How to get the most out of a DRO on the lathe?

Maybe a little late on this response. I'm in the process of installing my Igaging DROs on my 12x30 lathe. The L feed is getting mounted on the backside of the bed. Since theres no lead screws or anything else on that side. It'll be pretty well protected back there too. The x feed is getting mounted onto the right side of the cross feed, since that side sees less swarf. It's gonna stick up a little bit, but not enough to interfere with anything. I'm gonna use 3M VHB mounting tape to mount them. http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...R8gs_QNRM99KDQB_N2RL3FHWVK_GPD0K8BC31gv)&rt=d
People are mounting gear racks for x-y tables with this stuff, so, I'm gonna give it a shot. The area has to be degreased really well and then followed up by isopropyl alcohol. I had some that I used for mounting other things around the shop and it's fantastic stuff. I just hope that there's enough surface area on the brackets for it to bond. If it works and stays, you guys will know about it. If it fails, I'll just drill and tap like every one else. :whistle:

I'll post up pictures when I'm done
Thanks
 
i'll bet even something like SUGRU would work very well for the ends of the scales. every home shop should have some (sugru.com) ?

keep in mind that the igaging units can be drilled thru on the ends for mounting also.

one of the guys epoxied his to an wooden block that was epoxied to his casting (after cleaning)

they are quite tolerant.
 
igaging on a 12 x42 craftsmanfitting scale.jpgIMG_0393 (800x600).jpgIMG_0442 (800x600).jpgIMG_0444 (800x600).jpgIMG_0449 (800x600).jpgIMG_0483 (800x600).jpgsttarting.jpgIMG_0491 (800x600).jpg
I still get a little swarf on the crossfeed unit but not enough to hurt it. the yellow guard / mount etc is a bit of an overkill but it makes me happy :)

the bracket for mounting the "x" head was a bit of a headache but I made a few at the same time. ugly but functional. ...

the cross feed dial on my lathe is impossible for my old eyes to see. these are the economy answer for that problem. like others have said, you still need to measure as you cut the diameters, at least I do. especially down to my last cuts.

fitting scale.jpg IMG_0393 (800x600).jpg IMG_0442 (800x600).jpg IMG_0444 (800x600).jpg IMG_0449 (800x600).jpg IMG_0483 (800x600).jpg sttarting.jpg IMG_0491 (800x600).jpg
 
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