rose Engine Butler system.

We have also architected the configuration files so that updated files can be supplied by the vendors when they supply the hardware (e.g., a new definition for the Z axis could be supplied with the curvilinear slide, ensuring that the configuration works as expected).

A system for now ... and the future

The Rosettta system can be upgraded over time by replacing the existing microSD card (in the Raspberry Pi) with a new one which has been loaded with the new system. When the Raspberry Pi is restarted, it will be using the new system.

We designed the cabling so that a single cable can be used for both the signal to drive the stepper motor, and simultaneously be used to interface with limit switches on the device. This will make it simpler for an ormantal turner to connect a device to the system and get back to making stuff.

We selected vendors for all the components (especially the cabling) which show reliability for being around for a while, and supplying quality parts at reasonable prices.

Buy it off-the-shelf, or do-it-yourself

We want the Rose Engine Butler system to be one which can be purchased as a completed system, needing no user design nor development. Just plug it in and go.

We are also publishing manuals for the system we developed so that you can create your own copy if you would rather go that path.

What are some examples of how it can be used?

Some examples of the way the Rose Engine Butler system can be used include:

• Run the rose engine, turning only the spindle.
• Run the rose engine, coordinating the speed of the spindle and separately the speed of the rosettes (i.e., delivering the ability of a rosette phaser/multiplier).
• Index the spindle.
• Index the rosette(s).
• Index the movement of the cutter along an axis (e.g., move it some distance along the Z axis to make a basket weave pattern).
• Coordinate the movement of the spindle with another axis (e.g., for cutting threads, or maybe a software simulation of reciprocation).
• Make complex movements possible through the use of gCode (e.g., a software simulation of a geometric chuck).

What is Rose Engine Butler not designed to do?

The Rose Engine Butler system is not intended to be used to replace the ornamental turner. It is not a system built to enable the user can develop a complete design, load it into Rose Engine Butler, and press GO.

We believe that workmanship at risk¹ makes for the most beautiful products.

Certainly, a user could develop a sufficiently complex gCode program which would do all the work for the user, making it work similarly to what is done for 3D printing or a CNC woodworking router. But even that has risk in the ornamental turning world. Wood is a natural material, and the opportunity for a problem is ever present. An operator needs to be managing the process, not leaving it to a computer.

But more importantly, the process of ornamental turning should be fun. The Rose Engine Butler system is designed to help you with that journey.

¹ Workmanship at risk is the idea outlined by David Pye in his book, The Nature and Art of Workmanship.

Why is LinuxCNC being used?

1. LinuxCNC can be configured to meet the design goals needed for use on a rose engine, without having to develop a set of programs (which may not be supported later).
2. LinuxCNC is powerful enough to handle the design goals.
3. LinuxCNC has been around for many years, having been initially designed by the U.S. National Institue of Standards and Technology in 1993. (A complete history of LinuxCNC is online at this web link.) It has a strong user community with good support. And it continues to be upgraded to provide support needed for new computing hardware.
4. LinuxCNC continues to support the same basic ideas and interfaces, and it does not require the user to re-learn the system each time it is upgraded.
5. LinuxCNC does not have a high license cost to get started, nor a high maintenance cost for contined use (both are $0.00).

All this provides for a system which can meet the current needs at a reasonable cost, and provide for good long-term support. That is not something found with most ornamental turning bits and bobs.

What is the underlying technology being used?

The Rose Engine Butler system uses:

1. LinuxCNC which is a free, open-source system and runs on general purpose computers like a PC or Raspberry Pi. It is pre-built on Debian Linux.
2. A Raspberry Pi 5 which is a powerful, low cost, general-purpose computer.
3. Readily available, off-the-shelf parts:
   • Standard computer monitor
   • Standard computer keyboard
   • Mesa 7i92TH Programmable I/O Card
   • Stepper Online DM542T Stepper Motor Drivers
4. And a custom printed circuit board (PCB), developed to make the wiring of the system easier, faster, and more reliable.