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Mini Mill DROs

Amen! I’d be happy to mill anything without my clamps coming loose and stuff lurching off the table , cutting to 0.001 will come later.

I really wanted the spatial feedback the dro provides, especially for drilling bolt hole patterns etc




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Finally got her installed. Took me a good 6 hours per axis, but a lot of that was me dithering about a mounting strategy and concocting mounting brackets.

Space is tight on a mini mill so every axis was a compromise of sorts.

3.JPG


For the Y axis I had to mount the scale on it's side. Not optimal as the scale opening is exposed to swarth. I scabbed a piece of the supplied dust cover to make a mounting bracket (No room for the dust cover anyway.. well might be doable?). Drilling and tapping cast iron was a new experience for me and that went well.

4.JPG


I tackled the X axis next and that was a royal PITA. Mounting the scale wasn't difficult, but making a bracket to anchor the scale slide to the base was a challenge. Once again I scabbed a piece of dust cover but this time a set of wings had to bent 90 deg. The end result wasn't pretty but worked (should have taken a pic). I ended up hijacking the rubber dust cover attachment holes to mount the bracket, and attaching the rubber dust cover to the scale slide (not sure that's such a good idea or not). In this case the scale opening is facing down as it should be.

Something I didn't realize that would occur is that you loose a good 1.25" of Y axis table travel by installing these scales. The vendor I got my kit from offers thin scales at extra cost. No ideas what that might regain.

2.JPG


Next came the Z axis another mounting bracket head scratcher. To complicate things the scale had to be furred away from the column 1.5 cm in order to avoid the rotor shaft lock sleeve. The head was already pre-drilled and tapped for the BB scale so I leveraged off of those and concocted a two piece bracket to anchor the head to the scale slide. For this I was finally able to use the mounting brackets supplied with the kit but only after cutting them down and drilling and tapping new holes. Was a lot of test fitting, adjusting, testing etc etc.

1.JPG


So finally up and running in all 3 axis. I'm not crazy about the 0.000x inch display and there is no option that I can find in the pigeon English instruction manual to change that. Also, I missed the boat with regard to choosing a model with the tool option:-(

With a 1-2-3 block mounted in the center of the table it's reading back 1-2-3 within 0.000x" so that's good.

I have noticed that if you run either axis to it's limit the other axis will indicate a 0.000x change (only when the limit is approached)

Locking an axis will cause a .000x reading change.

Having a Z axis reading is proving how poor the supplied down feed dial actually is, total rubbish.

Installation was an adventure that's for sure.

4BOLT.JPG


The only thing I have used it for so far is to locate the lateral drill position to add a 4 bolt pattern to my RT adapter plate. It was spot on.
 
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As I said, the next one will be faster

Hey, what would you prefer the read out display be if not 0.000x


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YYCHobbyMachinist said:
Finally got her installed. Took me a good 6 hours per axis, but a lot of that was me dithering about a mounting strategy and concocting mounting brackets.

Space is tight on a mini mill so every axis was a compromise of sorts.

View attachment 5138

For the Y axis I had to mount the scale on it's side. Not optimal as the scale opening is exposed to swarth. I scabbed a piece of the supplied dust cover to make a mounting bracket (No room for the dust cover anyway.. well might be doable?). Drilling and tapping cast iron was a new experience for me and that went well.

View attachment 5144

I tackled the X axis next and that was a royal PITA. Mounting the scale wasn't difficult, but making a bracket to anchor the scale slide to the base was a challenge. Once again I scabbed a piece of dust cover but this time a set of wings had to bent 90 deg. The end result wasn't pretty but worked (should have taken a pic). I ended up hijacking the rubber dust cover attachment holes to mount the bracket, and attaching the rubber dust cover to the scale slide (not sure that's such a good idea or not). In this case the scale opening is facing down as it should be.

Something I didn't realize that would occur is that you loose a good 1.25" of Y axis table travel by installing these scales. The vendor I got my kit from offers thin scales at extra cost. No ideas what that might regain.

View attachment 5145

Next came the Z axis another mounting bracket head scratcher. To complicate things the scale had to be furred away from the column 1.5 cm in order to avoid the rotor shaft lock sleeve. The head was already pre-drilled and tapped for the BB scale so I leveraged off of those and concocted a two piece bracket to anchor the head to the scale slide. For this I was finally able to use the mounting brackets supplied with the kit but only after cutting them down and drilling and tapping new holes. Was a lot of test fitting, adjusting, testing etc etc.

View attachment 5146

So finally up and running in all 3 axis. I'm not crazy about the 0.000x inch display and there is no option that I can find in the pigeon English instruction manual to change that. Also, I missed the boat with regard to choosing a model with the tool option:-(

With a 1-2-3 block mounted in the center of the table it's reading back 1-2-3 within 0.000x" so that's good.

I have noticed that if you run either axis to it's limit the other axis will indicate a 0.000x change (only when the limit is approached)

Locking an axis will cause a .000x reading change.

Having a Z axis reading is proving how poor the supplied down feed dial actually is, total rubbish.

Installation was an adventure that's for sure.

View attachment 5155

The only thing I have used it for so far is to locate the lateral drill position to add a 4 bolt pattern to my RT adapter plate. It was spot on.
Click to expand...
Nice work! Kinda crappy about losing thatmuch Y axis travel tho
 
I'd be surprised if specifying number of digits was not 'somewhere' in the setup programming, but ya, the usual language barrier. Try contacting the vendor? I did hear that certain older models did not have this feature but I thought that was a thing of the past, Sometimes I see pictures of DRO display with electrician tape covering the back numbers, you might not be alone LOL.
 
YYCHobbyMachinist said:
In any event I ordered this

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...ml?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.3.4fe03033M0MKMO

Around $318 landed. Less than a weeks delivery time. Ordered on Sunday and I missed the DHL delivery on Friday. Should see it tomorrow. So far I'm really impressed with aliexpress… so far.

Will let you know how things goes.
Click to expand...
Hey there YYC......did you get your DRO mounted and useable yet? I am curious as to what you think of the actual product. As I have just acquired a milling machine I have a project in mind that uses drilling holes in a circle pattern and I'm debating either a rotary table or a DRO to do this. Thanks.
 
I have rotary table but I used a DRO for a bolt pattern. Rotary table with dividing plates have other uses through - like I made a gear yesterday which would be somewhat difficult without one. For just a bolt pattern DRO is much quicker - find center, enter correct parameters and off you go - drill hole 1, drill hole 2 etc. Much quicker then putting a rotary table on the mill possibly having to take off the vise, making sure all is square, and then drilling holes making sure (if many holes) not to screw up. Then you have to take the whole thing off, possibly re-install vice and then make it square.
 
Thanks Tom.......that is what had crossed my mind.....the re-aligning of everything every time a switch was needed.

Curious as what you think of this rotary table right now on Kijiji: 6" Rotary Table Red Deer? He told me that he bought it new at BB and never did use it. Didn't say why. Said it would take $225.
 
I have no pictures at work for Kijiji (they use eBay) - is it this one - https://www.busybeetools.com/products/rotary-table-6in.html or https://www.busybeetools.com/products/rotary-table-6in-c-w-tail-stock-indexing.html

I have the 2nd one but grizzly version I got from Amazon... its OK... it not too precisely made. a large 8" chuck and plate for it are too heavy for it as it shows its inaccuracies.

I have a large old dividing head that is much more roboust but I don't have all the plates for it.

I got this when I still had a mini-mill - this is why its only 6". I would have otherwise went for a 10" used off eBay with some outrageous shipping. Very large ones like over 12" (or too well build 12") are a bit too heavy - people need a small crane to lift them to the table. I learned a lot since I got that mini-mill (sold it after like a year plus).

If it is not abused and for your mill a 6" would work great - $225 is half price. In the worst case if you end up not using it a lot you can sell it for the same price or even more.
 
It looks more like the 2nd one, but does not have the dividing plates and tailstock with it. But it is still a bit different. It's locking levers are situated differently. There are 3. One vertical between the collar and the table. Looks to lock the the actual shaft. And then 2 horizontal on the opposite side of the collar spaced about 60º apart. And the vertical base is a bit different. Looks like 2 square locator studs screwed in in the X axis table orientation. But it looks good and unused.

That is true about the resale value. Thanks for your thoughts.
 
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