Dial read outs for your lathe or mill/drill

[Metal Butcher]

#1This was a rushed post so please excuse my messy machines. (picture guy was leaving the building). A dial indicator mounted on the gear box Is pushed by an adjustable carriage mounted 'travel rod'.

#2 Two brackets mounted on the carriage for the adjustable rod.

#3 An adjustable travel rod mounted to the top slide. And the dial indicator mounted to the carriage

#4 On the mill the indicator is mounted on the treaded depth rod and travels with the quill along the Z axis. The adjustable rod is mounted on the mills head. Its swiveled out into position and adjusted to a usable height.

This is a very inexpensive and accurate system that I use. Its easy to make and install, and the dial indicators are easy to replace if they get damaged. You Don't need an expensive system to get accurate results. I don't even bother to look at the calibrated hand wheels. What are they for? :big:

-MB

 

[milotrain]

Ah yes, very nice. Exactly what I've been looking for, and much more functional by having a fixed indicator.

 

[metalmad]

I like it
here is something I can really use
Thank you for the wonderful idea
Pete

 

[ironman]

Very good MB. What to do with all my chinese digital calipers if I wanted to use your setup???????????? ???
Seriously, looks like a very good system.

ironman (Ray)

 

[cfellows]

I really like that setup, MB. I've got to do something different for a carriage stop on my mini lathe. I currently just have the typical little clamp that fastens to the front way, but it's tight quarters and hard to get to it to adjust if I need to. I've got to look at something like your set up to see if I can adapt it.

Chuck

 

[Troutsqueezer]

:idea: Thm:

 

[Metal Butcher]

:idea: Thm:

;D :big:

 

[milotrain]

Very good MB. What to do with all my chinese digital calipers if I wanted to use your setup???????????? ???
Seriously, looks like a very good system.

ironman (Ray)

I'm sort of excited to use those together. My Chinese DROs are very nice for things like bolt patterns, facing, and making sure the tool is clear before flying the table under the tool, but they are not accurate past .001" so if I want high accuracy I can just slide the bar onto the dial. I am shocked at how much faster using the DROs has made me, I can do a quick visual of the tool and move on, much less bend over stick face into mill, line up edge, check wheels, account for backlash, check wheels again. And with this dial setup my $180 grizzly DRO kit just got unmatched accuracy!

 

[Foozer]

Did a similar thing, started out as a temporary item, but like most temps . . . Put it on the right side just as a built in system to keep my body parts away from the rotating chuck.

What I would do different or will do when and "IF" I remake it is to extend the DI mount an inch farther outboard from the slide. The gib screw will hit the mount. Other would be to fashion a clamp style holder for the finger screw for if tightened too much will prevent the DI plunger from working. Lastly would be to use a 2 inch range DI, Getting old and forget sometimes, resulting in jamming the plunger into the DI.

The end of my fancy adj rod being all pointy is just my way of reminding myself that I do bleed ;D

Robert

 

[krv3000]

that's good a Q your enco lathe can you give me the dimensions of the compawn slide as it fits on to the Cross slide the reason i ask is i have a emco compact 8 witch is missing the compound slide i have fitted a one off a mifor lm7 but wood love to fit sumthing more compatible with my lathe thanks from bob

 

[gmac]

Love it...!

I've gone dial too - I find I can sneak up on a number much easier (poopy eyes) and as others have found, you can buy a dial indicator that's more accurate than the digital caliper method.

P.S. - what messy machine scratch.gif

Cheers
Garry

 

[Metal Butcher]

that's good a Q your enco lathe can you give me the dimensions of the compawn slide as it fits on to the Cross slide the reason i ask is i have a emco compact 8 witch is missing the compound slide i have fitted a one off a mifor lm7 but wood love to fit sumthing more compatible with my lathe thanks from bob

Hi Bob. The donut base that I added under the compound to replace the factory base is 3-1/2" in diameter and 5/8" tall.

The compound slide sits on top of the donut base and its 3-1/4" x 2-1/8" x 1-7/8" tall.

The measure from the top of the cross slide, to the top of a 1/2" cutting tool, is just over 2-11/16"

Grizzly Industrial carries the parts for the Asian 9 x 20 lathe. They are not the clone that people believe, but they are based on many of the dimensions of the Emco-Maier Compact 8.

-MB

 

[krv3000]

HI thanks for the info ;D

 

[pete]

Metal Butcher,
Really well thought out and good design. As a suggestion I'd like to add that even tho you can get dirt cheap D.I.s now you may want to do some searching on a few sites for a set of rubber add on protective bellows? These are made for D.I. usage in dirty enviroments. Their really flexable and are a slip fit for the D.I.s plunger to keep all the crud from being drawn into the indicators inner workings. Probably Mitutoyo's or Starrett's site would show them somewhere in the Dial Indicator section. They'd certainly keep your indicators working accurately and maybe save you from a few trashed parts from a contaminated indicator. I'm pretty sure their only a few bucks each. Just a thought anyway.

Pete

 

[kvom]

Looks well designed. I was wondering if the cross-slide fixture could be moved to the opposite side as needed, since it appears that it might limit how close you can get to a larger chuck. At school, the lathes had no DROs, so we had to use DIs like that held to the base with magnets. It takes a little effort to set up, but makes it quite easy to turn to length accurately and quickly.

 

[Metal Butcher]

Metal Butcher,
Really well thought out and good design. As a suggestion I'd like to add that even tho you can get dirt cheap D.I.s now you may want to do some searching on a few sites for a set of rubber add on protective bellows? These are made for D.I. usage in dirty enviroments. Their really flexable and are a slip fit for the D.I.s plunger to keep all the crud from being drawn into the indicators inner workings. Probably Mitutoyo's or Starrett's site would show them somewhere in the Dial Indicator section. They'd certainly keep your indicators working accurately and maybe save you from a few trashed parts from a contaminated indicator. I'm pretty sure their only a few bucks each. Just a thought anyway.

Pete

Thanks Pete. The indicators are defiantly in harms way. I'm constantly cleaning off the plunger to avoid a problem with fine chips working their way in. And If you take a close look at the one mounted to the gear box (picture #1) you will see two cracks in the clear dial along with a burn marks from hot chips. Seems that any time I drop the key it hits the indicator square on.

I didn't know that shields were even available. Thanks for letting me know.

-MB

 

[Metal Butcher]

Looks well designed. I was wondering if the cross-slide fixture could be moved to the opposite side as needed, since it appears that it might limit how close you can get to a larger chuck. At school, the lathes had no DROs, so we had to use DIs like that held to the base with magnets. It takes a little effort to set up, but makes it quite easy to turn to length accurately and quickly.

Hi Kvom. The indicator appears to be much closer (in picture #3) than it actually is to the ways. If I use my largest (6") chuck the dial indicator itself can get in the way, if the jaws are way out. I anticipated this possibility and made the indicator bracket reversible. If I flip the bracket around it brings the indicator way out towards me. The indicators lug mounts to a threaded through hole on the bracket allowing it to be bolted on from either side. So far the rod and the two brackets on top of the cross slide have not gotten in the way. Another good feature is that the entire set-up can be removed in a few minutes for cleaning or for some very odd work piece.

-MB

 

[pete]

MB,
Yeah they are available but fairly hard to track down or I would have put a link up. I have one or two pictures in some of my older machining referances that show set ups very close to yours used on some very accurate jig boring equipment. If you look close, Those rubber bellows are used for every indicator. The jig borers were designed at the factory to use this system as the equipment had areas cast in as a relief to allow room for mounting the Dial Indicators.This was obviously long before DROs were invented. They also used hinged covers with replaceable (persperex?) or clear plastic covers over the D.I.s face for extra protection. Due to your lack of extra room maybe that wouldn't be possible.

Pete

 

[Metal Butcher]

Pete, the protective shields are a good idea for sure. There should be enough room to add them on any lathe, even if they where just small swing away shields mounted on a stud with a small air space above the indicator. Over the last five years my indicators have had a rough but productive life. They look ugly as sin, but still produce accurate parts.

Just like me. Old and ugly, but still producing! Rof}

-MB

 

[pete]

MB,
I'll PM you.

Pete