# Dogmeat DRO and carriage stop



## LEEQ (Jan 26, 2020)

The carriage handwheel has huge graduations, and the boat from china with my dro is nowhere in sight. I'm sick and tired of using the dial indicator on a mag base and at the moment the mill is down. It was time to do something down and dirty to save what's left of my sanity. Thanks to the touch Dro crowd I now know my mini lathe dro was doomed because the scales grounded to the machine. So I made up a way clamp out of scraps and fit some plastic sheeting between the scales and the clamp/lathe to isolate them. Now my new 12x36 dogmeat dro works fantastic with the same scales that go ape on the 7x12.


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## T Bredehoft (Jan 26, 2020)

Nice fix. It's good to use the ol' brain once in a while.


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## LEEQ (Jan 26, 2020)

This is the dial indicator that started it all. Fed up with the magbase I decided to fit it to a way clamp and add a carriage stop feature. Nothing earth shattering project wise if it weren't for a serious lack of mill. While figuring around that challenge the notion of making two way clamps and a portable dro came to me.


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## LEEQ (Jan 26, 2020)

You wouldn't believe the things some peoples kids will do.


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## LEEQ (Jan 27, 2020)

Thanks Tom. I'd be interested to see a wooden propeller machine.


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## hman (Jan 27, 2020)

Even kids oughta know better!  
A 6-7" micrometer makes a much sturdier C-clamp than one of those grip-ratchet wood clamps with the plastic heads!


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## darkzero (Jan 27, 2020)

hman said:


> Even kids oughta know better!
> A 6-7" micrometer makes a much sturdier C-clamp than one of those grip-ratchet wood clamps with the plastic heads!


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## LEEQ (Jan 27, 2020)

The extra clamp didn't hurt. Surface finish tells me I got all that cast anchored down well.


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## LEEQ (Jan 27, 2020)

I need a set of good c clamps, I'm saving up for Mititouyo brand


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## epanzella (Jan 27, 2020)

DavidR8 said:


> I’m in the same place as @DangerZone.
> I’m on the verge of springing for a TIG but I’m trying to justify AC/DC so that aluminium is an option.
> 
> 
> ...





LEEQ said:


> View attachment 311573
> View attachment 311574
> View attachment 311575
> 
> ...


That's the best down and dirty DRO substitute I've seen yet. Thank you for sharing!


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## LEEQ (Jan 27, 2020)

Thanks. It's working great for the moment. You can bet I'm going to ride those dogmeat tools like I stole them. When real dro's get here the way clamp will be fitted with a stop and probably provisions made for an indicator also. Who know's, maybe a hat rack and a trivet too. I have to justify spending hours on a few minutes worth of mill work. You know, like it's something that needed done, not just therapy.


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## epanzella (Jan 29, 2020)

LEEQ said:


> Thanks. It's working great for the moment. You can bet I'm going to ride those dogmeat tools like I stole them. When real dro's get here the way clamp will be fitted with a stop and probably provisions made for an indicator also. Who know's, maybe a hat rack and a trivet too. I have to justify spending hours on a few minutes worth of mill work. You know, like it's something that needed done, not just therapy.


I currently use a 2 inch dial indicator on my long feed and it works great within it's range but like she said, sometimes 2 inches is just not enough!


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## LEEQ (Jan 29, 2020)

You have to treasure the one's who care enough to lie. " Wow honey I didn't even know they made indicators with that much travel."
	

		
			
		

		
	




	

		
			
		

		
	
I think in the one photo you can see that I drilled the axial hole up into the radial hole. In my world dogmeat tools are made with SOH(Shtuff on hand) material and tools. The 12-28 tap I had looked about perfect, but it was a bullet tap. I needed lots of depth for the tap to get a few full threads. Not ideal, but doable. It would have been even better if I had enough hex stock on hand to make two full length ones out of the brass. But it works and looks the same if you aren't peeking under there.


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## LEEQ (Jan 29, 2020)

epanzella said:


> I currently use a 2 inch dial indicator on my long feed and it works great within it's range but like she said, sometimes 2 inches is just not enough!
> 
> View attachment 311891


E, your lathe looks very familiar. Except it looks like you were 'shorted' in the toolpost/compound area. Ha Ha, punny guy. Is that an OXA post on a riser block? I like your indicator holder. Its much nicer than the junk mag base I was using.


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## darkzero (Jan 29, 2020)

LEEQ said:


> " Wow honey I didn't even know they made indicators with that much travel."



I've a got a 2" DI that I rarely use anymore. A while back I saw a DI that was like 4" travel, thing looked ridiculous & I thought "what the heck do they use those for?".

Starret makes 5" & 6" travel DIs!


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## LEEQ (Jan 29, 2020)

The thought crossed my mind to get one.  I couldn't have used it close to the headstock though, and I like using my (very short) collet chuck a lot. Collets rock. I have one set that fits in my taistock, headstock, mini-lathe head and tailstocks, mill spindle, rotary table, and both square and hex collet blocks. ER40's, and for the itty bitty a straight shank er11 chuck and collets that will slip right into a bigger er40 collet. I'm trying to dream up a quick change set up for my D1-4 collet chuck. I'm glad I didn't go with the new indicator, the next idea worked out much better.


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## LEEQ (Jan 29, 2020)

My first idea was a trava dial. Has anyone priced one lately? REdiculous.


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## epanzella (Jan 29, 2020)

LEEQ said:


> E, your lathe looks very familiar. Except it looks like you were 'shorted' in the toolpost/compound area. Ha Ha, punny guy. Is that an OXA post on a riser block? I like your indicator holder. Its much nicer than the junk mag base I was using.


Leeq
The tool post is a BXA size. The riser block is about the same size as my compound so all my existing tooling still works. I wanted my dial indicator between the carriage and the head stock because when building rifles I often need to get the carriage out of the way to take measurements or try the fit of parts without taking the work out of the chuck. To keep the DI out of the way for close work I extended the holder so the the tail of the indicator is in front of the head stock instead of running into it.  This allows me to work right up to a chuck, faceplate or collet.


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## LEEQ (Jan 29, 2020)

For some reason it looks tiny. That's strange, I use both an axa and bxa on my 12x36. You would think it would look about right. I thought the camera added 10 lbs. I don't always love my parting finishes, do you think yours are better without the compound in there than before?


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## epanzella (Jan 29, 2020)

LEEQ said:


> For some reason it looks tiny. That's strange, I use both an axa and bxa on my 12x36. You would think it would look about right. I thought the camera added 10 lbs. I don't always love my parting finishes, do you think yours are better without the compound in there than before?


That's a Grizzly G4003G 12x36.  I guess the angle of the shot makes it look off to you. I also use a one inch DI on the xfeed. You can just see it in the background of that picture. The riser block increases rigidity by eliminating one set of ways and definitely enhances cutoff. I thread straight in with the riser block as well. I only use the compound for tapers.


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## LEEQ (Jan 29, 2020)

Mine is the g4003 without the G. I find the compound more aggravating than useful a lot of the time. I don't use it much for turning. It does help me achieve more travel for cheesy toolholder milling set ups though.


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## epanzella (Jan 29, 2020)

LEEQ said:


> Mine is the g4003 without the G. I find the compound more aggravating than useful a lot of the time. I don't use it much for turning. It does help me achieve more travel for cheesy toolholder milling set ups though.


I have a mill now but this is what I used for milling on my lathe.


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## LEEQ (Jan 29, 2020)

Funny you should post that. I was just checking out your avatar photo. I don't have the nice angle block, so I used my rotary table with my compound mounted to it. I like the little mill table looking slide you have there. Where was that from and what was it's purpose before you got ahold of it? I'm waiting impatiently for my vertical milling slide from india. Man I tell you what, when I grow up I won't have to buy cheap tooling and wait forever for it.


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## epanzella (Jan 29, 2020)

LEEQ said:


> Funny you should post that. I was just checking out your avatar photo. I don't have the nice angle block, so I used my rotary table with my compound mounted to it. I like the little mill table looking slide you have there. Where was that from and what was it's purpose before you got ahold of it? I'm waiting impatiently for my vertical milling slide from india. Man I tell you what, when I grow up I won't have to buy cheap tooling and wait forever for it.


The milling slide in the above pic (post #22) was my second generation. It uses an angle plate and a single slide table. (Victor Tool I think). In my Avatar is my first generation mill slide that used my lathe compound for the vertical travel. The table was a 3/4 inch plate with a field of 3/8 x 16 holes tapped in it.  It worked well but I went to the 2nd generation to free up my compound for tapers. If you look at the spanner wrench I built with this attachment, you can do some decent work if you take your time. This is the spanner I was building in the pic in post #22. Post some pics of your milling gizmo when it arrives from India.


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## vtcnc (Jan 31, 2020)

darkzero said:


> View attachment 311583


That table is awesome


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