Re: Are DROs worth the money/trouble
True DRO (with fully functioning Display) is just as valuable on a lathe as a mill: you can set locations of various features in X & Z, and until you have experienced being able to turn to a diameter instead of a radius you don't know how big a difference this is.
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Re: Are DROs worth the money/trouble
A DRO is much more useful on a mill than on a lathe. ? What makes them great compared to the numbers on the hand wheel is that the DRO has no backlash. ?It shows the real location of the axis. ?The other good feature they all have is a zero-reset. ?If you need to move (say) 10 mm from current location, then set to zero and ?turn the handle until the DRO read ¡°10.00¡±. ?
I used screws to mount them but as it turns out tonight I¡¯m ordering some powerful magnets for another project and I¡¯m thinking how easy it would be to use CA glue to put the magnet on the DRO and magnetically mount the DRO.
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On Dec 21, 2023, at 4:57?PM, davesmith1800 <davesmith1@...> wrote:
[Edited Message Follows]
When DRO is working they great. I had a set on a Bridgeport for 20 years. They work great but the rest mills I had did not have DRO'S and still used them without any problems.? When work as a Journeyman Machinist I would go into shop and DRO's work haft the time as you use the tool. I finely got set I move from tool to tool if need.? They are wonderful if treat with care. Dave FYI? I have a set of Shars in my tool box since 2009.
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Here tip that make life easier.?
Threading and the lack of Threading dial.
The lathe I used have a lead screw of 4tpi.
I did not need a Threading dial? for 4. ,8 , 12, 16 or 24 tpi did not need a threading dial fast and easy threading.?
This works on mini lathes too.
16tpi lead screw 16 or 32 tpi? do not need a threading dial
1.5mm lead screw 1.5 or .75 mm
2 mm lead screw 2, 1 or .5 mm
So on projects and doing I try pick a thread that is easy.
Dave?
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Re: Are DROs worth the money/trouble
When DRO is working they great.
I had a set on a Bridgeport for 20 years. They work great but the rest mills I had did not have DRO'S and still used them without any problems.?
When work as a Journeyman Machinist I would go into shop and DRO's work haft the time as you use the tool.
I finely got set I move from tool to tool if need.?
They are wonderful if treat with care.
Dave
FYI?
I have a set of Shars in my tool box since 2009.
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Re: Are DROs worth the money/trouble
Have DRO's on both mill and lathe.? Couldn't do the work I do without them
DROPro magnetic on the mill and some cheap Shars caliper type on the lathe.? When I install the 16" bed, I have another set of magnetics to install.
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On 12/21/2023 4:24 PM, Bruce J wrote: It¡¯s not up yet, but if you're a subscriber you be able to find it here
They are at long last adding digital archives that subscribers can read; they¡¯re back to Jan/Feb 2018; I know my own subscription started after that, but I can read it, so they¡¯re available to all subscribers.
On Dec 21, 2023, at 2:00 PM, Ralph Hulslander <rhulslander@...> wrote:
Chazz, do you have a link to your article?
Ralph
On Thu, Dec 21, 2023 at 3:55?PM ChazzC <chaz-creswell@... <mailto:chaz-creswell@...>> wrote:
See my article in the January/February issue of The Home Shop Machinist for how I added X- & Z-axis scales to my 7x16. For a number of reasons I used iGaging SS Absolute Plus scales and a TounchDRO adapter, but the same approach could be used with glass or magnetic scales:
Attachments:
20231204 Lead Photo Lathe w TDROs.jpeg </g/7x12MiniLathe/attachment/117888/>
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Re: Are DROs worth the money/trouble
It¡¯s not up yet, but if you're a subscriber you be able to find it here??
They are at long last adding digital archives that subscribers can read; they¡¯re back to Jan/Feb 2018; I know my own subscription started after that, but I can read it, so they¡¯re available to all subscribers.
On Dec 21, 2023, at 2:00 PM, Ralph Hulslander <rhulslander@...> wrote:
Chazz, do you have a link to your article?
Ralph See my article in the January/February issue of The Home Shop Machinist?for how I added X- & Z-axis scales to my 7x16. For a number of reasons I used iGaging SS Absolute Plus scales and a TounchDRO adapter, but the same approach could be used with glass or magnetic scales:
![]()
Attachments:
--?
Bruce Johnson
The less a man knows about how sausages and laws are made, the easier it is to steal his vote and give him botulism.
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Re: Are DROs worth the money/trouble
The article will not be available online (or hardcopy) until early January. I got my advance copies today, but don't expect my subscription copy until maybe next week. Once it is available, you can either purchase a hardcopy of the issue or purchase a digital version (?
The content is copyrighted, so you can only access through a subscription or individual issue purchase. I don't get any commission for sales, but I think the article is worth the $5 for the digital version.
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Re: Are DROs worth the money/trouble
Chazz, do you have a link to your article?
Ralph
See my article in the January/February issue of The Home Shop Machinist?for how I added X- & Z-axis scales to my 7x16. For a number of reasons I used iGaging SS Absolute Plus scales and a TounchDRO adapter, but the same approach could be used with glass or magnetic scales:
![]()
?
Attachments:
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Re: Are DROs worth the money/trouble
See my article in the January/February issue of The Home Shop Machinist?for how I added X- & Z-axis scales to my 7x16. For a number of reasons I used iGaging SS Absolute Plus scales and a TounchDRO adapter, but the same approach could be used with glass or magnetic scales:  ?
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Re: Are DROs worth the money/trouble
Chris, once you use TouchDRO you will love it! I have it on my mill, one of these days I'll have it on my lathe also.
I've looked at TouchDRO.? I'm not sure i'm a fan.? I hate touch screens, especially in the shop even though I do see some benefits.
On Thursday, December 21st, 2023 at 2:45 PM, mike allen < animal@...> wrote:
I don't know if they still have them , LMS used to have these
DRO's that mounted behind the handles on the compound &
Crossslide that were made for these small lathes . As far as the
carriage ya probably would need a linear scale , ya can go from a
Digital caliper all the way up to a Magnetic scale for that one .
Have ya looked at TouchDro ?
animal
On 12/21/23 8:29 AM, chrisser via
wrote:
I've been looking at DROs again. Seems I go through this
exercise every six months or so.
Wanted to bounce off the conclusion I always seem to come to and
see if you guys have a different opinion.
1) Tailstock. This seems like one of the easiest (cheap caliper
modification) and cheapest. I'm not sure the accuracy of
calipers is necessary, but it's so easy to do that maybe why
not. The graduations on the tailstock are getting hard to read
and a magnetic dial indicator is easily bumped.
2) Carriage This seems the easiest to implement, and also the
most useless. Even if I put a handle on my leadscrew, the feed
is awfully coarse. Typically I use the carriage to get close,
lock it down, and then feed with the compound. The only time it
might be useful is turning a diameter on a long enough piece
that the compound doesn't have the range on it's own - even
then, if I had to turn to a shoulder, I'd still likely set a
carriage stop and advance the last few bits with the compound.
Maybe I'm doing it wrong
3) Cross-slide. I think this one has some merit. Not too
difficult to implement and with the slop in the screw, having
absolute measurement would be useful. Leaning heavily towards
this one.
4) Compound. This one would be most useful, but it's also the
hardest to do especially without getting in the way, and it's
complicated if you angle the compound. I'd like to do this one,
but I'm not sure if it's doable enough to make it worth it.
What do you guys think?
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Re: Are DROs worth the money/trouble
I've looked at TouchDRO.? I'm not sure i'm a fan.? I hate touch screens, especially in the shop even though I do see some benefits.
On Thursday, December 21st, 2023 at 2:45 PM, mike allen <animal@...> wrote:
I don't know if they still have them , LMS used to have these
DRO's that mounted behind the handles on the compound &
Crossslide that were made for these small lathes . As far as the
carriage ya probably would need a linear scale , ya can go from a
Digital caliper all the way up to a Magnetic scale for that one .
Have ya looked at TouchDro ?
animal
On 12/21/23 8:29 AM, chrisser via
groups.io wrote:
I've been looking at DROs again. Seems I go through this
exercise every six months or so.
Wanted to bounce off the conclusion I always seem to come to and
see if you guys have a different opinion.
1) Tailstock. This seems like one of the easiest (cheap caliper
modification) and cheapest. I'm not sure the accuracy of
calipers is necessary, but it's so easy to do that maybe why
not. The graduations on the tailstock are getting hard to read
and a magnetic dial indicator is easily bumped.
2) Carriage This seems the easiest to implement, and also the
most useless. Even if I put a handle on my leadscrew, the feed
is awfully coarse. Typically I use the carriage to get close,
lock it down, and then feed with the compound. The only time it
might be useful is turning a diameter on a long enough piece
that the compound doesn't have the range on it's own - even
then, if I had to turn to a shoulder, I'd still likely set a
carriage stop and advance the last few bits with the compound.
Maybe I'm doing it wrong
3) Cross-slide. I think this one has some merit. Not too
difficult to implement and with the slop in the screw, having
absolute measurement would be useful. Leaning heavily towards
this one.
4) Compound. This one would be most useful, but it's also the
hardest to do especially without getting in the way, and it's
complicated if you angle the compound. I'd like to do this one,
but I'm not sure if it's doable enough to make it worth it.
What do you guys think?
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Re: Are DROs worth the money/trouble
I don't know if they still have them , LMS used to have these
DRO's that mounted behind the handles on the compound &
Crossslide that were made for these small lathes . As far as the
carriage ya probably would need a linear scale , ya can go from a
Digital caliper all the way up to a Magnetic scale for that one .
Have ya looked at TouchDro ?
animal
On 12/21/23 8:29 AM, chrisser via
groups.io wrote:
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Show quoted text
I've been looking at DROs again.? Seems I go through this
exercise every six months or so.
Wanted to bounce off the conclusion I always seem to come to and
see if you guys have a different opinion.
1) Tailstock.? This seems like one of the easiest (cheap caliper
modification) and cheapest.? I'm not sure the accuracy of
calipers is necessary, but it's so easy to do that maybe why
not.? The graduations on the tailstock are getting hard to read
and a magnetic dial indicator is easily bumped.
2) Carriage This seems the easiest to implement, and also the
most useless.? Even if I put a handle on my leadscrew, the feed
is awfully coarse.? Typically I use the carriage to get close,
lock it down, and then feed with the compound.? The only time it
might be useful is turning a diameter on a long enough piece
that the compound doesn't have the range on it's own - even
then, if I had to turn to a shoulder,? I'd still likely set a
carriage stop and advance the last few bits with the compound.?
Maybe I'm doing it wrong
3) Cross-slide.? I think this one has some merit.? Not too
difficult to implement and with the slop in the screw, having
absolute measurement would be useful.? Leaning heavily towards
this one.
4) Compound.? This one would be most useful, but it's also the
hardest to do especially without getting in the way, and it's
complicated if you angle the compound.? I'd like to do this one,
but I'm not sure if it's doable enough to make it worth it.
?
What do you guys think?
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Re: Are DROs worth the money/trouble
I currently just have a DRO on my carriage.? It's mounted on the back side of the lathe so it's out of the way (I removed the splash guard long ago).? I also have a hand crank on the lead screw but it has a fairly long handle so I don't find it too difficult to move the carriage in .001" increments.? I did get fed up with the large amount of backlash so I made a new bearing block for the right side of the LS that incorporates two thrust bearings, one on each side, that can be preloaded.? Now the only backlash is what the half nuts contribute.
I just brush on cutting oil when I need it so my DRO stays pretty clean.? I usually cut aluminum, brass and plastic dry, and they are the lion's share of what I machine.
Using the hand crank is how I determined that I had used the wrong lube on my LS bearing blocks.? I had used grease and found that it really increased the torque needed to turn the LS.? Now I use lubricating oil.
Regarding putting a DRO on the carriage, I've been experimenting with putting it below the lathe bed, using a sideways "U" shaped bracket attached to the back of the cross slide.? However, the frictional force needed to move the DRO sensor deflects the bracket to the tune of something like .004".? I'm looking at ways to reduce the friction.? It will be tricky because there's a sliding contact that connects the rule to the sensor's internal ground, and that has to be a very good contact or the DRO becomes very sensitive to electrical noise.
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Re: Are DROs worth the money/trouble
Here my draw full drop and dial indicators I use. Dave? 
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Re: Are DROs worth the money/trouble
Old time machinist would set compound to 30¡ã for direct reading the dial.?
They also with toop post grinders set compound to 5¡ã to 11¡ã for even finder feed.?
Dave?
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Re: Are DROs worth the money/trouble
I mounted a 1-inch travel dial indicator on my tailstock that?is adjustable. I also have a 1-inch travel?dial indicator mounted on the ways that can be removed. I made a stop for the carriage that I use a lot. The cross slide is fine as is, but i have replaced the gibbs?with brass ones. No batteries required. See the photo attached. Drawings are available. Regards, John Mattis (retired mechanical engineer)
I've been looking at DROs again.? Seems I go through this exercise every six months or so.
Wanted to bounce off the conclusion I always seem to come to and see if you guys have a different opinion.
1) Tailstock.? This seems like one of the easiest (cheap caliper modification) and cheapest.? I'm not sure the accuracy of calipers is necessary, but it's so easy to do that maybe why not.? The graduations on the tailstock are getting hard to read and a magnetic dial indicator is easily bumped.
2) Carriage This seems the easiest to implement, and also the most useless.? Even if I put a handle on my leadscrew, the feed is awfully coarse.? Typically I use the carriage to get close, lock it down, and then feed with the compound.? The only time it might be useful is turning a diameter on a long enough piece that the compound doesn't have the range on it's own - even then, if I had to turn to a shoulder,? I'd still likely set a carriage stop and advance the last few bits with the compound.? Maybe I'm doing it wrong
3) Cross-slide.? I think this one has some merit.? Not too difficult to implement and with the slop in the screw, having absolute measurement would be useful.? Leaning heavily towards this one.
4) Compound.? This one would be most useful, but it's also the hardest to do especially without getting in the way, and it's complicated if you angle the compound.? I'd like to do this one, but I'm not sure if it's doable enough to make it worth it.
?
What do you guys think?
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Re: Are DROs worth the money/trouble
They nice on mill but the they have a short life typically.??
On a lathe it takes up capacity depending how installed.?
The coolant kills the DRO's
I have set I use they installed the day need the dro and remove after the job is finished. Best of both worlds.?
On my mill I have DRO on quill on time it is up out of the coolant and oil.?
Most time I use long range dial indicators on magnetic base.?
Dave?
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Are DROs worth the money/trouble
I've been looking at DROs again.? Seems I go through this exercise every six months or so.
Wanted to bounce off the conclusion I always seem to come to and see if you guys have a different opinion.
1) Tailstock.? This seems like one of the easiest (cheap caliper modification) and cheapest.? I'm not sure the accuracy of calipers is necessary, but it's so easy to do that maybe why not.? The graduations on the tailstock are getting hard to read and a magnetic dial indicator is easily bumped.
2) Carriage This seems the easiest to implement, and also the most useless.? Even if I put a handle on my leadscrew, the feed is awfully coarse.? Typically I use the carriage to get close, lock it down, and then feed with the compound.? The only time it might be useful is turning a diameter on a long enough piece that the compound doesn't have the range on it's own - even then, if I had to turn to a shoulder,? I'd still likely set a carriage stop and advance the last few bits with the compound.? Maybe I'm doing it wrong
3) Cross-slide.? I think this one has some merit.? Not too difficult to implement and with the slop in the screw, having absolute measurement would be useful.? Leaning heavily towards this one.
4) Compound.? This one would be most useful, but it's also the hardest to do especially without getting in the way, and it's complicated if you angle the compound.? I'd like to do this one, but I'm not sure if it's doable enough to make it worth it.
?
What do you guys think?
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Re: 7x16 Spindle to Tailstock Alignment Test Outcome
When first started in machine I want to do tapper.
So between and move the tail stock.
It was a real pain to get tail stock back to zero.? Now I have a tapper attachment I move lathe to lathe.?
A short lathe under 16" CC you easily make a full length tapper attachment.?
Dave?
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Re: Master-and-Slave chuck (was "Logan No 465 speed collet chuck, accuracy")
Have 3C for #3 Morse tapper with collet.?
All need to do is make the draw bar.?
I am also looking at chuck mount 5C I have full set of 5C too.?
I did see years ago a 5C collet system that you adjust after it was on the lathe.?
Dave?
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Bill Williams
7:22am? ?
Mike, in theory that is what the headstock Morse Taper should provide. Bill in Boulde
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davesmith1800
chrisser
John Mattis
