Cheap Digital Lathe Readout

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magic9r
Posts: 296
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 6:30 pm
Location: Sheffield, England

Cheap Digital Lathe Readout

Post by magic9r »

I finally got around to finishing this last night, I've had the scales sitting around for a year or so and thought it was time I finished the project off.
Total investment was about £90 / $180, some time & stock Brass & Aluminium

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This gives me digital readout for full travel of the cross slide and carriage on my long bed Myford Super7.

The cross slide scale attaches with one T nut on the slide & clips onto an oil fitting on the carriage so it's really quick to remove when not required or for close tailstock work.
The scale alongside the bed is not removeable but the head can be unclipped by removing an O ring

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and parked at the tailstock end for anything messy like roughing cast iron.

All the brackets & mountings use existing fittings on the lathe so no new holes or modifications were made.

The digital scales are not of the "Always On" variety that just blank the display when off and have the interesting feature that they can be set or zeroed. This makes it possible to take a finishing depth cut partway through a job then measure the work & set the radius reading, great for an easily achieved spot on job.

The sad part is that the drive to finish this was the arrival of my new commercial lathe DRO, I must do better :D
Nick
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