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What is a good choice for a 6" DRO scale for a quill?

Trboatworks

Diamond
Joined
Oct 23, 2010
Location
Maryland- USA
I don't want to spend a fortune but would like a decent scale for a mill I am setting up.
It doesn't need any features to speak of just a button to zero and a clear display.

Thanks
 
Thanks- I hadn't gotten any further than the $30 buck import junk.
I would like something a bit better- the Mit gear would do- I will look up.
 
I have a Mitutoyo on my Wells Index. As much as I like Mitutoyo, it's been kind of a POS.

I haven't investigated why, but the scale/slide relationship seems very finicky as to alignment. That means it doesn't slide well if the alignment is off even the smallest bit. Since the brackets they use to mount it are a little flimsy and also not easily adjusted, it's easy to not have it aligned perfectly. Also, the slide seems to 'run dry' - I find I have to put something like wax or light oil on it or it wants to drag. It shouldn't need or want that.

The buttons used to turn the unit on/off and reset to '0' are super tiny. I find myself using a drill bit or whatever I can find to push them....they are recessed enough that a finger push won't always register.

Last, the '0' reset button is finicky. I go to set '0' and it doesn't register no matter how I push it. Then, 5 minutes later it works fine again. This is a PITA, naturally.

I'd think this was a counterfeit was I bought it from a big name vendor and it came with all the fancy test reports etc.
 
Hmmmm- I need a big dumb display with a big zero button so I can bash it without looking when I’m leaned over setting up the tool..

This is for woodworking machinery- a pattern Makers mill so the scales have to be dust tolerant.

I am putting scales on the table so I guess I could anti up and use a three axis display I just thought for this machine a separate display on the quill would be best.
 
That's interesting. Of all the issues I've had, the battery last forever. Sometimes I forget to turn it off for weeks at a time, and it still lasts forever. It should turn itself off after a period of inactivity, IMO.
 
I have the same problem with the mounting on my Index mill as Greg has. It's not the best, but there reallys no easier way to mount one on the Index mill. I've got a junky import one I bought 20 years ago. The digids don't keep up with the movement and it eats thru batteries like a kid on candy! I too looking for a replacement, not wanting to spend a whole lot of money, maybe $100 or less. Ken
 
That's interesting. Of all the issues I've had, the battery last forever. Sometimes I forget to turn it off for weeks at a time, and it still lasts forever. It should turn itself off after a period of inactivity, IMO.

I don't think mine turns itself off.
It's wicked old
 
This is for woodworking machinery- a pattern Makers mill so the scales have to be dust tolerant.

This may exclude optical DRO scales altogether. There are other kinds. (I have an optical scale on my vertical mill, including the quill, but this is for metal mostly, and the big danger is coolant splashing, for which I have multiple covers, so no problem so far.)

Typical digital-caliper scales are typically capacitance-based, which ought to tolerate dry sawdust OK. But they don't like to be wet.

I'd ask around in woodworking circles and see what is reliable in a wood shop.

 
If you get a caliper-type 6" scale, you may want to spend a bit more for the SPC connection. Then you can add a cheap external readout with larger digits - and mount it where it is easiest to see.
 
I use one of the mits, it's super handy and accurate. I do measure the part outside the machine and use the knee for my final cut though, unless it's counterbores/sinks or drilling and reaming.

Just like their calipers I don't think dust will affect it much...of course try to keep it clean.

It comes with brackets, they would easily be modified.
 
I put a Mits on my Webb 15yrs ago and have not had any of the problems mentioned above. I think I have replaced the battery once maybe twice, been so long I don't remember.

I've been going to put one on the Index but think I'll just go with a 3or 4 axis unit.
 
I have had an import caliper on my mill's quill for over 10 years. The only real problem I have with it is short battery life so I take the battery out when I am not using the mill.

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The fixed jaw is attached to an aluminum bracket on the quill which has adjustment slots in it. The movable jaw is attached to the head casting and the end of the depth rod is also attached to it at a higher point. I could have cut the depth rod off, but opted to do it this way so that the upper end of the caliper was not unsupported.

The quill has a small amount of rotational freedom so I turned it in the direction opposite to the normal (CW) direction of rotation. This places it in that position when the bit is encountering any resistance while cutting so it is against the CCW limit of the quill's rotation. The caliper itself keeps the quill in this position at other times. This has worked OK so far.

I did keep my options open in case this mounting scheme did not work out. Here is an easy way to make a compliant mount for one element of a DRO:

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By choosing the size of the music wire, you can maintain the needed stiffness in the direction of DRO travel (left-right in the illustration) while the music wire will allow movement in the other two ordinate dimensions within a sufficient range to allow for any mis-alignment. In my particular case, I may have had to double it up so that both "ends" of the compliant mount were at the same vertical position while the center where they were joined was offset an inch or two.

I also do wood work in my garage-shop and have not had any problems with saw dust. On the battery thing, I have purchased some solar cells and hope to power it with the ceiling lights. I would advise that you try to purchase a caliper that has long battery life, but this is often not one of the specifications. Some of the imports do and others do not.

Another thing you may want to look for is one which can show fractional inches. I have one such import caliper. It was only around $30 or so and it shows decimal and fractional inches as well as decimal mm. I believe I purchased it from Reid and the battery does last a long time.

If you want one with a readout that is horizontal when it is vertical, you can get digital depth gauges that are built that way. But I am super cheap and the caliper I used only cost about $20 while the depth gauges, at that time, cost at least $30. So I settled for reading it sideways which I find to be only a minor inconvenience.

PS: Even on the import calipers the jaws are hardened. I used a carbide drill bit to drill the holes in the jaws.
 
Yes, that is the Mitutoyo I have. You can see how tiny the buttons are. The reset button is recessed, hard to push, and finicky. Another aspect I don't like (I suspect it applies to any make) is the display is also small and doesn't read that well from an angle, so I'm kinda bending down and putting my face closer to the work than I like.quill dro.jpg
 
I have the 6" Mitutoyo on my Webb Mill. It's been excellent and battery life has been three years or so. I had one of the cheap Chinese units prior to the Mitutoyo and the buttons quit working.

Mitutoyo is the best one made IMHO. It's well worth the extra money. I also have a 2 axis Mitutoyo KA DRO with matching scales on the Webb and it's a winner, too.
 
Yes, that is the Mitutoyo I have. You can see how tiny the buttons are. The reset button is recessed, hard to push, and finicky. Another aspect I don't like (I suspect it applies to any make) is the display is also small and doesn't read that well from an angle, so I'm kinda bending down and putting my face closer to the work than I like.View attachment 328473

I do agree the buttons are a bit on the small size, I haven't had an issue with the display.

It really is worth the coin for it, no wires to get in the way. I think I've changed the battery once in 3 years. Of course the old guys think it's a waste, but I don't have to take the time scaling stuff and I know pretty well where I'm at with pockets and stuff, and can easily control and repeat my cut depths.
 
I agree...my guess is that a cheapie would be even worse.

As for a DRO that includes the quill, I'd have to see the scale assembly to see how compact and unobtrusive it is. The Mitutoyo type setup is nice because it has no cables to clutter things up. I could see cables being a mess particularly as they'd need to be left long so the head and tip/nod.
 








 
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