26 Attachment(s)
DRO addition to 15" thicky
I added a (CarbaTec I think) DRO to my CarbaTec 15" thicky some time back, just havent got around to posting the pics.
I used existing mounting points where possible along with new brackets mounted to existing bolt holes. I also re-used the original red indicator arm.
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This is the old next to the new, I folded a bracket to hold the top of the DRO, I use the existing holes that held the old rule.
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The next challenge was to hold the btm of the DRO, I use the vertical column mounting points to hold a folded bracket, I replaced the original grub screws with bolts, I drilled the ends to form a cup and then cut the heads off, (longer grub screws would also have sufficed) two nuts locked against each other allows me to tighten the threads, I then mount the bracket between the nuts.
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Next I setup a dial indicator to test and adjust the DRO rule for vertical in two planes.
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I folded a bracket that mounts to the slider, I use the original arm to drive the bracket via a hole, this needs to be a neat fit.
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Next I did a few tests to compare rise and fall of the DRO with the DI setup on the thicky table with favourable results.
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Next I use a test block of known size and move the slider (zeroing first) to that dimension and locate the red arm into the slider hole.
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Next, do a test run and results seems close enough to me.
The only thing wrong with it is the battery doesn't last long enough and I have to go thru the the test block process when I put a new battery in, a larger external battery would be a better option when I get around to it.
Pete