# Lathe Rigidity Testing Segue To DRO



## whydontu (May 4, 2022)

Here's my lathe DRO setup.

To start, using the offset fixed tool post, I can place a tool bit past the end of the chuck. The cross slide can contact the base of the headstock.

Cross slide DRO is mounted on the tailstock end of the cross slide. I lose about 3/4" of tailstock travel. 

I don't have big shroud over it. On the top of the cross slide I have a chunk of 1/8" rubber sheet. Cheap-n-nasty but saves my knuckles. allows access to the gib screws. When the rubber gets torn up I cut a new one. The glass scale is protected by a full-length aluminum box that came with the scales. Maybe 3/16" gap between the inner face of the box and the glass scale. I originally had the scale on the headstock side, but after I scalloped it with a chuck jaw I realized the tailstock side is much safer.

Yes, the tailstock can contact the box, but how often do you slam the tailstock into the cross slide? If you do, maybe metalworking isn't quite your ball of wax... 

Loss of tailstock quill travel? Photo is tailstock extended about 1/4" from fully retracted. Maybe 3/4" from chuck tip to tip. No problem using a centre drill.

and a photo of the z-axis DRO attachment. Reader is 100% covered, and the connection to the cross slide base is below the level of the movable slide.


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## Dabbler (May 4, 2022)

I see your are a fan of multifix.  Original brand or copy?


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## whydontu (May 4, 2022)

Original. Scored a set with 4 regular holders and a boring bar holder for $400 . I love it, solid as a rock and takes zero effort to change holders or adjust bit height.


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## StevSmar (May 4, 2022)

I’ve probably only got a couple of hours use on my new lathe, enough where I look at Stephan Gotteswinter’s  Multifix tool holder on youtube and drool…

Nice to see your DRO installation, I suspect once I have a mill a DRO for the lathe will probably happen a year or two later.

(I think I’ll be sticking with the Chinese BXA tool holder for a while…)


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## Susquatch (May 5, 2022)

Ho Boy....... Soooooo nice to see other members setups. Next best thing to a visit. 

But,....... Lotsa questions..... 



whydontu said:


> Yes, the tailstock can contact the box, but how often do you slam the tailstock into the cross slide? If you do, maybe metalworking isn't quite your ball of wax...



Ouch, that hurt! Then again, I never did aspire to collecting wax. 

So my confession - I do this ALL THE TIME - ON PURPOSE! 

Especially when drilling deeper holes. I hate cranking that tailstock wheel back N forth to clear chips and add cutting fluid. So I put the quill in the most rear ward position, then the tailstock up against the cross slide, and the saddle forward until the drill is just about the hit the part. Then drill away using the tailstock hand wheel. When it's time to clear chips, reverse the crank just one turn and then pull the tailstock back, then clear, add cutting oil, and push the tailstock back to the cross slide, turn in one crank, and resume drilling again. 

So what is this ball of wax all about? Never heard that one before. Ball of yarn yes, but not wax. 



whydontu said:


> On the top of the cross slide I have a chunk of 1/8" rubber sheet. Cheap-n-nasty but saves my knuckles.



What the heck are you doing that puts your knuckles at risk? 


Other questions:

Is it my imagination or is your bed dro on the front of your lathe?  I dunno if I can do that but that would solve MANY problems. Not the least of which is access for a Susquatch trying to install the darn thing. My lathe is on the wall with just a foot behind it for access. Prolly not one of my better design layout moments..... 

Maybe my only aigst with putting it on the front of the bed is the cable getting in the way. But no reason it couldn't just roll out and roll back...... It's got to be better than my lamp cable. Come to think of it, I should put a trolley tray in there and use that to manage the cables as a flat bundle. 

The other thing I noticed is your dro screen location. It looks like it's in line with your headstock but I'm not sure of that. If so, don't you have problems keeping it clean? Mine would sling oil all over it in just a few weeks.


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## Dabbler (May 5, 2022)

@whydontu Thank you for your great pictures.  I have gotten myself confused by what I am seeing, and I'm sure it is on me.  Is your scale for the DRO for the corss slide on the chuck side of the apron, or on the tailstock side?  it looks (to my poor vision) that you have 2 scales - one on each side of the apron?


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## whydontu (May 5, 2022)

Dabbler said:


> @whydontu Thank you for your great pictures.  I have gotten myself confused by what I am seeing, and I'm sure it is on me.  Is your scale for the DRO for the corss slide on the chuck side of the apron, or on the tailstock side?  it looks (to my poor vision) that you have 2 scales - one on each side of the apron?


Your vision is probably ok, I’m the worlds second-worse photographer. My mother was the worst, thousands of photos and nary a top of a head to be seen.

Scale is on the tailstock side of the cross slide carriage.


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## whydontu (May 5, 2022)

Susquatch said:


> Ho Boy....... Soooooo nice to see other members setups. Next best thing to a visit.
> 
> But,....... Lotsa questions.....
> 
> ...


Clarifications:

During the Dad-Of-Justin administration, I worked for a plumbing wholesaler. A very dim-witted co-worker was loading a toilet bowl and tank into a customers van. Toilet fell, shattering into a zillion shards of pottery. Co-worker went over to the boss and explained that the toilet came in defective. He did this loudly enough that all employees and nearby customers heard him. Boss took co-worker out to the loading dock, said, and I quote, “son, I don’t think plumbing is quite your ball of wax. You’re fired”

I use the tail stock the same way as you. But my guess is, like me, you don’t slam the tail stock into the carriage. I suspect it’s possible to mangle the DRO cover, but I doubt normal use would be capable of deforming a 1/8” thick anodized aluminum cover the 3/16” it would need to travel before it hit the actual scale enclosure.

Previous iteration of DRO scale protection was a sheet metal cover located exactly the same as the rubber sheet. Moving my hand from cross slide handle to tailstock inevitably meant knuckle hitting sheet metal. 

Bed DRO is located on the back of the bed. See explanation of photo quality in previous response.

My DROs has fairly slinky armored cables. The bed DRO cable is looped 180* so there’s no strain on the cable/reader joint. Cables travel up to the DRO display post, so just lightly drags across the bench. It’s survived the last six years, should be OK for a while.

DRO display is in line with the headstock, it just worked out that way. I usually have a clear plastic cover over it. Even the cheap DRO displays are rated IP53 for dust and water ingress, so cutting fluid is a cosmetic issue. If I think I’m going to be using a lot of cutting fluid, I grab some Glad cling wrap.


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## Susquatch (May 5, 2022)

whydontu said:


> But my guess is, like me, you don’t slam the tail stock into the carriage.



Never! Too afraid of buggering up the carriage lead screw! 

I'm thinking a bumper through the cover is the way to go here. 

I'm still gunna investigate a front of bed dro scale. 

If and when I get a dro for my lathe, I'm gunna want my screen where yours is. But I really wish I didn't. 

All good stuff! THANKS AGAIN!


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## Dabbler (May 5, 2022)

@Susquatch, it might be less trouble to temporarily move the lathe out to mout the rear scales.  Note:  this is being said by a guy that has less room to maneuver than you do!

The front  is going to give you trouble, with the apron, and the carriage stop, and the power feed rack.


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## Susquatch (May 5, 2022)

Dabbler said:


> @Susquatch, it might be less trouble to temporarily move the lathe out to mout the rear scales.  Note:  this is being said by a guy that has less room to maneuver than you do!
> 
> The front  is going to give you trouble, with the apron, and the carriage stop, and the power feed rack.



Yes, I took a better look this afternoon. Because the mini magnetic scales are so small I could clear all the shafts, levers, etc. But I'm not fond of attaching a read head to the back side of the front of the saddle. 

It is tight, but I can get at the back of the lathe if I go on a crash diet for a few weeks. Lord help anyone entering my shop when I am back there though. The air will be turquoise blue from all the swearing I'll be doing.


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## 140mower (May 5, 2022)

Susquatch said:


> Yes, I took a better look this afternoon. Because the mini magnetic scales are so small I could clear all the shafts, levers, etc. But I'm not fond of attaching a read head to the back side of the front of the saddle.
> 
> It is tight, but I can get at the back of the lathe if I go on a crash diet for a few weeks. Lord help anyone entering my shop when I am back there though. The air will be turquoise blue from all the swearing I'll be doing.


 I thought you had a wife that fit into tight spots....... Too soon to ask, you reckon?


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## Susquatch (May 5, 2022)

140mower said:


> I thought you had a wife that fit into tight spots....... Too soon to ask, you reckon?



Definitely too soon. Never is prolly too soon. But not for the obvious reason. 

Asking her to locate and drill a hole in my lathe would be like introducing her to a few of my old girlfriends. No good could ever come of it.


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## Dabbler (May 6, 2022)

Susquatch said:


> It is tight, but I can get at the back of the lathe if I go on a crash diet for a few weeks.


Too bad I'm so far away.  I'm not much smaller, but I am used to very tight spots - I was a prolific caver in years past, and specialized in getting past squeezes to find new passage.


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## Susquatch (May 6, 2022)

Dabbler said:


> Too bad I'm so far away.  I'm not much smaller, but I am used to very tight spots - I was a prolific caver in years past, and specialized in getting past squeezes to find new passage.



Is that where you learned the basics of rigging?


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## Dabbler (May 6, 2022)

My Dad used to tell me stories of maintaining the 100 - 1000 ton overhead cranes at Stelco (He was a millwright)...  I started rope work in caving in 1980, and became a caver rescue technician in '94.  I began teaching rope rescue in 2000.

Most of my machine rigging is self-taught.  My first mill a Busy Bee B048, was 1700 lbs and they loaded it onto my trailer in Richmond.  It took 6 hours for me to get it off the trailer without toppling it.  All by myself. Another 2 hours to get it into the garage, cm by cm. Just 2X4s and a pry bar, and an iron pipe.

After that experience I started to study moving heavy equipment (early Internet, so not much in resources).
I asked riggers for advice , and built a kit.

I really started to kit up (and skills up) moving *other guys machines*...  You have to be so careful you don't break someone else's machine.  

So I'm over 10 mills and at least 8 lathe moves by now.  As you found out surface grinders are 'special'...


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## Degen (May 7, 2022)

@Dabbler  I was a Caver in my HS days did the 10th biggest cave in Canada, a 7 mile (as the crow flies) in West Virgina andwas offered to Dachstien Ice Caves further Expedition (4-5 days underground) or go skiing (loved caving but love skiing even more).

Too many hobbies, not enough time (or money).

On that note.....

Hey Jaun look at these good rope I find!

If you cave you'll get the joke.


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## Dabbler (May 7, 2022)

@Degen you might appreciate this:  My _second _caving trip ever and my _first _use of SRT was in Castleguard cave, bottoming it with Ben Gadd. What an experience!


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## StevSmar (May 7, 2022)

Degen said:


> …Too many hobbies, not enough time (or money)...


It’s a wonderful problem to have! And I suspect quite common for those on this forum.


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## Degen (May 7, 2022)

StevSmar said:


> It’s a wonderful problem to have! And I suspect quite common for those on this forum.


I'm luck the metal working hobby has become a business


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