DRO what’s best

[chrismacParticipant @chrismac]

Hi

I wish to fit DRO to my Sharp mill and do not know what type would be best, glass, magnetic, make (not some of those Chinese ones).   Swarf and oil resistance.

The basic details of the mill are

X 400mm, depth of moving part 28mm, fixed 25mm

Y 100mm less the thickness of the X scale and reader, depth of moving part 14mm

Z 240mm, depth of moving part 25mm

Thanks for any quidance,
Chris

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Magnetic is a bit less affected by swarf/coolant than glass.

I’ve been happy with my Sino glass scales which must be 12-13yrs old now. I had some of the calliper type scales on before that but they did not last long and kept loosing their position. Would probably go with magnetic if I wer doing it again but they were not about at the time.

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

I have Magnetic on my Mill and Lathe for some time now and they have been very good, they breath new life into older machines. I am part way through fitting scales to my sherline mill mainly because of the size issue. if you dont buy Chinese where are you going to get them?

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

I fitted old style glass scales to mine.  The X scale was the more expensive (at the time) low profile version to keep it below the table.  All bits from Machine DRO (Allendale).  I’m sure magnetic scales are the way to go now, as I have just fitted to my S7 lathe.

 

 

 

 

HTH,

Rod

 

 

 

[Mike CrossfieldParticipant @mikecrossfield92481]

I have magnetic on my Dore Westbury mill. The scales and reader heads are much more compact than the glass equivalents, which would have been difficult to fit on this small mill. The SINO system, which came from M-DRO, has worked faultlessly  for several years, and it has transformed the machine. My only criticism of the kit was the clunky fixing brackets. I made my own, which are much neater. There are some photos of the installation in my album.

 

[Mike CrossfieldParticipant @mikecrossfield92481]

Oops. Albums doesn’t seem to exist any more, so here are the photos of the SINO magnetic system in my mill.

 

[chrismacParticipant @chrismac]

Many thanks for your help.   The compact scales from M-DRO seem to be the right solution for me.   As expected I’ll have to make suitable support brackets.    Rod, the photos of your Sharp mill are really useful.

Chris

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Hi Chris,

As a guide, I’ve measured the scales on my mill:

X 46cm

Y 26cm

Z 45cm

For some reason my first pic is not showing up on my tablet so here it is again (maybe!)  I fixed the X scale on the supports used for the X axis stops and manage without the stops.

Rod

 

[chrismacParticipant @chrismac]

Hi Rod,

That pic’ helps a lot.    The X stops are not present on my mill so I won’t need to remove them.   What I will lose is the X axis slide clamp and the ability to turn the X axis relative to the Y axis, though I have not yet thought of any particular use for this facility as its easier to clamp the work at an angle.

Chris

[jaCK HobsonParticipant @jackhobson50760]

I got the cheapest 2 axis from Vevor for my mill – I thought there was a catch it was so cheap – like maybe just the scales and not the screen. Glass. Brilliant.

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Hello Chris,

Have M DRO magnetic scales on my WM16B mill and they work fine.  Although the kit kit wasn’t specific to my particular mill (it was for a Chester mill if I recall), with a little ingenuity, fitting was pretty straightforward.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Magnetic are easier to set up, you can see the gap

[Clive Brown 1Participant @clivebrown1]

Seems a usuful comparison write-up https://www.touchdro.com/resources/getting-started/dro-scale-selection-guide.html

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