DRO for Vertical Mill or Lathe - Info & experiences

[Bob Korves]

I thought they were (3) pcs of sheet metal to add to the stock bin.

For sure!

 

[tjb]

Okay, here's a head scratcher (for me, at least).

I've started the installation on the DRO for my lathe. As you know -at least Dan and Bob - mine came from our good friend, Mr. Wilson, across the left pond, and so far, it's been challenging, but fairly uneventful. The biggest problem I've had so far is it appears that the hardware that came with it is generally wrong. It came in two packs, which were different, and neither of which seems to have a preponderance of what is needed. No biggie, I either had most of what I needed or got it easily enough in town.

Here's the big challenge:
On both scales, there is a red plastic sleeve between the reader and the scale. It slides very nicely with the reader in one direction but, because it's not actually connected to it, it slides off in the other (see the following photos).



You can't tell from the photos, but there are tiny little holes in the plastic tab that match up to threaded holes in the reader - VERY small. I got absolutely no instructions on mounting or insulation, so I'm not sure if this tab is there for safety while shipping or if it's supposed to stay in there permanently. Since I got two mismatched hardware packages - neither of which appears to be correct for my purchase - I have no idea whether to try to mount the tab or just take it out.

Did either of you get mounting instructions? Any idea what to do with this tab? (Bob, your friends who have already installed theirs, what did they do?)

Regards,
Terry

 

[tjb]

I got absolutely no instructions on mounting or insulation

CORRECTION:

 

[tjb]

I got absolutely no instructions on mounting or insulation

CORRECTION: "I got absolutely no instructions on mounting or INSTALLATION..."

 

[mksj]

The red tabs or keepers are used for shipping only and to setup/keep the alignment (space) of the reader to the scale during installation. They are removed when installation is complete. Some manuals specify the distances of the reader to the scale and tolerances. See instructions below, the Sino scale install manual is pretty bad.

 

[middle.road]

That, MKSJ is exactly what I needed a week ago. Where did you find them?
The Easson is right on the mark IMO.

Yeah, someone besides Wilson is answering my messages. I asked for installation instructions plus info on the display mount and all I received is that picture of an Easson Display on an arm.
The response to my latest message in regard to my wiper problem was very poor.

 

[tjb]

The red tabs or keepers are used for shipping only and to setup/keep the alignment (space) of the reader to the scale during installation. They are removed when installation is complete. Some manuals specify the distances of the reader to the scale and tolerances. See instructions below, the Sino scale install manual is pretty bad.

Thanks for the information.

I agree with Dan: The illustrations in the Easson Installation Instructions look virtually identical to my unit.

As usual, your advice is invaluable.

Regards,
Terry

 

[tjb]

That, MKSJ is exactly what I needed a week ago. Where did you find them?
The Easson is right on the mark IMO.

Yeah, someone besides Wilson is answering my messages. I asked for installation instructions plus info on the display mount and all I received is that picture of an Easson Display on an arm.
The response to my latest message in regard to my wiper problem was very poor.

I find myself wondering if there really is a "Mr. Wilson" or if that is simply a generic name used to funnel questions.

So far, I'm not dissatisfied with my unit. Because of the configuration of my lathe, I've had to fabricate some blocks to hold the stock brackets, but that wasn't terribly difficult. Not completely finished, but I think the most challenging part is behind me. That's the x-axis. I have a feeling, however, that the z-axis is going to be a bit more challenging because of space constraints. We'll see. Would love to hear some opinions on mounting it on the front of the cross slide instead of the back.

Regards,
Terry

 

[Bob Korves]

The relative lack of mounting hardware does not faze me in the least. First, most of the stuff that comes with these things are not only cheap, but also generic for a mounting design just about guaranteed to be different than mine. Also, every piece we do not use is wasted money. I am happy coming up with my own solutions to mounting the hardware.

 

[mksj]

That's the x-axis. I have a feeling, however, that the z-axis is going to be a bit more challenging because of space constraints.

Was a little confused because there are two separate installs going on in this post which one would differ somewhat on the recommendations, one for the mill and one for the lathe. On a lathe typically one would use a slimLine (GS31) 1 micron glass scale on the cross slide, the standard scale (GS10) is too large to fit on smaller lathes. A slimLine is significantly smaller, under 1" wide with the cover. The dimensions are available here: http://www.dropros.com/DRO_PROS_Digital_Readout_Scale.htm

Unless your cross slide gibs are on the tailstock side, I would not mount the scale on the headstock side, the risk of running it into the chuck and contamination is much greater. You can also get ribbons of swarf that love to catch anything and make a mess. The Z axis or long axis is usually fairly straight forward, not sure on what the space constraints would be, the scale is mounted on the back of the lathe (lots of postings on these installs). Having installed a few DROs, the brackets rarely "fit" as there are too many variables from machine to machine, in some cases a bracket might be re-purposed or modified to fit or attach to a custom bracket. First timers (including myself) try to use the provided brackets, but after a few times one realizes that one can fabricate specific brackets and get a cleaner finished install. Some of the higher end kits will provide a mounting surface for the scales with small jack screws in the corners for aligning the scale, a lot is just figuring out where to mount the scales/reader. The DRO Pros installation page is also helpful for different ideas. http://www.dropros.com/Digital_Readout_DRO_Installation.htm