# Show me your DRO scale mounts please.



## Trek (Mar 22, 2014)

I am just finishing up uncrating and mounting my new LittleMachineShop mill.  I have the DRO Pro kit for X/Y and I want to make sure I do it right. The X axis looks pretty easy, scale mounts to back of table and head to the saddle. Seems I will have to remove the accordion cover on the back for that but I will manage I guess. The Y axis is the one that looks to be a bit tricky. Think Im going to have to fab a spacer to offset the head because the saddle goes far enough out that the head cant mount directly to the side of the saddle.
Id like to see what other guys have done so I don't do something I will have to undo later. Not thrilled with having to drill holes by hand in the base and saddle but I suppose its part of the process. 

BTW Im not really happy with the way the fine feed for Z is done but for a inexpensive machine I cant complain. Out of the crate the X tramed .002" end to end. I want to get the scales mounted before I start doing anything serious but may have to fab the Y axis head spacer before I do this or do it at work on a full size machine. 
Looks like I am going to need more money. I already can think of things Im going to have to add in the future.


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## wrmiller (Mar 22, 2014)

Best shots of mine I have at the moment.

The air spring conversion from LMS really helped with the z-axis repeatability. As you can see below, I have a 3-axis setup on mine, and have made cuts to a couple tenths above a z-axis reference. The air spring helps that much. It also adds a bit of travel at both ends of your z-axis. Every little bit helps. 

Bill


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## davidh (Mar 23, 2014)

check these photo's:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Birch-Industrial-Tool-Serv-Inc/1406807829568869
you don't need to joint to look. . . . 
they may offer some insight. . . . .


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## Trek (Mar 23, 2014)

Thanks for the info. I have the AirSping kit but they sent me the wrong one. I also bought the spindle lock the one without the switch and it does not line up. Going to have to elongate the hole slightly.


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## coolidge (Mar 23, 2014)

Bill does the X scale at the rear cut down on your Y axis travel?


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## wrmiller (Mar 23, 2014)

You would think so, but doing before and after measuring (mark I eyeball) before taking off the y-axis way cover I lost very little once the scale was mounted. I can still get almost to the front of the table which is close enough for what this machine does. I have a bigger machine if I need to do larger parts.

Bill



coolidge said:


> Bill does the X scale at the rear cut down on your Y axis travel?


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## Trek (Mar 23, 2014)

davidh said:


> check these photo's:
> https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Birch-Industrial-Tool-Serv-Inc/1406807829568869
> you don't need to joint to look. . . .
> they may offer some insight. . . . .



The link didn't work for me.

I don't want to try and drill in the table and saddle by hand. I think Im just going to pull it off and use my drill press. I have no problem taking it all apart and putting it back together. I am going to have to wait for the replacement air spring kit anyway and this is a long term hobby not a issue I have to have done in a couple days. I ordered several different sizes of flat aluminum plate and angle from onlinemetals to use to fab what I need. I will drill the X axis mount and drill 2  5MM holes in the saddle on the side where its going to have to attach and figure it out from there. Too bad these don't come with some kind of predrilled holes with this in mind. 
Part of the learning curve.


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## wrmiller (Mar 23, 2014)

I drilled everything by hand, as I had no choice. I will admit that I was a bit nervous doing that, but then realized that if the bolts are a bit crooked, so what. Nothing registers off the mounting bolts anyway. 

But I would have used a drill press if I had one around:LOL:

Bill

(that link didn't work for me either)


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## coolidge (Mar 23, 2014)

Bah drill it by hand you will be tapping the holes so there's lots of wiggle room. By the time you set a heavy cast iron table on your average drill press (they flex horribly) your odds of straighter are not much better. They will flex under weight and flex more when drilling. I have a big heavy floor mounted 18" drill press, it flexes trust me on this. I discovered how much drill presses flex while pressing (swaging) turrets, the least bit of flex and the turrets would swage off center. I had to jam blocks of wood under the drill press table to deal with this. When drilling by hand just center punch the holes well and start with a small drill bit and work your way up to size with 2-3 bits and buy good bits I like cobalt bits with the pilot bits in the end by DeWalt.


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## Trek (Mar 23, 2014)

Well its going to be done by drill press. I already have it pulled apart. Don't know if folks do it this way or not but its not like its a million dollar machine center. After pulling apart I wasn't that surprised to find a fair amount of machine chips and grit. 
Im not a tool and die guy or machinist but worked many years at a transmission plant for one of the big 3 as an electrician. Now THAT is an interesting place to see some of the latest and greatest machining equipment. Nothing sucks worse than crawling under a 30 year old Kingsbury drill to fix old wiring. Well maybe a crappy gundrill or 4" broach.  Its amazing how many 30 year old machines of all types still hold precision tolerances. Watching some of the new stuff is just cool. I actually worked a year for Caterpillar at their large engine plant where they make the stuff that has to be shipped out on rail. Its amazing to see how they cut cranks 10 feet plus long. The chips it makes are bigger than the full size Frito's.  There is one cool machine there that hones the main journal in one pass. Its called a Dabb machine. Its vertical and what a filthy mess.


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## Davi12dyh (Mar 24, 2014)

This is what I did on my little lathe 8 x 12 super cheap but works for this application


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## GK1918 (Mar 24, 2014)

amazing as to how many think a scale needs 1/2 bolts drilling and tapping as if they were towing a Mack truck.  I epoxied mine thats the
end of that;     going on two yrs now..still there and has not moved a bit...


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## wrmiller (Mar 24, 2014)

You epoxied a mag or glass scale?

Bill


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## Trek (Mar 24, 2014)

GK1918 said:


> amazing as to how many think a scale needs 1/2 bolts drilling and tapping as if they were towing a Mack truck.  I epoxied mine thats the
> end of that;     going on two yrs now..still there and has not moved a bit...



Im just using 5mm bolts. Epoxy? Really? :nuts:


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## LEEQ (Mar 24, 2014)

Well, if it works for a seasoned machinist with a job shop I'm not calling him crazy. I used little allen cap head screws (8-32) for my scales and fabbed up the offset brackets I needed. I'm happy with it. I'm not calling names if the idea doesn't suit me. For something constructive I suggest you search the web. Start with the people that sold you the dro's. They have video for us slow folks. Other than that, use your imagination/ingenuity. You will see the shape you need and be able to measure the size it needs to be. As for hand drilling, suit yourself. I couldn't throw my bport column on the drill press to drill, so I know doing it by hand works. You have pieces small enough to drill with a machine. I would probably do it that way. Gives you a chance to clean and lube too. Good luck


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## Trek (Mar 24, 2014)

LEEQ said:


> Well, if it works for a seasoned machinist with a job shop I'm not calling him crazy. I used little allen cap head screws (8-32) for my scales and fabbed up the offset brackets I needed. I'm happy with it. I'm not calling names if the idea doesn't suit me. For something constructive I suggest you search the web. Start with the people that sold you the dro's. They have video for us slow folks. Other than that, use your imagination/ingenuity. You will see the shape you need and be able to measure the size it needs to be. As for hand drilling, suit yourself. I couldn't throw my bport column on the drill press to drill, so I know doing it by hand works. You have pieces small enough to drill with a machine. I would probably do it that way. Gives you a chance to clean and lube too. Good luck


I ment no disrespect. Just not what I would expect to see. I have been to the DRO Pros site and they have a lot of examples to see. Gives me the ideas how I will do mine.


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## LEEQ (Mar 25, 2014)

They seem to be a great outfit to work with, so far so good. They for sure go above and beyond with videos and customer install pics.


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## chuckorlando (Mar 25, 2014)

Nothing wrong with epoxy. It holds jets together it can handle a scale. If you dont want to drill in your machine yet want bolt on... Drill and tap some flat alum. Epoxy the alum to the machine and screw the scale in the taped holes


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## wrmiller (Mar 25, 2014)

You could always just use bailing wire and chewing gum.  :lmao: (just joking)

Bill


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## davidh (Mar 26, 2014)

on the cross feed on the lathe, I connected one end with a drilled through single screw and let the far end just hang out in the open.  the reader on the scale pretty much holds up the rest of the scales as the scale moves thru it. . .  simple as could be, works excellent for me. . . . .


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## melsdad (Mar 26, 2014)

Here is the Y axis on my Kent 380




This all I have of the X axis




The Z axis I will pull the cover and take a few pictures.  I had to machine mounts from scratch for this. The ones supplied with DRO were of no use.




sent from my hand held hickymajig


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## Monk (Apr 6, 2014)

Hi: I mounted these Sharz scales on my Grizzly G1007 a while back, and liked them enough to by a 3 axis set for my (arriving Friday) 1971 Bridgeport Jhead. I started by drilling and tapping the back of the table for the x axis hanger and mounting it. Then I found a piece of aluminum that happened to be the right width to line up the reading head with the scale (I also could drill it to match two existing 1/4 x 20 holes in the back of the base for the bolts that hold the way cover in place. I know what you're thinking, and no, the rubber doesn't affect the alignment of the scale to the reader.). Then I attached the scale and reader to the brackets.




	

		
			
		

		
	
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I decided that I liked keeping the reader and cable stationary, so I cut a carrier out of 1/4 inch plate and drilled. Then I drilled and tapped 1/4 x 20 holes in the end of the table, mounted the hanger and mounting brackets, and aligned with the base. Next I cut and drilled a piece of angle for the reader mount, and drilled and tapped holes for 1/4 x 20 set/grub screws to level against the uneven side of the mill base. I drilled and tapped 1/4 x 20 holes in the base and mounted and squared the bracket. Then I mounted the scale and reader.






Next I attached the covers, mounted the control panel bracket and readout, and attached the cables.





These scales have proven to be as accurate as I will ever need, and are about 1/3 what you would pay for an Accurite, Fagor, or Newall.


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## smallfly (Apr 6, 2014)

TREK---- if you go to the website for the ''dro-pros''  http://www.dropros.com/---you will find many many  many  pictures of how dros can be mounted to mills  and lathes.  enjoy  re  steve in mt.


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