Thread: Dro

Hi Eddie,
Reader head?
Couldnt get a picture of your problem?(I dont even remember what sort of lathe you have)

Stuart

Thank you Stuart ,I will go and get some pics and that might help.

Eddie

Hi Stuart, the lathe is a II BUK from Herless .and the two pics are what I think are my Problem,if I turn the
reader head on its side will it still be ok ;trouble is it interferes with ? lever which I would have to move I would like to move it further over the fixed part that is ,so that I have a better fixing point hope I am making the problem clear.








Eddie.

Just had a memory flash iIts called a carrage stop. not (?)

Not many answers just more problems

I think you mean carriage lock?

Where is your cross slide lock?

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f65/cr...fitted-168815/

Could you lift it up like this one?
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f65/fi...-lathe-136451/


I doubt the tailstock will fit with the wiring like in pic 3.

I think DaveJ took his wiring under the carriage but I cant find a picture and his lathe is a but bigger than yours(I think the scale is turned 180 from yours so the wiring goes under the carriage where the flat way for the tail stock is)

If you cant make it work as is you could mount the reader head behind the carriage.

Stuart

Fitting a scale to the cross slide (CS) of a lathe is always a bit of a compromise:

- Fit it to the left of the CS, and it limits how close you can approach a large diameter workpiece. It may be hit by the protruding jaws of a chuck. It also limits how close you can go with the saddle towards the headstock. And all chips will fall onto it.
- Fit it to the right of the CS, and it limits how close you can move the tailstock towards the chuck. Or how close you can move the saddle towards the chuck or a steady rest. It may interfere with a CS lock screw. It may interfere with the CS gib strip adjuster screws. It may even interfere with a saddle lock handle.
- Fit it to the rear of the CS, and you cannot anymore use a rear mounted milling column, or it may interfere with a taper turning attachment. And it can become quite a time consuming task to disassemble the cross slide for cleaning.

Some people have fitted the scale behind the CS and a 90 degree angle to it via steel wire or chain, just to avoid above downsides. I personally opted to fit my scale behind the CS of my 8" swing lathe, but I used cheap capacitive scales that I miniaturized myself. Surely, to be installed to the CS of a smallish lathe you want the smallest available scale. You will find a solution, it is a matter of choosing a compromise that you can live with. Good you did not go for a 3-axis DRO - because mounting a scale to a small lathe's compound is about 10 times bigger the problem. Chris

Thank you Stuart and cba ,for your help,I do have a problem with the carriage lock,,the problem is I can not get the reader head any higher as the cross slide overlaps that area when in the working position. if I push the tail stock back to its limits there is a fairly large gap left, as the cross slide is stopped from touching the tail stock as it reaches it's limits of travel then to move the reader head away from the cross slide on distance pieces which would allow the use of the carriage lock and be able to get at the oilers and jib adjuster as well,does this sound like a good Idea, perhaps a lot more work, but to put it at the rear of cs I think is out of the question, for me any way, also if the reader head was turned on its side and use the distance pieces as ubove would the head still work ok, as there would be no problem with the cable like that, as there is plenty of clearance.

The DRO is aZS digital readout with glass encoders 2 axis,from USA

Eddie

Originally Posted by TKO

..... also if the reader head was turned on its side and use the distance pieces as ubove would the head still work ok, as there would be no problem with the cable like that, as there is plenty of clearance......Eddie

I am almost sure the reader will work in any position, including on its side. However, depending how the scale is built, it could expose its seals to entry by chips/dust/coolant. Ideally, the seal strips are at the bottom of the scale. Is there any chance the seller has a smaller type of scale, or a scale with side entry / side seals?

The scales will work any way you what to put them, but as cba says, the seals wont work as well on there side(though the are used vertically on mills, so thats pretty much the same).
Not sure I fully understand your post but mounting the head at the back shouldnt take more than a couple of pieces of angle iron.(if you have the space and no splash guard)

Stuart

Thanks' Chris and Stuart, I have found another problem, Wanting to get on with the installation I quickly remove the compound slide and forgot that there is a gadget fixed to the side of same which also intrudes to the rear, which further interferes with any rear DRO,I will post a pic as soon as I can, even if I put it in front of the cs it will cover the oil points, although it looks like the best place to fix it at the moment, I had a look at the Dave J installation ,great stuff, If in front of cs I could, I suppose drill small holes in the cover to get at the oil points and use small screw and fibre washer to seal the hole's to keep the muck out, when I got the DRO I thought a day will see it installed this is my fourth day looking at it, thank goodness I have plenty of time, or have I ?. Eddie