| Larger dials for 10K & 9"?
(Jan 19, 2002) |
Large dial conversion or DRO?
(Apr 21, 2003) |
| Diameter of larger crossfeed and
compound dials (Feb 1, 2002) |
Trav A Dial (Dec 19,
2003) |
| Side dials (Feb 21, 2002) |
Carriage dial? (Jan 12,
2004) |
| New dials? (May 22, 2002) |
Dro's on the ways (Apr
3, 2004) |
| How to engrave dials (May
29, 2002) |
Larger Dials (Apr 30,
2004) |
| Dro installation on SB9" (Jul 11, 2002) |
Old heavy 10 with DRO?
(Dec 7, 2004) |
| Larger compound dial (Aug
15, 2002) |
Make your own DRO (Mar
2, 2005) |
| What DRO do you use? (Jan
7, 2003) |
Shumatech DRO (Mar 18,
2005) |
| |
| Larger dials for 10K & 9"? |
| Anybody know of the
availability of conversion dials to replace the small diameter cross
slide and compound dials on a 10K? Anybody done a conversion like
this? Joe
(2821) |
| Lets expand that to 9" lathes too.
I'm very interested in doing such a conversion. Rick (2822) |
| Joe and others: I
had the "large" dials and was un-satisfied with the lack of
precision in the markings on the crossfeed dial...not fine enough. I
made my own larger crossfeed dial and bushing for my 10K. They are a
full 2.00" in diameter. I'm pretty sure it would fit a 9" SB also. I
don't see any reason why anybody else couldn't do this project for
themselves. There are pictures and drawings in the photos and files
sections of the group if you'd like to take a look. The drawings are
in both .gif and .dwg formats, whichever is your preference. There
is also a .txt file that briefly explains the project. I'd be happy
to answer any questions you may have about the project. BTW, I still
have the "large" dial that I replaced if anyone is interested.
Raymond (2823) |
| I just took a look, and Raymond did
an incredible job on the dial - a wonderful example of what you can
do to improve your lathe by using your lathe! :-) For those who
don't have access to the necessary dividing and engraving
capabilities, I might suggest calling the Hardinge Parts Department
(800.843.8801) and getting the requisite white plastic dial insert
for one of their lathes. They're fairly reasonable (I'm told, by
multiple sources, haven't actually needed one yet) and the contrast
of black markings engraved on a white dial is a real pleasure to
read. There are a couple of photos you can peruse to see how they
look at http://www.lathes.co.uk/hardinge/page3.html - disregard the
top accessory. I just measured the dial on my Rear Tool Holder Slide
Assembly and it's 2.0" in diameter and reads 0-50 - the part number
I have in the manual is LH-10335. If you want 0-100 or 0-200
versions of that diameter I believe the Radius Turning Attachment
uses those. The crossfeed and compound dials are 2.5" in diameter
and come in either 0-100 or 0-200 versions. The only thing necessary
to mount these dials is a flanged disk - basically the dial you
would make for the lathe but with a step machined in it. It slips on
with a couple of thousandths clearance to allow lubrication and
resetting to zero via a front mounted thumbscrew pressure point
(with a tiny nylon pad, of course.) Anyway, it's another option to
consider. Mike (2829) |
| I solved the
problem of small dials on my lathe by building a DRO. The computer
screen has nice LARGE numbers and a side benefit is the increased
resolution that I get. Another benefit is having a scale on the bed
axis which helps in locating cuts and parts. Best upgrade I have
done to the lathe. While mine is on my [brand a/c], it will work on
a southbend! (2830) |
| Mike: That's an
excellent idea! I wish I had thought of it. Those Hardinge dials are
very clearly marked and easy to read. I didn't even consider buying
existing parts to do the conversion, but that would have saved me
some time. Raymond (2842) |
| One set on
eBay the dial is serviceable, the bushing looks homemade, it's
serviceable but kind of ugly. Anyway it's cheap I think. Got new
ones in process. Not trying to profiteer here, just don't need two
and three of stuff.
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemitem=1692178116 (2843) |
| Can you tell us how
you built a DRO. Was it with US Digital tape or what? Walt
(2849) |
| Details of how I
did it are on my web site (noted in my tag line), but basically, it
uses 5v encoders, a simple IC interface (now updated from what is
shown on the site), an old 486, and a program originally written by
Steve Lindsay. The program is now updated to V5.0 (beta) as written
by Robert Duncan and includes a NICE graphical interface. Will be
updating the site soon as my ISP got bought out and will have to
move to a new location (to be announced when finalized) If I can
help, will be more than happy to. (2850) |
| It's not too late!
All you have to do is shave off all that gorgeous engraving you just
completed and slip on the plastic ring. Mike (2860) |
| I did the dials on
a 6 inch Atlas. I used PVC gas pipe (a pretty yellow color) and
marked the divisions by using a cad program to print out the lines
and numbers then used the "scale" function on the cad program to
print out the divisions so the strip would be an exact fit on the
raw dial. glued it on, coated it with two or three coats of water
based poly-varnish. Held up fine for several years, till in a moment
of craziness I sold that lathe and bought a Smithy. (I know,
candidate for a jacket with the sleeves tied in back) I made a
similar dial with different divisions and added it to the tail stock
end of the lead screw, sometimes came in handy to position the
saddle at a precise point. John (2885) |
| Diameter of
larger crossfeed and compound dials |
| What are the ODs of
the larger graduated dials that fit the 9 10 SB lathes? I understand
from recent discussion that the bushing shaft is longer for at least
the cross slide so it clears the saddle? What about the compound
bushing for the larger dials. Anyone who has these, could you
determine, approximately the distance from the slide casting to the
mating surface between the large dial bushing and the graduated dia.
of each, please? Now that I have the bushings/dials apart, I can
think about making larger dials and would like to know what
dimensions I should work to. Rick K. (3038) |
| Glenn, Thanks. I
can't believe I did this, just the thing I privately criticize
online bozos for doing: 1) Not doing a little looking
around/searching the archives before asking an already answered
question, and 2) Not only had I already looked at those a week or so
ago, I'd already downloaded them and clearly forgot about it. The
drawings are just what I was after/planning on doing myself. Thanks
for doing the work to draw them up and post them. I have on hand, a
"large" dial from an unidentified machine. It has a shorter screw
length than the SB9 cross feed, but longer than the compound. The
interesting thing about it is that it has a thrust bearing on the
inside (between the screw shoulder and the bushing) as well as, as
you've drawn yours, between the bushing and the dia. Rick K. (3040) |
| Will do, Glen, the guy who did it, did it in 304 SS ( or some other SS alloy).
Good material, but he had access to CNC, I don't. I have some 12L14
of appropriate size, but am concerned about its durability,
scratches, dents the like. What steel alloy are the stock
bushings/dials made from and what "other" alloys would be suitable?
Rick K. (3044) |
| Rick Most likely
not as good as 12L14. JWE (3045) |
| Yes, I'm sure I can
get a great finish with 12L14, but will it be durable enough, not
get all dinged scratched, er..., make that "more" dinged and
scratched up because its 12L14 rather than _______ (fill in blank
with more suitable alloy)? I realized just this morning that making
larger dials may require extending the bushing for clearance and
that would mean a new crosslide feed screw, and that makes the
project lots tougher, or at least expensive. May have to re-evaluate
it. Rick (3047) |
| I haven't looked at
the message, but I recall that it was from Hardinge. I am
considering it, but as I just posted, if making larger dials
requires extending the bushing, that requires a new feedscrew, and
mine is fine, so I'm not sure its a deal I want to undertake. Er,
wait, can the stock one be extended? Has anyone obtained
any of those plastic sleeves? What OD are they? Rick K. (3049) |
| Rick It isn't going
to get more banged up than what came on it which is probably 1018
and that stupp has to be ground or sanded to get a good finish cause
it is so gummy. JWE (3051) |
| Side dials |
| Paul, A side stop
should begin with I measurement. That being the center distance of
your crown/flat way and the point of contact on the carriage. It may
be a good idea to start by filing a spot for your mic post to land.
Keeping in mind that this is not a rugged stop like most
off-the-shelf side-stops. The next thing I'd consider is to design
it so you don't need any tools to move and set it. I use 1/4-20
socket-head Allen screws with knarled knobs pressed onto the
heads. The third thing is to ask weather the head will suffer from
chips and dirty oil. If so you may want to think about an acrylic
guard. I use an old side-stop milled down to except a 2" travel
dial. I keep it covered with a zip-loc bag. Works for me. Cost $25.
Ron (3342) |
| Ron, I
forgot to take a close look at the units in my SB Lathe parts manual
to see how they did it. Good point about a micrometer head not being
the sturdiest thing. I think I would make an interchangeable
rigid/threaded post to use instead of the mic head for those times I
didn't need the micrometer feature. A dial indicator would be nice
too, but I would probably make a separate mount for one of my 2"
travel DIs. I'd make up a few basic clamps while I had the mill set
up for milling the V-way. The carriage has a nice flat for the stop,
so I guess my stop-rod should have a slightly rounded end. I'll have
to tool-post-grind the end of the mic head to round it over. Good
suggestion on that one. As far as work goes, I'm an independent
Consulting Engineer and I do Internet, web and real-time systems
engineering. Right now I'm working on wireless networking protocols
for notebooks and PDAs. Basically, I'll do whatever I can get
someone to pay for. Paul R. (3343) |
| Fred, Neat idea.
Great use for something you otherwise couldn't use. I guess you
could also just weld a threaded nut on a plate w/o boring out the
thread and have an adjustable stop with the addition of some
threaded rod. Very cool. It looks like it clamps from underneath. Is
it easy to get at? Paul R. (3348) |
| Yes, it clamps with
a bolt underneath and can slide the entire bed distance on the way.
It's the complete power switch bracket. I wish I had more for
additional projects. Fred g (3350) |
| New dials? |
| I have an
11" Southbend the dials are quite small and I am looking for a
source for replacements and or a recommendation for material to make
new ones out of. I would like dials that look like the ones on a
Hardinge (who wouldn't) and that are at least twice the dia of the
oem dials which are around 1". Any recommendations? Bob
(4286) |
| Look in the
files and photos sections of this group. There are folders there
titled "10K crossfeed" that contain pictures, drawings, and an
explanation of the enlarged replacements I made for my lathe. If you
have any questions please feel free to contact me. Raymond
(4290) |
| I think I
remember from previous post, that Hardinge sells the plastic dials.
Tom (4295) |
| How to engrave
dials |
| I like the
idea of oversize dials and the nice pictures in the photo
section but how are the graduations and the numbers marked? (4334) |
| If you are
referring
to the photos in the "10K crossfeed" folders, that engraving was
done on a CNC machining center, (Matsuura RA-I) equipped with a
programmable Yuasa 5C indexer. Yeah, I cheated a little bit, but the
engraving is the only thing I did CNC. Everything else was done in
my shop at home. It is possible to engrave the lines using a
dividing head to do the spacing and a small pointed tool such as a
60 degree single flute spot tool or counter-sink to do the cutting.
The numbers could then be carefully stamped using standard, readily
available stamps. Raymond (4336) |
| Dro
installation on SB9" |
| Has
anyone installed one of the DRO's that look like a digital caliper
without the jaws. Price is very reasonable. Looks like the 6"
vertical (like a mill quill readout) would work for the Y axis and a
18" or 24" horizontal would work for the X axis. If anyone has
mounted one, where did you mount it. Are you happy with it? Thought
I would check before I drilled a lot of holes in lathe. Jerry
(5057) |
| I put a pair of
these on my mill-drill and included the remote readouts. The
connectors are "crap" and sometimes need a nudge to get working but
the readouts are wonderful to work with. I thought about a pair on
the SBL 9 but the cross slide and the compound are problem areas for
mounting! Bill (5058) |
| Take a look at
art eckstein's page on simple cable dro which he set up. Cheap cheap
cheap! I believe that there is a link to it from the links pages.
Art you around? simple encoder rig to a pc. You do have a pc in you
shop don't you? ;) 386 will work. Set date back to 198x. I am
working on setting up similar for mine. alt to cable rig, us digital
has released their linear encoders in the 250 cpr range with mylar
strips. Using dan mauch's dro board. seanet.com/~dmauchusdigital.com dennis
(5060) |
| Yep, Still around
and lurking most of the time. You can also link to my web pages
from my tag line and see what I did for my mill/drill and lathe. One
of the best things I ever did! (5065) |
| I've been looking
at them. I decided to by a 25.00 digital caliper and build my own. I
just got the caliper in and haven't started the project yet. I would
also like to see some ideas on the installation. Skip
(5066) |
| Couple things about
that. I have a friend who's SB11" came with a Mitutoyo DRO on the
cross slide, with the bezel mounted facing upward so it could be
read. Hot chips had melted the bezel so much it was hard to read at
all. He didn't use it. If you do mount a DRO, protect the bezel
somehow, or use it with a remote readout and mount the DRO so the
bezel isn't exposed to hot chips. This is what I've done on my
minimill. Digital displays are really hard to read/use with high
feed rates. The digits change so quickly, you can't really read them
and its very difficult to judge where you are and when to stop the
feed. This differs from a travel dial indicator where the inch,
tenths indicators monitored and the spinning thousandths needle can
be judged for position and approach of your stop point. This sort of
thing doesn't seem to be a problem, at least for me on the mill, but
would be for lathe work. I prefer to use travel indicators, at least
for the carriage feed. A DRO might work well on the cross feed. I
have a Trav-A-Dial that I've been meaning to mount on my SB9, but in
the meantime, have been doing quite well with a 2" travel dial
indicator. In May, I bought a Starrett 5" travel dial indicator for
$125, but its so long I haven't found a good way to use it yet. Rick
K. (5067) |
| They work OK. I
have three, one on each axis. One on the front of the head for up an
down , another under a protective glass window along the front for
the X axis, and a third mounted along side the left hand side of the
machine and under a steel cover for the Y this read out on a remote
commercial box fitted to the head and swingable for easy reading .
When I am clever enough I will hopefully be able to do pictures and
put them onto the site. I use an iMac computer and seem to have much
problems with attachments etc, any one else having the same? and
which camera do you use please? Phil (5070) |
| Where do you get
the remote readouts? Flash (5278) |
| There are two types
of remotes I'm aware of, single and multiple. I have two of the
single types used on DROs scales on my minimill. They work okay, but
I'd rather have the dual or triple types. Irrespective of single/multiple,
I've found the biggest problem is with the "horizontal" scale units,
as opposed to the "vertical" scale units. Suppliers of the scale
units include: Shars Tools: http://www.shars.com DRO units not on
online catalog, call for catalog, Wholesale Tools:
http://server1.wttool.com/cgi-bin/miva?Merchant2/merchant.mv+Screen=CTGYStore_Code=WTCategory_Code=C01910 Cal Aero:
http://calaero.zoovy.com/product/DROLCDSTORE
All these supplier's single remote readouts are the same, so its
more a matter of price and service. I got immediate replacement, no
questions on a defective unit from Shars. After two years of use of
two single remotes and a vertical DRO on the Z-axis, I'd go for the
3 axis readout unit for my minimill from Wholesale Tools:
http://www.wttool.com/cgi-bin/miva?Merchant2/merchant.mv+Screen=PRODStore_Code=WTProduct_Code=1289-0460 The web site says it comes
with 3 - 6" cables (useless), so that is one question, whether they
are really 6" (requires extensions or splicing) or 6 ' (ft). I'd
call and ask before ordering. But for the lathe, a single remote
may still be the better choice. Rick K. (5283) |
| Yep, I'm here; and
you will find a link in my tag line to the series of web pages that
I have on the DRO installation etc. As stated in some of my
discussion the system cost me less than $200 and that included a
used computer and monitor. If you have a computer, the interface
board cost about $10 and the encoders depends on your scrounging
ability:-}) The system is simple to build and install and accuracy
depends on how much time and care you spend on calibrating it. One
cravat is if you want to use a laptop as some (all??) do not use a
standard parallel port. The software/interface will not work on my
laptop, yet the same will work on desktops. If I can be of any help,
please advise. (5284) |
| Cal Aero:
http://calaero.zoovy.com/product/DROLCDSTORE
has both the scales and the remotes. Bill (5287) |
| On version 5.x of
the Dro program, bit 5 will be automatically set. This bit is not
confined to just laptops as a problem. If you can get your laptop to
work, GREAT. Others have written me that they can not get theirs to
work (including my own) no matter what. (5290) |
| Larger compound
dial |
| Has anyone put a
larger dial that is calibrated in .001 on a sb 9" lathe ? If so
where did you get the dial and what road blocks are there to doing
the job? Tom (5771) |
| Look in the files section, there
is a print for a large dial assembly. Problems might be that the
dial might interfere with other parts and might need a longer lead
screw. I'm not sure on this. Most problems center around graduating
the dial in 0.100 increments. Two solutions are that Hardinge makes
a plastic ring that's graduated for their lathes and I saw something
for Bridgeport mill in the MSC catalog that graduated in 0.001 and
made of aluminum. Tom (5886) |
| I have a large dial if the one in the picture on the
home page of this group is a small one. Mine appears to be at least
2 1/2 times the diameter of the one in the picture. Mine also has an
extended casting that sticks out a good three inches from the base
of the cross slide casting into which the screw goes and the large
dial mounts. Looking at the picture if my dial were on that lathe it
would foul when trying to crank back towards the operator far sooner
than on my lathe. I get six inches of cross slide travel with this
arrangement. It would seem more than just the dial is needed.
However, being only familiar with my own lathe and that just barely
please don't take anything I say as gospel. Jim (5887) |
| I replaced small
dials on an previous SB9A when I installed a taper attachment. The
dial seat housing/bushing is longer and the feed screw is
longer/different, so it isn't just a matter of changing to a large
dial, at least for the cross feed. I seem to remember that the
compound feed screw/dials were different too, in the thickness of
the dial. The larger one was thicker, making the feed screw
different also. If you can find the whole assembly, large dials,
bushings and feedscrews, I think you could do it. You could also
make yourself new, large dials of the same thickness as the small
dials. There must be a reason why the large dial cross slide bushing
is longer, so there could be some issue there preventing it from
working with the small dial bushing. Sorry, don't have a small dial
cross slide assembly to refer to. Rick K. (5890) |
| I had one for the
9" but sold it when I decided I wasn't keeping the lathe. I also
found one for the Heavy 10" which I *did* keep and install, picture
below. The feedscrew was about .5" longer as I recall but not much
more than that. I replaced the feedscrew, nut dial as an assembly
figuring the old feedscrew nut had probably worn in together and
keeping the old nut with a new feedscrew wasn't going to be the
ideal combination. Dave (5891) |
| On my 10K, the
cross slide completely covers the small dial when in the most
forward extended position. I know becasue i was trying to do a set u
in the 4 jaw, and wished there was a way to get yet another 1/2"
extension beyond. (I worked it out changing toolposts and holder)
Anyway, the point is that you will lose travel in proportion to the
thickness of the dial + register for the witness mark. I got to the
point where it probably is not worth it to me to lose 1/2" travel.
Also realized I do all my close adjustments on the compound, anyway.
I use the crosslide for keeping track while hogging off, then
twiddle the compound, set at 30§ so it becomes direct reading off
the diameter. It does look like a worthwhile project to make or fit
a bigger dial to the compound. Those Hardinge dials and direct
reading screws have spoiled me; and mine are (to Hardinge) "small
old fashioned" split bed type. I do cut acme threads and recently
was making some modified square thread taps. This is the type
situation where it would be nice to have a big dial on the cross
slide, too. But with a threading stop, even there it can be
adequately worked around. Smt (5892) |
| 10 Heavies are
different in many ways, this being one of them. Attached is a
similar photo of my SB9A large dials, which I am pretty sure are
stock. The bushing length on yours looks much like the bushing on a
SB9 small dial. Rick K. (5893) |
| I have one of each,
a large dial cross slide and a small dial cross slide. The cross
slide would interfere with the dial and limit travel so there is
about 2 and a half inches of extension on the bushing. On my large
dial unit South Bend used the extra length for a proper thrust
bearing. I think it is a ball thrust bearing but I have not had it
torn down far enough to tell for sure. Glen (5904) |
| The reason I was
looking at doing this is because I just changed my 9"X36" SB from a
"B" to an "A" by adding the QC box and I am in the process of
building the taper attachment ( from Popular Mechanics Feb 1962
)which will make the cross slide more user friendly with la larger
dial for my kids. I have spent countless hours scraping, cleaning,
rebuilding and painting the lathe. It is able to do metric and
American threads. I bought this lathe 10 years ago for 150 bucks and
wouldn't sell it for 1500 now. It now has most everything needed,
QC, 3 4 jaw chuck, collets, mill attachment, steady rest, follow
rest, and soon a taper attachment ( home made, but good enough ),
set up for coolant ( on a old Logan base ). Tom (5905) |
| Tom, With all that
work etc. might as well go for Digital readouts. OK, I know they
cost almost as much as the lathe itself, but just tell the kids its
as much fun as an X-box. Just kidding, well sort of. One of the
problems I notices doing pipe threads (a good use for the taper
attachment) is that there will be play in the lead screws. I've only
done pipe threads with lathes that had DRO's on them. Others might
comment on doing them without. Maybe the use of dial indicators,
just don't bump them out of place. Glenn, The bearing I pulled out
of my 10K had roller thrust bearings. INA has some that are close,
but I had to grind down the washers to the same thickness. A person
could shorten the housing a bit and deepen the recess for the other
bearing. I would make an expanding arbor to keep things aligned. I
think they were either .005 to 0.010 thousands thicker than the
original. I had to do a lot of repair work for my housing due to
damage from before I owned it. The threads weren't squared with the
housing. I had it all together, then noticed I had the wrong
leadscrew. Someday I'll get back to assembling that 10K. Tom (5908) |
| What DRO do you
use? |
| I want to look at
options for installing a DRO on my 13" South Bend. Has anyone had
success doing this for under $1000? A picture of an installation
would be dandy. Jeff
(8570) |
| How about for under
$100? have you looked at Art Eckstein's page on the homebuilt dro's?
art is usually around these parts. Looks pretty decent. I have
accumulated the parts/pieces but not put it all together yet.
USdigital is one of the nicest places to get encoders
http://ns1.dicomm.net/~axtein/dro/ dp (8571) |
| I bought the CBX
from Shooting Star and I could not be more pleased. Installation
went smooth, operation is perfect, price is pretty cheap (as DRO's
go anyway. Here is the link
http://www.star-techno.com/index3.htm
Is anybody on this list going to the Cabin Fever Expo in York PA?
Shooting Star will be there. (8573) |
| I remember seeing
them at NAMES a couple years ago... I'll give them a call and see
what their pricing is like. Regarding the home-built variety, I'm a
bit leery of the "pulley" technique. I see many variables that could
affect the reading. In fact, I had started a project to do something
just like this on my Mill/Drill but got sidetracked... still have
the encoders I think. Anyhow, I'm looking to avoid hassle and just
buy a proven system. Jeff (8574) |
| I would look into
the Shooting Star system. www.star-techno.com (800-772-6322). I have
their 2-axis system on my Small Grizzly knee mill and I'm pleased
with it. They use a rack which can be cut to your required length
with a hacksaw. They advertise in Home Shop Machinist. They are nice
people to deal with and offer a 5-year warranty. $599 for a 2-axis
package. Neil (8575) |
| Here are a couple.
http://www.star-techno.com/images/ph79.gif
http://www.star-techno.com/images/ph80.gif
Scott Logan (8578) |
| Shooting Star has been an excellent choice for me. I use their DRO
on my mill and lathe with exceptional results. Accurate and easily
installed and they're great to deal with. Good after sales
service (8580) |
| Jeff, Mine is not a
Southbend, but look at my web site and you will see how I did it on
mine. I have the saddle and the cross slide rigged up using
inexpensive encoders, some cable, a freeware program and an old 486
computer. You will find the link in my tagline and this series of
pages starts with my mill/drill (and has the software and interface
information. (8588) |
| Large dial
conversion or DRO? |
| How to make a new mount
for a large dial for the cross slide and also extend it out to allow
full travel all while retaining the existing leadscrew. It's
possible I didn't search properly, but can someone offer some
pointers to either find those old posts or how to make such a beast
? I keep seeing what looks like white (yellow tinted) ivory dial on
used lathes, with large diameters of 2-3". with my eyes, I need
something more than the stock dial and I kinda don't want to jump to
a DRO. http://www.zietlowdesign.com/products/products.htm has the
LED readouts, but does not include the scales. IT seems nice, but
I'm not sure I need to go that far with the accuracy. Dave (10333) |
| I know Home Shop Machinist has done some articles on large
dial conversions but I can't remember exactly when (and their web
index is no help). Just recently Rudy Kouhoupt did a large dial
conversion on an Atlas horizontal mill in HSM, might give you some
ideas. Shooting Star www.star-techno.com has some pictures of one of
their DRO units on a 9" SB that looks pretty clean (but a little
pricy). You might want to check with the CAD, CAM, DRO egroup,
there's
usually a lot of homebrew DRO going on in there. Jeff
(10339) |
| Looking at the
installation on the 9", it seems that with the DRO in place, one
cannot use a follower rest. Is that correct? Also, does the
longitudinal sensor go on the front or the back? Frank (10340) |
| Dave I just
converted to larger dials than the original one inch items on my
1940 #C. I would have liked the later, larger, satin finish OEM
dials, (which I believe are 1.75"diam.) and direct reading,
i.e., 200
graduations, but I could not find any second user items at this
point in time, and went for the Boxford large dials, which are 1.5"
diam. 100 graduations. Bore and thickness are identical, so no
problems at all. The graduations are deep and clear. To restore the
index mark to correspond with the dials, I made simple collars to
fit over the existing bushings, drilled, tapped and set-screwed, and
same diam. as the dials with a scribed index mark. I first made
these in aluminum, as that was all the stock I had of that
diameter, but have since replaced with bronze. I made the face that
bears against the dials slightly concave, so that the collar bears
at outer diameter only, saving a bit of friction. I tried to upload
a (rather poor) picture to the list without success. if you want to
see that, mail me off list. I got my dials from G M Tools
http://www.gandmtools.com/engineering/accessories/boxford.html
who also sell Boxford change wheels, which are identical to SBL
gears. One list member at least has already dealt with them from the
US, with reported excellent results. I have no connection with them,
other than as a very satisfied client. Len (10341) |
| Seems I
misinterpreted this mail. Thought you meant the original cross and
top slide dials behind the cranks. Len (10342) |
| Yea, I noticed that
too. Looks like you lose the follower. As for the other sensor, I
imagine it sets in the back which means you probably lose the taper
attachment (?). Never seen one in person, just the pics on the site.
Jef f(10343) |
| If you want to home
brew a DRO, have a look at my web site9link in my tag line). I put
one on my lathe as well as mill drill and sure do like being able to
see those numbers! My bi-focals have a hard time with little print. (10344) |
| I don't understand
this - what is your website URL? I would like to see your DRO I put
one on my 10k, using a 6-inch caliper. Works OK but is clumsy
looking. Frank (10348) |
| Sorry about that,
try: http://ns1.dicomm.net/~axtein/dro (10350) |
| I did find
it http://ns1.dicomm.net/~axtein/dro
Archie (10352) |
| Dave Mucha writes: looking thru the
list I was searching for a post on how to make a new mount for a
large dial for the cross slide and also extend it out to allow full
travel. All while retaining the existing leadscrew. I don't have a
lead to existing instructions but it shouldn't be difficult to do
this. Dismantle the existing set up and measure the bushing and
micrometer dial. Draw new ones keeping the axial dimensions the same
as your originals. Also keep all the radial dimensions the same as
the originals *except* the diameters of the dial and the part of the
bushing adjacent to the dial. That should take care of it, the
hardest part may be graduating the new dial. While you're at it you
might make a second dial to go with your new bushing but graduate it
with 200 marks in place of the original 100. This alternative
version will give direct readout for diameter reduction instead of
radius reduction as with the original with 100 marks. Try one, try
the other, and decide which you prefer. The biggest drawback to the
200 mark dial is that it will be different from the one on the
compound which can also be used for the same functions as the cross
slide, possibly leading to confusion. And it's not a good idea to
change the dial on the compound to 200 marks as it's often used for
things other than diameter/radius reduction. - I keep seeing what
looks like white (yellow tinted) ivory dial on used lathes, with
large diameters of 2-3". - Sounds as if you've been looking at
Hardinge lathes. Anthony
(10353) |
| Len, I think you
got it right. My preference is to make larger dials for the cross
slide and the compound, but the compound is not really that
important. the 'problem' is that if one just slips rings over the
existing dial, the limited table travel is even more limited. That
would mean that not only would a new mount be needed, but also some
means of extending the shaft of the leadscrew. I would really like
to extend the travel as well as my grinder is very limited in space.
I have to bring the cross slide all the way out, then the compound
out and since my grinder needs to be square to the cross slide, that
means the dials are not readable at all under it. So, larger dials
is the key. In reviewing, it seems I should be able to take the
handle off my X/Y as I never use the left hand side, and mount that
on the lathe..... gotta see what is needed to do that. Seems with so
little posted on the subject that people are more interested in DRO's that dials, this would be a good project to photo along the
way. Dave
(10361) |
| George Thomas did a
fantastic article in the late 70s on fitting large dial and it is
very detailed. It is in the same book with the dividing head and all
purpose pillar tool. JWE (10363) |
| JWE, is that
book in circulation? Do you know if any parts are posted on the web
? I am hoping someone did that mod and documented it and posted it.
Dave
(10368) |
| Dave, You might
check the SB files. There is one in the archives for a 10K large
dial for the cross feed. Also, there is stuff on the C to A
conversion for the other poster. Tom (10369) |
| Dave dunno quite
how much extra travel you need, but you may just recall that before
I fitted these Boxford dials I had a broken thread on the leadscrew
on the crosslide, and part of the keyway was also gone. I drilled
and tapped the crank end of the leadscrew, and fitted an M4 screw
with mushroom head that was a virtual match for the original nut.
The shaft was basically 3/16" short, which the screw could
compensate for, but that didn't replace the missing keyway portion. I
turned well over an 1/8th inch off the original small dial without
much loss of the graduations, so that the short round key could mate
with what was left. If that sounds a little slapdash, it worked! The
new dials had longer keys so the problem didn't arise on
replacement. I can imagine an extension mod that would be simple and
reversible...say, instead of the slip over replacement ring that I
made to carry the index mark one used an appropriate length of tube,
tapped and setscrewed to the original bushing, and an internally
threaded rod were made to fit to the crank nut end of the leadscrew,
with male thread and keyway at outer end to refit the dial and crank
handle? Len
(10370) |
| I should have said
of course that this will not give you more travel, but would at
least bring the dials into view. Len
(10371) |
| Dave I just looked
at Wise Owl and TEE and the book does not have that series in it and
it is the only George Thomas book in current publication so I will
see if I can find a hole somewhere to shove it in, probably
mlathemods2 as I think there is some space there. JWE (10377) |
| The
George Thomas dial conversions are in "The Model Engineers Workshop
Manual" book not the "Dividing and Graduating" and "Building the
Universal Pillartool" book(s). Note that the dividing and pillar
tool books have now been bought together in one volume so basically
there are only two George Thomas books around now. Both were
available UK side at the turn of the year. The dial stuff is
designed for Myfords but could be modded for Southbend 9"/10". If
you fancy the retracting topslide version be warned, its a precision
job. Works well when done but it takes a braver man than I to make
it! As Len says the Boxford dial conversion is good. When I did the
job on my 9" model B I used the whole Boxford dial and mount
assembly which is longer than the Southbend unit so you don't loose
any travel. It also has a roller bearing thrust race which is well
worth having. The Boxford mount has a dual Allen head screw fixing
instead of the Southbend screw in spigot so you have to add the
necessary holes (5 mm does nicely) and clear out the original fixing
thread so I suppose it does butcher the machine. Didn't worry me as
I fitted a new, longer, T slotted cross-slide conversion at the same
time and put the originals into store. Personally I think the Allen
heads are better as its much easier to remove the cross-slide screw
when taper turning (use a ball ended screwdriver type key to remove
in nowt flat). Power feed on A B models is a problem if you use the
whole Boxford assembly as the drive gear on the Boxford screw is
incorrect and won't mesh. I used the original Southbend screw,
complete with gear, and silver soldered it to the Boxford dial
carrier end with a 1" + long hole and matching spigot ( 1/4 " ish
from memory) to ensure it lined up. Worked fine for me. The Boxford
assembly came with a bent feedscrew so it was all well cheap. If you
are doing the topslide frankly the easiest way is to use a complete
Boxford unit instead of faffing around fitting the dial alone. UK
side complete topslide aren't that expensive compared to dials and
dial leadscrew pairs. When I rebuilt my 9" model A (cheap, literally
fallen off a lorry!) I fitted a complete Boxford saddle assembly
(cross-slide, topslide and all) on the Southbend apron. I used the
Boxford feedscrew as it was in better condition than the Southbend
one. I cut the Boxford feed screw and took the drive gear part out
of the Southbend feedscrew. After drilling the gear carrier bit and
turning matching spigots on the feed screw parts I used high
strength Loctite to hold it all together. It all lined up fine and
was still going strong after 10 years when I sold the lathe. On
fitting the screw assembly together I made certain that the Acme
thread butted right up against the large diameter portion containing
the drive gear without the usual short section of thread core
diameter. This might have cost me a bit of travel but that lathe was
noticeably better behaved when parting off or knurling than any other
9" Southbend (or Boxford) I have used. As regular readers will know
I ascribe this, at least in part, to the increased leadscrew
stiffness obtained from doing away with the small diameter section.
Clive (10391) |
| Good info from
Clive here. Whilst it might not be quite "purist" to use Boxford
parts, some of our "old ladies" are in need of a blood transfusion,
and, after all, Boxford paid SB the ultimate compliment of cloning!
Original parts can be stored. surely not a problem? There are also
new-made parts available for SB lathes here in the UK, modeled
originally on Boxford parts. for instance, Tony Griffiths sells a
new T slotted top slide assembly that has the larger clearly
graduated rotational scale, and precision machined sides for obvious
advantage. That retails at œ135, plus œ25 overseas postage...(figure
at about $1.50 to the œ1) My mod with just the larger dials is
insignificant, but I plan to add to the versatility of my lathe with
whatever fits and works well...call it organ transplanting if you
will. Len (10392) |
| Trav A Dial
|
| I just bought a
Trav A Dial and I'm going to attempt to install it on my 9" South
Bend lathe. Has anyone in this group ever done this? Steve (15787) |
| There was
quite a thread on chaski (I believe that is where it was) about a
year or so ago. Pix of home fabricated brackets, etc. Search their
archives. Lew (15791) |
| Could you post the
URL to that board, please? I had it but cannot find it. I didn't
care much for the new interface they went to and quit reading it. I
had a Trav-A-Dial mounted on an Atlas 10" that worked quite well. It
was on a large, one-piece "L" shaped, alum. bracket that mounted on
the right side of the apron. The threading dial mounted on the far
left of that bracket by mounting an alum. plate against the TAD
mount. I still have the bracket/Tav-A-Dial and have been intending
on using it to mount on my SB 9A, but just haven't gotten around to
it. I'd offer to show some photos, but unfortunately, I dumped all
the Atlas photos after selling it and my digital camera is in the
shop for repairs. The vertical leg of the "L", that secures to the
lathe is about 1.5" thick in both dimensions while the horiz. leg is
about 5/8" thick by 1.5" wide. There is a wider portion (2") of this
leg where the TAD mount secures to the bracket. The block of alum.
started out about 2.5"x3.5"x4.5". I'm pretty sure it is 7075 T6. The
plate the threading dial mounts on is 1/2"x2.4"x2.5". Some
strategically placed recesses were needed on the face of the bracket
that mounted to the lathe due to the shape of the apron side. I
didn't want to modify the lathe. My brother is coming thru here
today I'll see if I can use his camera to grab some shots of it.
Rick (15795) |
| Rick Main index
is http://www.chaski-test.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php Takes a little
getting used to compared to the old one. (15796) |
| Carriage dial? |
| Is there any design
for a dial that can be fitted to a SB9's carriage handwheel? My
first lathe had one, and I found it useful. How else to quickly
ascertain when to stop manually feeding? Jordan (16482) |
| There is a
micrometer carriage stop. You can also get a bracket to use a dial
indicator. JP (16484) |
| JP how about a
picture of that bracket? Is it shop made? Mike (16488) |
| Mike, For a picture
check out
http://www.statecollegecentral.com/metallathe/MLA-8.html
The guy makes good quality kits. I have used them. He prefers a
phone call over email. JP (16489) |
| Some time back I
saw an article showing the slider of of a low cost digital caliper
mounted to the carriage and being used as a poor man's DRO for
carriage movement. Can't remember where I saw it. It struck me as a
pretty good idea. Bob (16493) |
| Hand-wheel dial is
not terribly practical on a SouthBend. Micrometer bench stop is the
usual way to set up a feed to a stop but that's not much good for
measuring longitudinal feed. Traditional British way is to have a
calibrated hand-wheel on the end of the lead-screw, 125 divisions at
0.001" div, and do measured feeds using this hand-wheel with the
half-nuts engaged. I modified one of my SouthBend 9s to take a
calibrated hand-wheel made for a Myford. Worked well. Basically I
drilled and tapped a suitable threaded hole in the end of the
lead-screw. Made an extension shaft of suitable length and a bit
over diameter for the hand-wheel bore, screwed it on and welded the
screw and extension together. I cleaned up the assembly to size in
the lathe, thus ensuring that the hand-wheel was exactly true to the
shaft, fitted the grub screw holes and assembled. Not used as much
as I anticipated when I made it but when I needed it I needed it. If
I were to do it again I'd make the complete unit so I could have an
adjustable dial. Guy Lautard's design (Machinists First Bedside
Reader?) looks good. A more modern approach is to use either a pull
wire digital sensors or one of the tslider scales. My Heavy 10 will
get a pull wire when I get round to making the bracket.
Alternatively consider a hook up for a digital or dial reading
caliper. That will give you 6" or calibrated travel which is
probably less limiting than the 1" or so possible using a dial gauge
clamped to the bed. Clive
(16496) |
| Hate to say this
but an off-shore 2" travel-dial is all I ever needed even when +/-
.005 mattered. Of course if you wanted to really get it right the
first time, go Federal green dial circa 1950 or earlier. Even if you
had to send it out for a re-build it was worth it. Some of the oldies
like B S and Starrett had jewel movements that rival today's L.E.D.
widgets. Of course we are talking about the venerable tool-room gages
that won a small insignificant war. As to thread gages, the only part
that is tricky to make is the worm wheel that matches the lead-screw. The
dial is nothing more then a scribe job off the 4-jaw chuck. The block
is a chunk of whatever with a bronze sleeve thru it. And a swivel
hole for the carriage pin. If you can reverse the motor after each
cut, you don't even need the dial. Just leave the handle in the
engaged position, back the motor after backing out the tool, and give
it another cut. Worked for me on the 'Rock Pile'. Ron
(16497) |
| Good point Ron,
repeatability is the concern, not absolute accuracy. The offshore
indicator is under $20. On large commercial machines the sensors
were mounted to the bed and carriage like inductosyns and accupin
sets, with precision ball screws with very low backlash then the
sensors were mounted on them. Not real practical for a home machine
shop. I suppose you could pick up the rack under the front way and
make up some sort of indicator from that. You would need
anti-backlash gears for it. Does anyone know what pitch this rack
is? JP (16498) |
| JP, Close as can
figure, it's 14DP. I counted 14 teeth in 3.14" of the rack on my 9".
Ray (16504) |
| Bob, I have built
one also. Since then the DRO bars have appeared on the market. They
have a choice of H or V readouts too. I checked a 12" version
against a standard. Right on the money. RichD (16510) |
| I like the idea of a movable dial on the actual
handwheel for being readily and quickly usable, although I see how
the other suggestions would work too. Seems there's enough room
behind the existing wheel. Jordan
(16514) |
| There are 2" dial
indicator holders that clamp to the bed in place of the hard stop.
They work great. I have them on my 9" as well as my heavy 10. The
maker is rhs712@w... (I have nothing to do with these items. They
work great for me, that's all) Doc(16515) |
| Dro's on the
ways |
| One of the photos
posted a few days ago shows a dial indicator clamped to the ways. Anyone have any plans
for such an animal? I know there's a picture in the files section.
Somewhere in the very distant past, I had a plan from one of the mags, I think, for making an apron stop that clamped to the ways. I
did make one, but, have no idea what happened to said plans.
Alan
(18164) |
| If you are
interested? I have a 6" poor mans DRO (6"didital caliper on my 9"
SB. Want a pic ? e-mail me. misltoe2@ne.rr.com (18166) |
| Enco, Grizzly and
others sell a magnetic base ("Mighty Mag Magnetic Base BT505-1852
$16 with an Enco 1" indicator $57 with a B S indicator). With the
indicator mounted in line with the base and with an aluminum tab on
the end of the indicator this fits on the ways of my 9" SB and makes
contact with the saddle . Its an easy inexpensive way to get good
resolution. Jim B. (18167) |
| Regarding the dial
indicator clamped to the v-way on my lathe- I just made that up out
of scrap, however I would be glad to measure it up if anyone is
interested. Marshall (18179) |
| Alan, Check out
http://www.statecollegecentral.com/metallathe/MLA-8.html Bob (18182) |
| Alan I've seen a
similar plan somewhere, but it is pretty simple to make your own
design. The one I saw was very similar to the one Bob has given the
link to, with one slight although I think very important difference.
A rod was added next to the dial indicator. This was set up so the
carriage would hit it before the dial bottomed out. A simple and
effective safety feature to protect your indicator. John (18203) |
| John, Agree with
your concern. I just have a 0-1" indicator on mine so a
spring-loaded tip prevents the shaft from bottoming out. The
carriage will start pushing on the clamp before the tip bottoms out.
The additional rod would be the way to go if I had to use extensions
on the indicator shaft. Bob (18207) |
| Remove the
appendages from a 6" digital caliper and use that. Only gives you 5"
more. t (18208) |
| The MLA-8 is
designed to have the carriage hit the casting before the indicator
bottoms out. (18209) |
| I added a DI on my
Unimat spindle to gauge it's travel when drilling and milling. It's
also useful for lathe work. One thing I did is use a 1/2-20 threaded
rod for the landing pad. This allows me to adjust the zero point
with micrometer like precision. When I make a new one for my SB I
plan to incorporate a similar feature - just not quite sure how at
the present time. I now plan to incorporate the solid safety stop.
My SB came with a home made DI attachment but it is a PITA. The hole
for the dial is in the lower, clamp piece which can move around no
matter how tight you clamp it. Setting the zero is difficult because
the lower piece moves while you tighten. Even moving the bezel to
set the zero is difficult because the lower piece moves even while
doing that. And it is easily disturbed by the slightest bump while
in use. Big mistake! If you are going to make one be sure to put the
hole for the dial in the upper part - the part that is solidly
located on the V Way. Paul (18241) |
| Larger Dials
|
| At
last weekend's NAMES show, a gentleman stopped by our booth looking
for larger graduated dials for his South Bend Lathe. I did not get
any further details from him, including what model he has, but I
thought perhaps someone here might be able to point him in the right
direction. I thought someone was making these commercially, but I
can't for the life of me remember who. If anyone can provide some
assistance, I will pass it along. Scott (18722) |
| Scott In the last
year or two one of the HSM magazines from village press had an
article on fixing a metric/imperial lathe. IIRC he purchased
graduated dials from Sherline. If you don't have access to the mags,
I can check mine. I couldn't find anything on Sherline's web site
but the article might give more details. John (18726) |
| Old heavy 10
with DRO? |
| I was wondering if
it is possible to mount any type of DRO to a old lathe like this? If
so what DRO set up do you recommend?Tom (22663) |
| Tom, the Newel
series are very good and on a lathe need to be just about bullet
proof. We have several at the tech school and like them. The old
Anilams are dying like flies. RichD (22664) |
| Make your own
DRO |
| Has anyone made or
bought a device to use a digital caliper as a DRO for the apron on a
lathe? I bought a kit from Enco to use a 6 inch caliper on a
Bridgeport for the spindle travel and it works great. The Trav-a-dial
and DRO's are very pricey. It seems that some brackets could be
fabricated to use a HF $15.00 6 inch caliper to measure travel, if
more travel is required longer calipers could be used. Chip (25677) |
| Lots of folks
has adapted the DRO bars (caliper with no heads) to lathe work.
These are available from Ebay and many other importers now in many
lengths. RichD (25678) |
| There is a whole
Yahoo group devoted to this endeavor. More data than you will ever
need. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShumaTech/ Jim (25690) |
| Check out this
link: http://shumatech.com/ The guy has a hobby DRO kit called the
DRO-350. Very slick, if you haven't seen it before its a must look.
Uses the chinese scales exactly as you are thinking and is very
cheap to construct. James (25693) |
| I've just ordered
the parts from Shumatech for the DRO and looks like a great
adaptation. Has anyone done the interface with a 10k and worked out
the mounting of the scale. Also, any recommendations re: a specific
Chinese scale to look at (eBay). Does it make sense to try to
instrument most of the bed travel (4 1/2'). Ludwig (25715) |
| So the question I have regarding the
Chinese scales Shumatech and the like. Does anyone make reasonably
priced scales that'd work on a 4.5' 9C bed? Presumably using a 2'
scale would limit your carriage movement, right? I'd also be
interested in any bracket systems folks have worked out to mount
these scales. No sense re-inventing the wheel if its not
necessary. Mark (25717) |
| For the most part 90 percent of the work you will do on a
lathe is within 6 inches of the headstock. If you set up your system
properly you can move a 6" caliper as many times as needed to cover
the length of your lathe. I have had a 6" DRO on my lathe for at
least 12 years. It has done everything I have needed to turn.
Anything over that is overkill and a waste of money. Bruce (25719) |
| If you go to the
Shumatech group I think there are a couple of links to scale
vendors. I am in the process of building one for my 9A and will be
using Chinese scales for the compound and cross slide and a Jenix
for the bed. The Jenix glass scales are actually cheaper than the
Chinese ones when you get to the longer length. As far as the 4.5"
compound travel, I have a 6" scale for that, which I plan to trim to
length once I work out my install. The scales can be trimmed with a
Dremmel cutoff wheel or anything else that will get through hardened
stainless. The actual scale part can be trimmed with a sharp blade
as it contains no electronics, just a pattern of traces that is
picked up by the head. (way more info on the Shumatech yahoo group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShumaTech/ Chinese scales are
available from all the usual suspects: Grizzly, Harbor Freight,
Little Machine Shop, Shars, and a multitude of sellers on eBay.
Prices tend to be within a few dollars of each other. I bought mine
from Shars as I have dealt with them in the past and prefer to
support the small guys. If building the DRO itself is to
intimidating (all that soldering) there are a couple of people who
will build you a unit for a very fair price. One guy who posted
today said he had a few pre-built units available, no idea how much
he is asking. Nick (25720) |
| Bruce I am curious
as to how these are mounted. If you have a 6" DRO mounted to your
lathe bed, do you physically have to limit the travel of your
carriage to 6" to keep from breaking it or is it set up where it
just stops working beyond 6"? Ron (25721) |
| I think the most
useful info would be on how to best mount the scales on the SB.
There is good info on the general concepts as impemented on the mini
lathe-
http://f3.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/0HonQspTaBpq-pTWkVls81Sh8c9VrOqeOR5fOsAmsZNZnsDNu3RJum_qtkjRxEwtvAj1q6TIqRZC-C92QpnlrMPKTWgO0zdWJrNMUA/Chinese%20Scales.pdf (note- you have
to paste all three parts of the address to make it work) however,
how to best do this with the SB. I presume that a mount off of the
back and set off from the ways would be best for the axial direction
but how do you protect the scale from chips, oil, etc. How does one
best mount the cross feed scale to the compound?
(25724) |
| Ron, Yes.
However the mount is attached with a socket head cap screw. If I
need to move and most of the time I don't, I just loosen the screw
and move on. The set up is simple. I like the KISS principle. The
bracket fits the way with a pin that goes through a block that is epoxyed to the back of the caliper. The bar is anchored to the
saddle with a 1/8" pin. On a 9" the longest bar you can use is 6" or
it will strike the reversing lever handle. Bruce (25725) |
| Ludwig, I got mine
from CalAero on Ebay, but they have or had a store too. There are
other sellers too, I'm sure. I bought a 24" scale. Checked it
against a precision standard and it was dead on the money.
RichD (25729) |
| Yes they have a
store at Paramount Blvd. and the 105 Fwy in Paramount. Nice place to
shop but hard on the wallet and back. JWE (25730) |
| Bruce I am curious as to how these are
mounted. If you have a 6" DRO mounted to your lathe bed, do you
physically have to limit the travel of your carriage to 6" to keep
from breaking it or is it set up where it just stops working beyond
6"? Ron (25738) |
| Bill, Could you
post the pictures on the SB Lathe pic site. I do not get the SB
email, so I can't see the attachments. I can't wait to see how you
mounted the calipers. Chip (25739) |
| One potential worry
with the cheapy Chinese scale based DRO is the sealing of the
electronics and scale itself. To my eye these things are designed
for a relatively clean environment, such as in front of the quill on
a vertical mill. Reasonably enough the designers assume that if the
scale readout is on the stick the installation is inherently going
to be clean enough for you to actually read the thing. On a lathe
keeping the reader away and shielded from all the swarf and cutting
oil flying about needs careful thought and attention to detail. In
this application having control buttons and a readout in the sensing
head inevitably compromises the sealing. If you are putting a lot of
work into building the unit it would be exceedingly disappointing if
the reader died after a couple or three years due to inadequate
sealing. I think that on a lathe I'd prefer the pull wire sensors
enabling the vulnerable bits to be located well out of the way or
(after winning the lottery!) the proper industrial scales (e.g.
Newall) which are fully sealed. Its a different story on a mill
where decent shielding is relatively easy to arrange. One thought
that did occur to me when looking into doing something to help an
imperial minded friend use a metric calibrated lathe was to combine
a cheap digital caliper with the pull wire idea. In this case direct
actuation of the caliper was not practical due to delicate bits
being in bad places and the display orientation inconvenient for
reading. Using a wire and a couple of pulleys made it possible to
bend the actuation round corners so things were both safe and
readable. Idea might go very well with Bruces suggestion of a re-positionable
6" device for along bed travel measurement. Fix the cut down caliper
to the saddle and essentially run a wire to a clamp on bed stop. Go
out and back round a pulley for half the travel but double the
resolution. Lot less grief if a bog standard cheapy caliper dies
than if a carefully modded plumbed in scale goes west. Point to
watch out for if you are using cur down calipers is the hysterisis
on travel reversal. Many of them don't instant reverse and need
significant movement before they have sorted out which way they are
going and what the real distance reading is. No problem when used as
intended, in may ways its an advantage in giving a smooth reading
when closed down onto the object being measured. However for DRO
purposes its a lot easier all round if the thing switches instantly.
Clive
(25740) |
| It would seem that
the best mounting strategy would be to position the scale off the
back and perhaps create a "traveling" chip shield to protect the
encoder. Ludwig (25742) |
| I put one on a
Sherline mill, with great results! I can email you off list with the
post I put on the Sherline group if you want.... I am now working on
adapting it to a small Atlas lathe bed before adding it to my new
SB. I figured out I could use the gear-door cover mounts on a
different part of the bed and fasten the caliper "DRO" to that.
Bernie (25853) |
| Shumatech DRO
|
| If anybody here has
been considering a DRO for their lathe (or mill), and the increase
in accuracy and repeatability you will gain from installing one, the
Shumatech DRO-350 is without a doubt the best DRO you can purchase
short of spending $700+ for an Acu-Rite, Anilam, Sargon, Mitutoyo or
similar. And the DRO-350 costs MUCH less. You can either assemble
the parts and build it yourself, or I can provide fully-assembled
and tested units ready for you to install on your Lathe, Mill,
Surface Grinder, Shaper or other machine. The DRO-350 works with
"Chinese" scales or calipers, which work well on smaller machines,
or with the QCC-100 accessories, they can work with conventional
"Glass" scales or other quadrature encoders. For lengths over 12",
the "Jenix" brand of glass scales are price- competitive with
Chinese scales. If you look at other DRO's in the price range, you
will only find "remote readouts", with none of the advanced memory
or calculative functions of the DRO-350 like tool offsets/radius
compensation, diameter mode (lathe), bolt-circles (mill), as well as
the ability to use simple external accessories such as optical
couplers for electronic edge finders, and reflective or interrupter-
style tachometer probes which yield not only raw RPM readout, but
true SFM readout when the appropriate axis is instrumented. If you
are interested in the DRO, you can look at the site
www.shumatech.com , and like I said, purchase all the parts and build
one yourself, or contact me and I can provide the complete unit
right away. I have just completed 3 units with RED LEDs and 2 units
with GREEN LEDs. Also available are optical couplers and tachometer
probes. Tom
(26204) |
| I have been
considering building one of these. What are you asking for an
assembled unit? Kevin (26217) |
I take it back. Now
that I see you have spammed practically every metalworking group on
the web. I'll build my own. Kevin
(26218) |
| Kevin, Either way
is great. Many people simply don't know the DRO-350 is available,
and whether you build or buy, a DRO makes your machining more
enjoyable, accurate and repeatable provided you already have good
basic skills. It's a great project and a superb design. You'll enjoy
it. I would be curious to learn if you decide to instrument your
compound slide and what method you choose. Cross-slide and the
longitudinal are easy, but the compound takes a bit more thought. I
have a series of large Clausing lathes to instrument for a trade
school and am debating whether to use the US Digital products or
regular scales. I did post on several sites I visit. ALL but one
reply I received were from people who did not know this device
existed in the first place and/or had decided against a DRO because
the cost for any well- featured unit was otherwise so high. I'm
sorry if you consider this "spam" though, as I also spend
considerable time assisting those who build their own DROs, before,
during, and after construction. I don't conceal my name or email. I
answer every inquiry with my phone number for those who wish to
discuss more, and I stand behind the work I do, including "rescuing"
several DROs people partially built themselves and gave up on, or
completed but didn't function properly. I even flash the PICs for
those who build their own QCCs, but don't have a PROM programmer for
free. And no matter what kind of DRO a user chooses, I don't know
anybody who has a lower quality of work because of it. The average
lathe user will benefit from a DRO. As an alternative, what do you
think would be the best way to communicate such information to a
pertinent audience when dealing with an item many don't seek out
simply because they don't know about it, if not in affinity groups?
Tom (26227) |
| I don't see what is
wrong in him posting what he has to sell or do. He don't seem like a
spammer to me. He is just trying to tell people what is available
out there and he happens to have what some people want. What is so
wrong with that? I bought a DRO off of some one else that
posted to these sights and it is a great system. I would of never
knew about it if he didn't post it on these groups. I'm sure this
guy's system is just as good. Truth be known they probably are made
with some of the same scales. So I don't see why you are so up tight
with him posting on every group. That is how people can find out
about these things. How many times on these forums have you had
someone asked where to buy a good DRO system? Well this guy is
suggesting one place! What is wrong with that? I don't like
spammers either but at least he is on subject. He isn't selling
pills to make a d$ck bigger. Those are the spammers I don't like.
Gary (26228) |
