Ted Reischl
06-15-2019, 1:43 PM
I posted about installing a DRO on the RAS in another thread. That one went a bit off track as is usual. While it was doing that the DRO came in (iGaging 24 inch, about $59). Here are some pics of the installation:
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It all went pretty smoothly. Used the mini mill to make flip up aluminum stop. Got it right with virtually no play. Only real issue I had with the DRO itself was I could not get one of the screws that attach the S bracket to start. Itty bitty tiny things. Finally figured out that if I held the unit upside down the little nut thing would engage the screw.
As you can see there is a sacrificial stop block. Makes it easy to get it set up plus I needed some "reach". I also made an aluminum one while I was at it.
The DRO comes with a cheesy plastic stand that wants to be mounted to a wall. So I made up a new one out of some scrap plywood. The DRO has a magnet on the back so I cut a small piece of steel angle that is screwed to the plywood. Works great! I can actually push the buttons without the whole thing wobbling around.
Took it for a few test runs. It is quite sensitive, maybe too sensitive. Sort of thinking about putting a fine adjustment on it but that would cause some play so maybe not. Going to work with it a while and see if it is really an issue or not.
All in all I like it. I cut a 5 inch test piece. Then moved the stop around and moved it back to the original setting of 5.000. Measuring with a dial calipers the two pieces were within .002 of each other. Exactly what I wanted. I was never concerned about cutting things to exact length, what is more important to me is being able to repeat a cut later if I need to.
My shop is becoming a digital world! The mini mill has readouts on all three axis, so I have a mill/drill that is extremely accurate, the table saw uses a digital fence (have had that for at least 6 years and love it) and then there is the CNC router. Don't know if I can stand all this accuracy!
411372
411374
It all went pretty smoothly. Used the mini mill to make flip up aluminum stop. Got it right with virtually no play. Only real issue I had with the DRO itself was I could not get one of the screws that attach the S bracket to start. Itty bitty tiny things. Finally figured out that if I held the unit upside down the little nut thing would engage the screw.
As you can see there is a sacrificial stop block. Makes it easy to get it set up plus I needed some "reach". I also made an aluminum one while I was at it.
The DRO comes with a cheesy plastic stand that wants to be mounted to a wall. So I made up a new one out of some scrap plywood. The DRO has a magnet on the back so I cut a small piece of steel angle that is screwed to the plywood. Works great! I can actually push the buttons without the whole thing wobbling around.
Took it for a few test runs. It is quite sensitive, maybe too sensitive. Sort of thinking about putting a fine adjustment on it but that would cause some play so maybe not. Going to work with it a while and see if it is really an issue or not.
All in all I like it. I cut a 5 inch test piece. Then moved the stop around and moved it back to the original setting of 5.000. Measuring with a dial calipers the two pieces were within .002 of each other. Exactly what I wanted. I was never concerned about cutting things to exact length, what is more important to me is being able to repeat a cut later if I need to.
My shop is becoming a digital world! The mini mill has readouts on all three axis, so I have a mill/drill that is extremely accurate, the table saw uses a digital fence (have had that for at least 6 years and love it) and then there is the CNC router. Don't know if I can stand all this accuracy!