D.r.o.

RocketQ

RocketQ

It's Not Rocket Science
Silver Member
Any one using a dro out there? I am looking at Shooting Star brand around 575$. Any one hear good bad about them? Naturally sony is the way to go but sheet they ain't cheap.
Low buck DRO still looking. Any suggestions...
Tired of the old dial indicators.
 
RocketQ said:
Any one using a dro out there? I am looking at Shooting Star brand around 575$. Any one hear good bad about them? Naturally sony is the way to go but sheet they ain't cheap.
Low buck DRO still looking. Any suggestions...
Tired of the old dial indicators.
Click to expand...

I had one installed on the Enco I bought. The price was like 1000ish to add it. And I thought "boy, do I really need to spend the extra money on it, things have been going pretty good the way I do stuff now". Well I got it and it is the best thing ever. I will never be with out one.
Sorry haven't heard anything about the Shooting Star brand though.

Jason
 
Hi John,
Yeah, DROs are the nuts, a little pricey though. If you think that you can live with just the bare essentials version, take a look at these :

http://www.wttool.com/category-exec/category_id/16426

As far as DROs go, the ones you've found are a good price, don't know about quality. I've never heard of the brand, 'Shooting Star'.

I'm currently using a dial indicator with my ring-cutter but it only has 1" of read while my top slide has 3 1/2" travel; a little inconvenient. I'm looking at the horizontal scale with 4" of read for $38. Zero reset anytime.

Do you really need a control panel ? Maybe these will get you by until you can save-up enough for a retrofit CNC pkg.
 
RocketQ said:
Any one using a dro out there? I am looking at Shooting Star brand around 575$. Any one hear good bad about them? Naturally sony is the way to go but sheet they ain't cheap.
Low buck DRO still looking. Any suggestions...
Tired of the old dial indicators.
Click to expand...

I have Sony and Anilam on the machines that I make a living with. I prefer the Anilam just slightly but that is because of features that would not be used in cuemaking.

I looked at the shooting star and I don't like it for the fact that it does not use glass scales. Rack and encoder mixed with sawdust might cause some problems.
 
That is my main concern. Dust is not the sam as chips and oil. I was looking into the Trav-A-Dial but they are like 500$ for a couple more you get dro. Thanks for the input.

KJ I have never seen those before. How do they mount? I would be happy as hell with that. Until I can get the dro.
 
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My guess would be that they mount exactly the same as the DRO scales but instead of viewing your position on a common monitor, you're reading directly off the scale via a traveling LCD display much like on digital calipers.

Actually, I was working on mounting a set of 4" dig. cals. on my top slide when I came upon these.
 
RocketQ said:
That is my main concern. Dust is not the sam as chips and oil. I was looking into the Trav-A-Dial but they are like 500$ for a couple more you get dro. Thanks for the input.

KJ I have never seen those before. How do they mount? I would be happy as hell with that. Until I can get the dro.
Click to expand...

Hey RocketQ, if those are in your budget then check out this e-bay auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/XYZ-AXIS-DIGITA...6QQihZ014QQcategoryZ12581QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

If chips and oil are a concern look at the Newall brand. They use a bearing filled rod with magnetic pickup verses glass. They aren't cheap but they won't need cleaned.

Jimbo.
 
before buying my last lathe i consulted with Ron Haley (my cuemaking mentor) concerning a D.R.O., his response was "I wouldn't even build cues anymore if I didn't have a D.R.O.". Several years later my response to that question would be exactly the same. Pain to install but those hours have been recouped many times over.

Mark Smith
Mark Smith Custom Cues / Beezers Billiards
Russellville, Arkansas
(479)970-0056
 
I am going to pony up and get the accu-rite 200s Cheapest I found was 1400$ I hate to put stuff on the credit card but in the long run it will pay for it self. Thanks guys..
 
mark smith said:
before buying my last lathe i consulted with Ron Haley (my cuemaking mentor) concerning a D.R.O., his response was "I wouldn't even build cues anymore if I didn't have a D.R.O.". Several years later my response to that question would be exactly the same. Pain to install but those hours have been recouped many times over.

Mark Smith
Mark Smith Custom Cues / Beezers Billiards
Russellville, Arkansas
(479)970-0056
Click to expand...

I've heard the same thing about a number of devices used by some cue makers. I could never understand their statements. I was told that about a U.V. system for a finish, I was told that exact same thing about a pole sander and now with the D.R.O for tool movement. All of these items make life a little easier but if that little convenience is enough to form my decision to build or not to build then I believe I'm in the wrong business.

Dick
 
First of all, there's not all that much money to be made in this business and anytime I can make something for myself, I certainly will. I started out learning to read vernier calipers. Then dial calipers came along. I was asked a while ago why I don't use digital calipers ? Well, the dials work just fine for me, the digitals aren't any more accurate or faster and I never have to replace the battery in the dial calipers. I do have a set of $15, 4" digital calipers that I intend to mount on my lathe compound to facilitate my ring-cutter advancement. I'm currently using a 1" dial indicator but my compound has 3 1/2" of travel. It will be $15 well spent.

A U.V. system can cost you a couple of grand or more, but why ? I use less than $100 of auto-clear in a year. When I can, I buy it on sale, by the gallon. In almost 20 years of building, I've never felt the need for a sanding mandrel either. Do your work well and your shafts fit.

I've to come to understand that it's not how much you make, it's about how much you have left at the end of the week. You can call me cheap if you want to but I'm running a business here. I wonder if Gus or DPK used DROs ? Not likely,......they didn't need them.
 
Call me lazy. I like the idea of setting it up once per job and nt haveing to keep sliding the dial indicators down. I ordered the sony sj300 scales and the accurite 200s display. Should be here in about a week. I will let ya all know what I think.
"All of these items make life a little easier but if that little convenience is enough to form my decision to build or not to build then I believe I'm in the wrong business.

Dick"
I agree totally not a necessity but it is really nice tool to have. Maybe I just like tools too much.
 
Dick, have you ever heard the term "figure of speech". the D.R.O. is an awesome tool, you should try one. Also try taking it easy on a boy born in your home town (and still a Reds fan). Mark
 
I have never really like my digital calipers and still use the dial calipers. On my lathe I also use dial indicators to cut rings the exact same length, bore holes to exact depths and cut tenons to exact sizes. Cost of setting the two indicators up was less than $100.
I do however wish I had DRO on my mill for metal work. But for lathe work I don't see a real need for it, although it might be nice. But to put it on all 6 lathes I have, would cost an arm and a leg, when I can just move my indicators from lathe to lathe.
 
Finally got the dro in and in the process of setting up/ installing. What a pain in the a$$. A word of advice just because your lathe is a 13 x 40 you don't need the scales that size. My cross slide table only moves 5" usable. And the travel between centers is only 35".The rest is to clean and oil. If any one is interested in a dro www.carlstaehlecorp.com Mike has been a great help.
 
RocketQ said:
Finally got the dro in and in the process of setting up/ installing. What a pain in the a$$. A word of advice just because your lathe is a 13 x 40 you don't need the scales that size. My cross slide table only moves 5" usable. And the travel between centers is only 35".The rest is to clean and oil. If any one is interested in a dro www.carlstaehlecorp.com Mike has been a great help.
Click to expand...
what was the cost and whic one did you get.

Thanks,
Chris Kurzweil
CK Custom Cues
 
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