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I just sent off an e-mail to the guys at DRO Pros to see if their head units might be compatible with my Mitutoyo AT102 scales. I'd not be able to afford to put new scales on and can't justify the cost and time because it's so hard to get to the back side of my lathe. I had to do that once already with the 800mm scale for the Z axis.

Back a few years ago, shortly after I got him the machine, my dad and I added a Royal Machine 5C lever type collect closer. Prior to having that, the original POS 3-jaw chuck had lived on the machine and was never (to my knowledge) changed. Now with the collet closer the carriage could be cranked all the way in to the stop at the head end. With a 10" 3-jaw chuck, it stopped at least 4-1/2" (115mm) away.

Unbeknownst to us, the 800mm scale was never installed correctly. It had been mounted too far to the right (tailstock) end of the machine by about 4". As such, the reader head could never touch it's end of travel to the right, but because we can't see it from the operator position, cranking the carriage up close to a collet knocked it out of position. The reader head's bracket that reaches up into the housing to put the reader on the glass scale wore right through and eventually broke off. No wonder the Z axis readout "froze". I bought a "new old stock" 100mm long AT102 scale off eBay for short money and used it's reader head to fix my machine. It still works perfect, because I shifted the mounting of the 800mm scale to the proper position and realigned it. Now it's in the "safe zone" at both ends of the total travel of the carriage.

While I want a DRO on the machine that can be pre-set to a given diameter and length, plus use tool offsets, I hate to spend extra money for scales when I have two perfectly functional glass scales already installed.
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Unfortunately for me, the scales I got are perfect for the mill but unusable for the lathe. The carriage has more movement than the scale does and the other one is too big for the cross slide.
Logan 200, Index 40H Mill, Boyer-Shultz 612 Surface Grinder, HF 4x6 Bandsaw, a shear with no name, ...
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Got the tools I need to finish up the secret project. Those extension taps sure are pricey.

Ed

   
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(05-14-2015, 04:15 PM)EdK Wrote: Got the tools I need to finish up the secret project. Those extension taps sure are pricey.

Ed

They shouldn't be pricey if you take the time to shop eBay. What size/thread/class are they? I have some and if I had the size you needed....you'd have them in a couple of days, Ed.

I'm not a fan of MSC's Interstate brand, Chinese made stuff, but it should work for a couple of holes if you goop 'em up with a good tapping compound.
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I didn't have the time to shop eBay. I'm making a gift for someone and have a looming deadline to make. I normally don't like to buy Chinese cutting tools either but these will only need to tap a few holes each. Expensive tools for a few holes.

Ed
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Oh don't worry ED I can wait.
Free advice is worth exactly what you payed for it.
Greg
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(05-14-2015, 06:59 PM)f350ca Wrote: Oh don't worry ED I can wait.

And you certainly will have to.

Ed
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Guess I can now get started on that mill table..

[Image: cut50f.jpg]
Logan 200, Index 40H Mill, Boyer-Shultz 612 Surface Grinder, HF 4x6 Bandsaw, a shear with no name, ...
the nobucks boutique etsy shop  |  the nobucks boutique
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You Suck You Suck

Ed
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Oh, and it is pilot arc. Now to go outside and try cutting something.
Logan 200, Index 40H Mill, Boyer-Shultz 612 Surface Grinder, HF 4x6 Bandsaw, a shear with no name, ...
the nobucks boutique etsy shop  |  the nobucks boutique
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