DRO for LMS Mill

TjTurner

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Evening All...

I'm looking for suggestions for a good DRO for a LMS mill. I'm sure this was covered earlier, but my search keeps coming up with ni results and an html error. I may have to switch browsers.

Anyway, I do a lot of lutherie, and I bought an LMS mill in order to make very precise (precise in the guitar world...+/- 0.001") cuts to my nuts and saddles. (And because I've always wanted a small mill to do some metal projects on...and teach my son what little I know.) But a DRO would greatly enhance my ability to make accurate cuts. I'm not sure the igauging solutions are exactly what I'm looking for...so I don't mind investing in something that would be worthwhile. Although I'm not sure I want to double the price of my machine either!

Thanks!

Tj
 
I just got a DRO Pros 3axis for my mill. It is a quality product with lots of support. A 2axis will run you $500+. LMS offers a small screw mount DRO here http://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2222&category=-1536942993. The precision is not the same as DRO Pros but it may suit you needs. TheDROstore on ebay has a two axis DRO for $299. I am extremely new to all of this, but my suggestion would be to set a budget for all your accessories including tooling then decide which direction to go in. Congrats on the new lathe and good luck.
 
+1 on the DroPros. I put the 3-axis setup (300M?) on mine as I didn't think the iGauging was going to be accurate enough. Bought mine from LMS and considered it money well spent as the 20 tpi screws on the LMS mill allows very accurate positioning and repeatability. I was constantly using the tenths digit. :)
 
Add me to the DroPros fan club, very happy with my DRO on my lathe.
 
I have IGauging DROs and they work great. Although, of the 5 units that I've purchased for the lathe and mill, a couple of them don't have auto-shutoff (maybe older models?). Here is a link to a thread with all of the mods on my LMS Mini Mill, including DRO model #s and mounting brkt templates.

I think that I bought them through Grizzly.

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showthread.php/22202-My-LMS-Mini-Mill
 
Thanks all!

I am leaning toward the DRO Pro, just because that would do it for good. It's pricey, so I guess I'll be saving up. Maybe I'm missing something though...it seems the cheapest price I can find is around $1100 on LMS or direct through DRO Pro. Are you guys finding it cheaper somewhere else?

Thanks!

Tj
 
Thanks all!

I am leaning toward the DRO Pro, just because that would do it for good. It's pricey, so I guess I'll be saving up. Maybe I'm missing something though...it seems the cheapest price I can find is around $1100 on LMS or direct through DRO Pro. Are you guys finding it cheaper somewhere else?

Thanks!

Tj


I think you will be very happy with the DRO Pros. This is the unit I bought http://www.dropros.com/DRO_PROS_Milling_Machine_Digital_Readout#DRO_PROS_3M . I am just about done installing mine. The small mills require some creativity to install due to the small space available. I wanted to make sure that I could remove everything and install and adjust with as little effort as possible. The readout is very well made aluminum housing and the kit comes with a great deal of support including a DVD and install and operations manual. There are a number of nice features check out the link. I spoke with Dan and he answered a couple of questions and was really nice. Good Luck!
 
I have the DRO Pro EL-400 machine specific with magnetic scales. It works great with a lot of bells and whistles I'm still learning to use.
The one thing I find irritating is the display reads to the tenth of a thousandth (0.0001) I can't crank my G3617 to that tolerance. So I spend way too much time "chasing zeros".. :nuts:
 
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