DRO questions

[cdhknives]

My eyes are really feeling the strain of reading the tiny dials, so being the electronic gadget guy I am I thought I would add a DRO to the cross slide. Mounting it looks challenging. I haven't seen any pics using the A11 milling cross slide either. So questions:
1) Does the backside of the DRO bar have to be mounted? I would have to really build a bracket way out to support it and still have full length use of the slide.
2) Any suggestions on brackets to attach to the saddle? The rounded curves may look nice but FLAT is easy to attach...
3) Is attaching the bar to the slide and the sensor to the saddle preferred?

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[JPigg55]

Looks like you have iGaging scales, look like them anyway.
No you don't have to mount the back of the scale bar, but you need to ensure the bar stay level or it will affect accuracy.
You'll also need to ensure the bar is parallel with the read head so the unmounted side doesn't flex the bar back and forth.
Make sure there's enough clearance that your cross slide doesn't hit your read head or wire when rotated.

 

[T Bredehoft]

For vertical clearance, could you mount the scale/read head horizontally? That way your compound could swing around on the side without problems.

 

[roadie33]

I like the looks of that A11 Cross Slide you have on the Atlas.
Was it hard getting the compound mounted? How did you mount it?
I was looking to get one for my 12 x 36 Craftsman Commercial, but wasn't sure if the compound would be to high with the QCTP to be above center height.

 

[wa5cab]

3) Is attaching the bar to the slide and the sensor to the saddle preferred?

I've never done one and don't know for certain, but I would think not. The bar takes up a lot of space. If you attach it to the cross slide, it will take up twice as much.

 

[RJSakowski]

When I have had to attach something to a curved surface, I drilled and tapped for the mount and made a fixture to hold the mount in position. Then I back-filled with epoxy. Coat the mounting screws with grease or mold release so they can be removed after the epoxy has cured. Large gaps between the mount and the frame can be filled with custom spacers. This method results in a very stable mounting surface.

 

[Bob Korves]

Pay attention to the scale being exposed to possible damage from the tailstock when mounted on that side. You might think about adding a hard stop to the carriage to prevent a crash. Mounting on that side also requires longer stickout of the tailstock quill, which compromises setup rigidity. The scale can be mounted on the spindle side of the cross slide, and that eliminates the crash problem and the tailstock stickout issue, but also is nearer to the cutting action and can cause more problems with swarf, stringy chips, and getting hit by the work. Regardless, it is best if you can fit some sort of protective cover to the scale and read head if at all possible. In some applications, especially when using some of the newer very slim magnetic scales with tiny heads, the scale can actually be put inside the cross slide or on the far side behind the cross slide.

 

[JPigg55]

I know you've already purchased scales, but you might consider either RLS or RLC series linear encoders from RLS https://www.rls.si/eng/linear
These are very small and could possibly be mounted on the underside. Not overly robust, but could be very functional with a custom made mount and protective enclosure.

 

[bill stupak]

I have the same exact setup, here is my solution, and as Bob has stated mounting it your way will impact with the tail stock (ask me how I know) Stu

 

[cdhknives]

I like the looks of that A11 Cross Slide you have on the Atlas.
Was it hard getting the compound mounted? How did you mount it?
I was looking to get one for my 12 x 36 Craftsman Commercial, but wasn't sure if the compound would be to high with the QCTP to be above center height.

Mine is a 10" with AXA size QCTP. I turned a mount for the compound to match the top of the cross slide, drilled and tapped a spot on the A11 slide, and mounted it. The only problem was stopping rotation as the single bolt was not enough. I also built a slotted nut similar to the one made for the QCTP so I can move it around if desired, and on that one I milled the bottom of the mount to fit the t-slots to prevent rotation...and this is the setup I use now. The biggest thing I miss is the angle scale on the standard cross slide..it sure made changing the compound angle much more convenient. I have no issues with tool height.