# Poor man's DRO



## Anglepoise (Jan 24, 2008)

After reading about cmacclel's new DRO, ( lucky guy ! ) , I am prompted to show you my poor man's version. Now there is nothing new about using a dial indicator to measure the saddle or cross slide movement. There must have been thousands of detailed articles over the ages describing how to do it.

In my opinion, all these have one huge drawback. The indicator and its 'stop' are fixed. Once adjusted , the stop is tightened and then you have usually only a one inch travel before metal meets metal and your pricey indicator is junk. Now it possible to use an indicator with greater travel but you still have the problem of a 'crash' if one forgets to unlock. Any of you who have a similar setup knows what I am talking about.

Now my 'stop' differs in the fact that it uses a very powerful magnet in its base ( see below...'stop' is the red topped thing on the left ) and its easy to slide up and down the metal track for adjustment, and will hold perfect position when the tip of the indicator makes contact for readout.

However when the travel is exceeded, the indicator just pushes the 'stop' harmlessly along the track and no damage is done.

Illustrated below should be self ex planetary and I use the same thing on my cross slide for threading etc. 








Below is a photo with the red magnetic stop removed and shows the fixed track it slides back and forth on.


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## modamag (Jan 24, 2008)

Beautiful paint you got there David.
I thought you were gonna post one of these Shumatech DRO-350.


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## PhotonFanatic (Jan 24, 2008)

Uh, why is your lathe so clean and why isn't there oil all over that indicator? :devil:

I use magnets a lot, too, to keep things from flying around, i.e., my 6" ruler, chuck keys, scribe, utility knife blade, and square nut tool.


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## PEU (Jan 24, 2008)

Well, that surprised me too, glad Im not the only one that noticed it  


Pablo


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## Mirage_Man (Jan 24, 2008)

PhotonFanatic said:


> Uh, why is your lathe so clean and why isn't there oil all over that indicator? :devil:



He's posted pics of his lathe before. I think it's just for show, the lathe that is  .


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## PhotonFanatic (Jan 24, 2008)

Mirage_Man said:


> He's posted pics of his lathe before. I think it's just for show, the lathe that is  .



And did you notice that he keeps a plug in the chuck -- presumably to keep the flies out.


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## Anglepoise (Jan 25, 2008)

Sorry guys.......should have explained. I only use this lathe for photos.


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## cmacclel (Jan 25, 2008)

Here was my poor mans DRO that works as good as a real DRO. Nice Job Anglepoise!

Magnets are great


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## sawlight (Jan 25, 2008)

Kids, Kids Kids!!!!!!!! If you use a good mag base with you're indicator, you don't have this problem to start with!!!!
Secondly, I was taught this in a mold shop years ago, masking tape and a china marker. Just below the table on about any vertical mill, x or y, there is a nice area just wide enough for 3/4" masking tape. Tape the area, mark the table and tape in the same spot. Unless you are really careless, you will not make a mark .100" wide, now if you get lost you can scale off of you're mark.
On the lathe, set you're mag base up on the chuck side. If you need more travel than you have in indicator, roll less than the indicator, write it down (remeber that china marker?) move the indicator down and zero it again, move the carriage again, write that number down. Add all of this up until you are where you need to be, the set the indicator to x revolutions at 0. You are set again! I always liked having three revs of .100", it gave me time to kill the power feed.
When you are done with that tool, pick the part up with the next one and start all over again.
Just because you don't have a 5" travel indicator doesn't mean you can't make a 5" cut. You just have to think a bit harder!!!
Hope that helps you guys out a bit!
Sorry for the "'tude", been a really long week, and I have been called a "fart sucker" one to many times, I think it has gone to my head


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## wquiles (Feb 4, 2008)

modamag said:


> I thought you were gonna post one of these Shumatech DRO-350.



That is "still" my plan for this year - to finally get the HF 8x12 running with a Sumatech DRO 

Will


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