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- Jul 29, 2014
- Messages
- 2,846
I have to say for the record that the plural of axis is axes. Not axises.
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Unable to calibrate axises
- Thread starter redvan22
- Start date
My Ditron glass scales spec it around 1mm distance between read head and scale and maintain that distance within a tolerance of +/- 0.002" I believe.
What's is important is the head is in the same Plane as the scale. ie. it is riding squarely above the scale body. It will eliminate undue wear on the internal assembly. The internal assembly "floats" somewhat to allow for some variation.
What's is important is the head is in the same Plane as the scale. ie. it is riding squarely above the scale body. It will eliminate undue wear on the internal assembly. The internal assembly "floats" somewhat to allow for some variation.
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2018
- Messages
- 272
I used a Mitutoyo depth gauge after repeating my cut and it measured what the DRO showed (in a 00.000 format). The caliper was .002 over. SO, I believe I'm in the right neighborhood and will now start my project. I still need to check the Mill and repeat the process to see if things measure up. I believe they will, using the 00.000 format.
Thank you everyone for your time and patience.
Michael.
Thank you everyone for your time and patience.
Michael.
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2018
- Messages
- 272
UPDATE:
During a cleaning of the lathe, I noticed that the head for the X axis was not parallel but it was perpendicular to the scale along the length. There was about a 1/32' gap at one end and I could just barely get a 0.002 shim in the other end. Maybe I didn't tighten the bolts securely during install, maybe vibration loosened it, don't know for sure. So I realigned it leaving a 0.005 gap between the head and scale along it's length and, during recalibration, discovered that the readout number was exactly 5080. This forced me to check the Z axis and that one too was not aligned correctly. With the Z axis being under the carriage and out of reach, I went with the measurements in the instructions when installing. Well, this was a big mistake. The head was tilted about 2-3 degrees to starboard looking from the tailstock end and was rubbing along the scale on one edge. Once this was corrected (after many trial and error fittings) also got a 5080 reading during recalibration. I was suspicious about the gap between the read head and scale earlier on in this thread and this confirms my suspicions - the head needs to be absolutely parallel and perpendicular to the scale and as close as possible without scraping, as JFL4066 said. Perhaps 0.005 is not enough or too much but I can't argue with the results. I checked the calibration 3x and got the same number each time - this was another issue before, different readout numbers each time I calibrated. Now there is consistency and I feel confident that I'm in a good place. Very happy that I didn't start my project before discovering these issues.
Again, thank you all very much for your time , knowledge and patience.
Michael.
During a cleaning of the lathe, I noticed that the head for the X axis was not parallel but it was perpendicular to the scale along the length. There was about a 1/32' gap at one end and I could just barely get a 0.002 shim in the other end. Maybe I didn't tighten the bolts securely during install, maybe vibration loosened it, don't know for sure. So I realigned it leaving a 0.005 gap between the head and scale along it's length and, during recalibration, discovered that the readout number was exactly 5080. This forced me to check the Z axis and that one too was not aligned correctly. With the Z axis being under the carriage and out of reach, I went with the measurements in the instructions when installing. Well, this was a big mistake. The head was tilted about 2-3 degrees to starboard looking from the tailstock end and was rubbing along the scale on one edge. Once this was corrected (after many trial and error fittings) also got a 5080 reading during recalibration. I was suspicious about the gap between the read head and scale earlier on in this thread and this confirms my suspicions - the head needs to be absolutely parallel and perpendicular to the scale and as close as possible without scraping, as JFL4066 said. Perhaps 0.005 is not enough or too much but I can't argue with the results. I checked the calibration 3x and got the same number each time - this was another issue before, different readout numbers each time I calibrated. Now there is consistency and I feel confident that I'm in a good place. Very happy that I didn't start my project before discovering these issues.
Again, thank you all very much for your time , knowledge and patience.
Michael.
Outstanding troubleshooting. I just installed dro scales on my monarch 10EE.
They were Ditron scales. DC10 and DC10F. It helps enormously if you leave the red spacer/locking piece that holds the read head during shipping in place. It maintains squareness and gap when you are fitting/mounting. Just remove the mounting screws that keep the spacer in place. This allows the head to slide and the spacer maintains the gap.
They were Ditron scales. DC10 and DC10F. It helps enormously if you leave the red spacer/locking piece that holds the read head during shipping in place. It maintains squareness and gap when you are fitting/mounting. Just remove the mounting screws that keep the spacer in place. This allows the head to slide and the spacer maintains the gap.