2 and 3axis DRO purchase

[Shox Dr]

Looking to buy a 2axis DRO for a Harrison M300 and 3 axis DRO for a Tom Senior Light Vertical.

Has anyone bought from The DRO Store. There looks to be a lot that have looking at their blog


Or these guys Miester DRO


Both of these seller use fleabay


Or has anyone suggestions as to other makes/products

 

[jugs]

These are good - http://www.machine-dro.co.uk/index.php?target=categories&category_id=24

I have 4 sets on lathes & millers, no problems

 

[Freshfabrications]

I have my 3 axis like the ones your looking at on the afore mentioned websites fitted on my not very good quality Chester mill, they are pretty good and user friendly and a couple of good feture too like the PCD and pocketing fir the mill an tool offsets for lathe, as above look at Machine DRO they seem to supply alot of Model Engineers.....

 

[Shox Dr]

I already know about Allendale stores, I have one of their small rotary encoders on my Tube Bender. I looked at their DROs at Harrogate Eng. show a year before last, and was quoted 450 Inc VAT for a 3axis, which was the going rate at the time. I called them last week, and the price was 450-500, so its gone up 50quid where as the Miester/Sino etc has dropped to well below that, even taking into account the Duty and VAT on Import.

 

[hareng]

Dunno whats the exchange rate?
Not healthy.

You do know you will get stung with the dreaded using Fedex.

More to the point where are you likely to fit the glass scales?
X axis on M300 dead easy, just done one 3 axis. The Y axis will be a problem like most lathes.
Then theres the other problem bracketry non existent to mount the readout so will have to make as well.

 

[hareng]

Just checked should be around £386 at Allendale 2 axis C type glass scales delivered.

I went through the process of enquiring to all the sellers on the bay some years ago, non replied. The other thing the scales are glass, whats the likelyhood of these not getting broke.

 

[Shox Dr]

Post up the M300 please.

 

[hareng]

I fitted the magnetic much dearer encoders to Y and tail stock plus a 720 C type glass scale on X axis with budget 3 axis readout around £610.
Dont have many piccies of cross slide but have plenty on the tail stock mod.

Where tail stock butts up to cross slide i have only lost 2mm before it hits the magnetic scale, fully sealed.
Cross and X http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n563/Jonhareng/Jons machining/DROCarriage.jpg
Cross with top cover removed http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n563/Jonhareng/Jons machining/DROCrossslideinstalled.jpg

Tailstock
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n563/Jonhareng/Jons machining/DSCN3570.jpg
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n563/Jonhareng/Jons machining/RamFix1protrusion26mm.jpg
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n563/Jonhareng/Jons machining/MagneticStripsilicon4.jpg
Need to get a completed piccy and readout mount off the bolt off head casting, just a bit of plate.

 

[Shox Dr]

Nice, what make?

What's the aluminium block on top of the crossslide


Have a look here for someone elses take on a M300 fitting 2nd lathe down

 

[hareng]

Had a quick look, C type covers will be harder to fit and take more room up in depth than the Allendale B type.
To mount the glass scale with the B type, screw backing on and align. Then screw glass scale to that and align. Screw the top cover on. Gives more protection than the slightly cheaper C type covers sold on those other sites.

Amased by this, what was the geeza thinking, best of both worlds. B type cover same as my X axis.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_23LuErcbwJ8/S6g7nrTuzMI/AAAAAAAACns/HSHHgNKmOFk/s1600/DRO2-710253.JPG
Surely if using thsoe type better to off board mount at rear, above piccy is half way there but still lost 1 1/2" or there abouts butting tail stock up to cross slide. If he had of mounted further out no problem. Got way over 2ft after that scale finishes to play with before getting near swarf tray.

With my install i went further than the norm i needed no faffing about, nothing in the way and more importantly extra protection from the coolant and swarf build up - dont want to stop every 10 mins and clear swaf tray out.
Also wanted access to near 45 degree V in cross slide to mount a rear tool post pretty much done. Thats the alum block dovetailed and can slide in or out.
Will be doing a cross slide depth stop two way mounted out board capstan style.

What you running yours off?
I have a 5.5hp 3ph digi inverter plug and play to wire in.

 

[hareng]

Allendale prices
http://www.machine-dro.co.uk/index.php?target=products&product_id=15
http://www.machine-dro.co.uk/index.php?target=products&product_id=53

May get away with 220 long?
http://www.machine-dro.co.uk/index.php?target=products&product_id=9
http://www.machine-dro.co.uk/index.php?target=products&product_id=47
Cross slide cost £108.29

Readout lathe 2 axis my preference over the Sino easier to use.
http://www.machine-dro.co.uk/index.php?target=products&product_id=112

Carriage £8.95
Total £390.48 delivered next day and new vat prices.

Substituting Y cross slide for magnetic encoder
http://www.machine-dro.co.uk/index.php?target=products&product_id=346
http://www.machine-dro.co.uk/index.php?target=products&product_id=347 2 off.
http://www.machine-dro.co.uk/index.php?target=products&product_id=348
Total Y axis £157.79

 

[hareng]

Substituting Y cross slide glass scale for the linear magnetic encoder type would add an extra £49.5.
I have this on mine.

I did slot the casting 5 mm lower so top of two part cover didnt foul the 45 degree the alum block runs in.

Probably bit off more than i could chew doing it on the tail stock and wish never started.
Rear face of tail stock where two levers are the scale only takes up 17mm.
Height added to tail stock 13.57mm, would have been less if used steel probably 7mm. = no reaching over. Mock fit.

Still got access to the two oilers.

Magnetic strip well over length only need 123mm travel gives you some idea how short these can be. Total length/travel plus 52mm for 5micron encoder.
Slide here is 251mm long so left two part cover full length and sealed ends with silicon recommended.
Top cover is screwed to slotted backing seen further away, just needs flipping over.

 

[Shox Dr]

Crickey, I need sometime to take that all in.

As for what I'm using for a power source; I bought a 7.5HP rotary inverter off fleabay for 102quid. Only needed a Cap replacing

The Mill runs off a Allen Bradley 5HP Digi I bought again for peanuts



I think Im going to give Allendale another call and see if I can work a deal for both 2 and 3axis in one hit

 

[hareng]

I think the prices have gone up, must have with the new vat.
I am sure there was more discount back in November up to late December, can check old and new my orders are visible online.

In all fairness it depends what you want and need to do. I didnt want anything that would slow me down, time is money and this is about as big a lathe as i can power up or would have gone for a 50" Triumpth.
GKN green reminds me of Warco.

Still need to put the 32A spur in, shhh i have some old shower cable, but need to get the Crabtree Starbreaker MCB 32A C type.

 

[hareng]

2 axis would be £456.94 delivered but thats with the magnetic Y axis and 3 axis readout so could knock off £49.5 plus £20.87, so £380+ delivered with glass scales and 2 axis readout.

If you have a dro on the mill to machine and drill accurate holes i would pay the extra for the magnetic on the lathe cross slide.

I am even thinking about junking the glass X axis on larger mill for a magnetic jobby. One of these days its gonna crack with swarf crushing on it.

 

[Shox Dr]

I thought glass scales were better than Magnetic?

And looking at the specs there doesn't look to be anything in the accuracy either, in fact looking at the spec charts Glass is better up to 1050mm long?

 

[snowcat]

For what its worth, I run 4 sets of glass scales, on Mister boxes all imports direct from Singapore, the joke was they would come quicker Via airmail than most of the UK sellers, Iv always used a firm called Automation specialist and a contact called Kerwin, who is spot on and dispatches as soon as the transfers compleate.....

 

[hareng]

The advantage with the magnetic type is a 24x7mm alum strip with magnetic strip inside, sealed. You can cut to any length required unlike the glass.

Eg my tail stock jobby i could have had it only 175mm long. The GS 200 micro glass is 273mm long plus the overhang of the cover and would overhang the ram face by at least 40mm excluding cover! Unsightly and in the way.
The 5 micron sealed for life encoder is 52mm long forget how deep.

The alum part of encoder up to blue heat shrink is 52mm. The 24x7mm strip slides with cross slide but i did mill out 5.5mm into the carriage casting to set it down 5mm so access to 45 degree V.

Certainly for the cross slide i would recommend, i have lost nothing for an extra £49.5. The overhang at rear will be used and extended for a capstan style depth stops.

For longer lengths these may not prove very cost effective such as X axis.
Eg glass scale £129.08, B type cover £8.56= Toatal £137.64
Magnetic encoder £138.85, Two part 800mm cover £20.48, magnetic strip x (£5.63 x 7 off) for 680 travel £39.41 Total £198.74

Go glass on X axis can just about get away with the 720 long on full chat with thread dial indicator swung up and going right in to head stock.

 

[hareng]

Installed the Sino glass scales on the larger mill some years ago, 3 axis using B type covers. They came next day as well from Allendale. 4 deliveries all next day.
These are Sino scales with a plug to suit the readouts.

I do have some intermitant problems losing zero especially on quill. All of a sudden it would start reading something like 550mm and have had same with X axis. The glass is not sealed from outside world, the encoder parts two strips of rubber seal in front and behind letting ingress up into it.

Another thing to look at is ease of operation, i went to a show 4 years ago and looked at a few inc the Sino which seemed harder to use.
Can turn off at mains and dro will still retain zero on the Allendale budget, never use any of the functions except calculator. PCD works well tried it drilling the ram fitting even though it was in the rotary table.