My old mill drill needs some work

[Susquatch]

I always thought stamps were a way over priced, you could buy a 10$ pic and add 5$ worth of components and have a far more capable controller

However I was also a poor highschool student at the time

What you say is true. And normally I'm on that page. In fact, I have to swallow real hard before I say what I'm about to say...... But others say it all the time and actually mean it!

"It is important to consider the value of your own time......" In my mind at that time, having just left the dark ages of months of machine and assembly language, being able to program in basic was AMAZING and worth every penny!

Anyway, that isn't my nature. I'm basically on the same page as you guys. In fact, if I wasn't on that page there would be a brand new mill in my shop right now instead of 2 old girls that needed to be fixed and still don't work right.

 

[Susquatch]

HXX DRO Set 3 Axis Magnetic Linear Scale Encoder With Digital Readout Digital Readout Display For Mill Lathe Machine|Level Measuring Instruments| - AliExpress

I can't seem to figure out how to talk to these guys. There is a chat button on the web site, but nobody is home. Do I chat anyway and wait for tomorrow to come?

 

[phaxtris]

@Susquatch

Just order it and the seller will message you, that's how it has worked for everything I've ordered on Ali express with some kind of option

Edit: And if the don't...cancel the order


As for the time is money, I fully agree, if it was between a stamp and a pic now days I would probabaly buy a stamp....but i don't make 5$ an hour these days

 

[Tom O]

Here is a video for it one thing I didn't mention was there is a guide supporting it under the cover.

 

[Janger]

Omg we’re all IT geeks

 

[Susquatch]

Here is a video for it one thing I didn't mention was there is a guide supporting it under the cover.

Thanks @Tom O!

Pretty Damn Cool! I'm impressed!

I'd like to do 4 axis for whichever mill I keep too.

I'd also like to do three axis on my lathe but I am totally lost on how to do that on my compound.

 

[Tom O]

Not by a long shot it took me 3 tries to upload I haven't used Pinnacle Studio in probably 2 years!

 

[Tom O]

Thanks @Tom O!

Pretty Damn Cool! I'm impressed!

I'd like to do 4 axis for whichever mill I keep too.

I'd also like to do three axis on my lathe but I am totally lost on how to do that on my compound.

Another thing I left out is by pressing enter again it shows all 3 axis still using the quill.

 

[YYCHM]

Another thing I left out is by pressing enter again it shows all 3 axis still using the quill.

I'm betting that DRO has the option to combine the column scale and quill scale into the Z-Axis readout without having to push any buttons every time. It's called lathe function in my manual. I take it your DRO display unit has 4 input ports on it?

 

[Susquatch]

I can't seem to figure out how to talk to these guys. There is a chat button on the web site, but nobody is home. Do I chat anyway and wait for tomorrow to come?

HXX DRO Set 3 Axis Magnetic Linear Scale Encoder With Digital Readout Digital Readout Display For Mill Lathe Machine|Level Measuring Instruments| - AliExpress

Just order it and the seller will message you, that's how it has worked for everything I've ordered on Ali express with some kind of option

Edit: And if the don't...cancel the order

I have not purchased yet because I had some questions about the product. So I haven't done as you guys have recommended yet.

However, I had already tried the chat option as I had suggested earlier. That actually did work. I guess you just have to wait for their business hours...... No idea why they call it "chat". It's actually a lot more like "message".

I told them what I was looking for and asked some questions. I guess we will see how it all works tonight when they get back to work.....

 

[Susquatch]

Here is a video for it one thing I didn't mention was there is a guide supporting it under the cover.

What you did is awesome. But sadly, I don't think that will work on any of my mills. There is no internal or external, access to anything on the quill except at the nose piece. I thought a bit about tapping the nose piece for a scale bracket, but I doubt it's a good idea to attach any kind of scale at the business end like that.

 

[Susquatch]

Omg we’re all IT geeks

I find it actually quite amazing. And it isn't just video web skills. I never knew anyone around my neck of the woods who had been a part of the early evolution of microprocessors. Just a
Handful of guys in California and some early internet adapters around the world on Compuserve.

Then I join this Canadian metal worker forum and I discover that lots of members have a ton of experience in my lonely digital world and suddenly I'm not so alone.

Amazing! And very cool!

 

[Susquatch]

Here is a video for it one thing I didn't mention was there is a guide supporting it under the cover.

OK, so I was wrong. There is a place to do it on my mill/drill and my knee mills.



The nose moves with the quill. If the DRO parts are small enough, it might fit!



That vertical slide mechanism at the top of the limiter on the knee mill might work too! That the brass coloured part with a hole in it at the top of the threaded rod. But it could get real ugly real fast. Has anyone done this? Is it a good idea?

 

[whydontu]

Back on to the round column mill. Someone‘s solution for losing the location. Maybe add linear bearings? Might be able to get within a few thou

 

[Susquatch]

What a great idea! I think it would be fairly easy to do too!

I've never needed anything like that in the time I've had it (8 yrs or so). I usually just adjust it to the height I need and then lock it down. Once it has been locked down, it never moves.

If I end up keeping it and sell my regular drill press instead, I'll probably do it!

But once I have a working knee mill, I don't know why or when I would need that feature.....

But then again, the pure joy of just doing it would be awesome!

 

[Brent H]

If you are talking about a DRO for the Bridgeport, this is the typical install:

 

[Susquatch]

Yup, that's exactly what I was talking about. But I had wanted to put it onto the system DRO as opposed to standalone.

That way, I could take advantage of the lathe function (if it has one) to add the two Z's together as per @YYCHM 's comment above.

I'll have to take a boo at the link you provided to get a closer look at how it all fits together.

 

[phaxtris]

Here is what I've done on my column mill, it could use some lipstick, but for now it works, might give you some ideas

 

[YYCHM]

Check this out.....

DRO Z-Axis /4th axis "combiner" | Model Engineer (model-engineer.co.uk)

 

[Susquatch]

HXX DRO Set 3 Axis Magnetic Linear Scale Encoder With Digital Readout Digital Readout Display For Mill Lathe Machine|Level Measuring Instruments| - AliExpress

Last night I finally got a quote and a few answers.

Change the order to 4-axis and watch the price quadruple. Jeepers Creepers! (still laughing about that!) And I'm still not sure I know what I'm getting! They just couldn't (or wouldn't) answer the question "Can I add z + Quill to get total z?"



In fact, when I look at the panel, I don't even see how additional functions like that would be accessed. There is no menu button that I can see. So I'm thinking this is a really simple box - what you see is what you get. But I have zero experience with DROs. Anybody here know more?