Huh?

I’ve been having fun today, trying to decipher my Sino DRO manual. By all accounts, Sino DROs are very good. If you hire a Chinese person to show you how to use them.

“Setting of system. In process of self check, key ‘.’, then the system enter setting mode after self check finished.”

“It is possible to return to zero any point, take the example of X axis display.”

Okay. Isn’t a self check something you do in the shower?

I have been sitting in front of the mill, punching buttons to find out how the DRO actually works. I am taking notes and writing my own instructions. I guess it’s worth it, because an American DRO costs a grand, and this one was included with my mill! God only knows what it would have cost, had they paid an English-speaker to write the manual instead of using Babelfish.

It amazes me that there are Americans who have figured out how to use Sino DROs. They write about them on forums as if everything was fine. I guess they learn on DROs with better manuals, and when they end up with Sinos, they already know everything. I was considering downloading a manual for a different brand, in the hope that there were similarities.

I tried to determine whether I needed a rotary table, a dividing head, a super spacer, or an indexer today. And I finally realized I would never figure it out if I lived a thousand lifetimes. I think I’ll eventually get a rotary table with dividing accessories and see what happens. I really don’t know what else to do. If I keep trying to figure out the best possible thing to buy, I will die before I actually get anything.

Og says I should get a swivel base for my vise, and I’m sure that’s a good idea. Of course, I chose not to get one when I bought the vise, because I kept seeing forum posts in which people said swivel bases were a complete waste of money. It’s nice how everyone’s advice is consistent. I don’t think I can go wrong with a rotary table. And the table on my mill is long, so my hope is that I can have the vise and the rotary table mounted simultaneously, most of the time.

I am pretty well convinced that I should get a 3-axis DRO, put it on my mill, add a z scale, and move the 2-axis DRO to the lathe. It would be nice to have some idea how long parts are, and I cannot figure out how you do it with a dial indicator with a one-inch range. I think measuring a 24″ part with a dial indicator would be challenging, to say the least.

The DRO manual would be confusing even if it made sense. It has instructions for cutting arcs with a straight end mill. How is that possible? It doesn’t move the work; it just tells you where it is. You can’t move all three handwheels at once unless you have CNC, and I’m pretty sure they would all have to move to make these exotic shapes.

I still want an electronic lead screw for the lathe. It does what a DRO does, most of the time. But when it doesn’t, it doesn’t. And a DRO can’t do what it does. It replaces metric gears, a taper attachment, and sometimes, a DRO.

I gave up on making my own dovetail cutter. It’s a very stupid idea. Luckily Enco is having a sale. They must adore me.

I really think I may make something some day. Possibly by Christmas. Of 2011.

Hope Obama hasn’t backed a truck up to the garage by then. When he crowns himself at the National Cathedral and starts confiscating Jewish property, we’ll know he’s almost ready to nationalize our tools and shoot everyone who can read. If you’re Jewish, have a tailor make you a nice silk yellow star right away. Don’t wait for the rush and end up with a crummy one made out of felt.