06-28-2012, 10:30 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-28-2012, 10:54 PM by henryarnold.)
I decided to start with the most difficult part of the installation which is mounting the cross slide scale. Its mostly difficult because I have a small lathe and the scale seems to be in the way one thing or another. Usually the cross slide scale is mounted on the right side of the carriage but I also explored mounting it on the left side. I tried this because my carriage lock and gib screws are on the right side.
Here's a photo showing the scale laying down with the pickup facing the chuck. I quickly realized that if I made a mistake and crashed my carriage into the chuck that instead of a scuffed up carriage top, I would have a destroyed scale. The scales are not cheap.
I also tried the left side with the scale upright but the pickup is too big to fit between the ways so the top of the scale is higher than the top of the cross slide. Again, this would make it vulnerable to anything large spinning on my spindle.
I concluded that there is a reason why most people mount their scales on the right side. It has the best protection there and although in my case it conflicts with the gib screws, I found that I can clear my carriage lock. Here's a photo showing how I intend to mount the scale. My plan is to make a mounting bracket where the scale can be easily removed so that if I need to access the gib screws, it will not be too difficult.
This photo shows the supplied cover laying over the scale. It will not overlap the cross slide. The cover will be cut down so it meets flush with the cross slide top.
During the next few days I'll post photos of my progress. I don't claim to be an expert. This is my second DRO installation. Be sure to warn me if you think I'm making a mistake or if you think you can suggest a better way to mount the scales. My carriage scale will be easy to mount. It will use the standard behind the bed mount with an arm that connects to the back of the carriage.
Here's a photo showing the scale laying down with the pickup facing the chuck. I quickly realized that if I made a mistake and crashed my carriage into the chuck that instead of a scuffed up carriage top, I would have a destroyed scale. The scales are not cheap.
I also tried the left side with the scale upright but the pickup is too big to fit between the ways so the top of the scale is higher than the top of the cross slide. Again, this would make it vulnerable to anything large spinning on my spindle.
I concluded that there is a reason why most people mount their scales on the right side. It has the best protection there and although in my case it conflicts with the gib screws, I found that I can clear my carriage lock. Here's a photo showing how I intend to mount the scale. My plan is to make a mounting bracket where the scale can be easily removed so that if I need to access the gib screws, it will not be too difficult.
This photo shows the supplied cover laying over the scale. It will not overlap the cross slide. The cover will be cut down so it meets flush with the cross slide top.
During the next few days I'll post photos of my progress. I don't claim to be an expert. This is my second DRO installation. Be sure to warn me if you think I'm making a mistake or if you think you can suggest a better way to mount the scales. My carriage scale will be easy to mount. It will use the standard behind the bed mount with an arm that connects to the back of the carriage.
henryarnold, proud to be a member of MetalworkingFun Forum since Apr 2012.