[modeleng] Re: low cost digital readout

Bruce,
   
  I bought a cheapie DRO from Arc Euro Trade a couple of years ago to fit on my 
third or fourth hand Dore Westbury Mk.1 miller.  I have yet to fathom out how 
to fit the darned things!
   
  All I have is two bars, one 12-inch and one 6-inch, and both have the small 
type of digital read-out as on digital Vernier callipers.  No brackets come 
with these, so one has to devise a suitable method of attaching the bars.  
There was an article in the Engineering in Miniature magazine on fitting one of 
these to a Mark 2 Dore Westbury miller.  The problem I found with my machine 
was that it is difficult to fathom out how the bars could be attached simply 
and without fouling or be fouled by other equipment on the machine.  The two 
bars together cost about £60, which might be in the region of $100 (at a 
guess).  These bars were part of a production over-run in the far east.
   
  In the current edition of the model Engineer magazine, there is an Arc 
Eurotrad Catalogue included.
   
  I have seen a Dore Westury miller fitted with the Ortec DRO system, and very 
good it is too.  But to fit that system would cost in the region of £250 for 
three axis, which was £50 more than I paid for my old Dore Westbury, and thus 
to my mind, disproportionate expenditure.
   
  To make you smile; I visited recently a workshop to dream about , in which 
there are not one but three Bridgports.  On one was a full singing & dancing 
DRO system.  Despite being the size of a small elephant, the Bridgport had a 
milling cutter measuring about 0.125" in its chuck.  As if by magic, the 
Bridgport set about its business, lowered the cutter about 40thou into a piece 
of aluminium, and before it travelled two inches in the horizontal mode, the 
cutter went "Ping!"  The moral is, that even with fancy equipment, things can 
go wrong.  The simpler we can keep things, the less frustrating our hobby will 
be......on the other hand?????
   
  Good luck with your search for a DRO.  I hope you have more success than I 
had.
   
  Berst wishes,
   
  Jem
BrVoelker@xxxxxxx wrote:
  thanks, Jem.
I have one of those drill/mills with a round vertical column (4-1/2" dia). 
It was made in Taiwan (not mainland China). It is a good machine, the addition 
of a DRO would make it an excellent machine. The kit offered by the 
manufacturer for the machine is $1135 for two axes. It would just seem to me 
there 
would be a much lower cost solution.

Bruce

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