lathe stuff : poor excuse for a DRO ;-)

[raalst]

I got creative. I was tinkering about to add a digital caliper to my lathe,
to have some sort of digital readout.
but attaching it was a problem because the steel of the caliper is hardened.
And I wanted it removable too.

Then I saw my magnetic post where my measuring dial was attached to, and inspiration struck



the magnetic post is magnetic on all sides, not just the bottom.
the little vice is perfect for clamping the tail of the caliper.

And Presto, instant readout
In this setup for moderately big diameter work, otherwise the calipers itself get in the way.
Of course, you can think up a lot of other ways to attach the caliper magnetically.

[JWLaRue]

Re: lathe stuff : poor excuse for a DRO ;-)

Ronald,

Great technique! I've got the same lathe and I think using those digital calipers will work much better than the stock dials.

-Jeff

[raalst]

Re: lathe stuff : poor excuse for a DRO ;-)

another caliper takes care of the cross feed.
this required drilling one of the caliper beaks and grinding off parts of both beaks.
grinding was ok, but drilling was a nightmare.

It also took me two M3 holes in the carriage.
(the first hole was too close and jammed with the gib strip nuts, duh!)




I'm still thinking about how to keep the end of the calipers from swivelling.
I have a workaround (a bit of scrap between caliper and carriage),
but I like something more sturdy.