DRO on a surface grinder?

[RB211]

At least on the Z, probably on the Y as well? Doesn’t seem to be all that common. Reasons for that?

[Dan Dubeau]

At least on the Z, probably on the Y as well? Doesn’t seem to be all that common. Reasons for that?

Not really necessary. There's not a lot of positional jumping around with most surface grinding work. Stuff like, make this surface X distance from another surface.

There have been a few times where a readout would be handy like face grinding some step in a small shaft/pin in a harig fixture, but honestly dials are not that bad. If one really needed a better system you could setup an indicator on it to check movement, but IMO the dials on surface grinders are just fine.

[I make chips]

Coriolis drift effect?

Actually I have also wondered why not.

[Doozer]

Y is most important, something like tenths resolution for wheel height.
Z is only if you grind to a shoulder, not too often.

--Doozer

[RB211]

Y is most important, something like tenths resolution for wheel height.
Z is only if you grind to a shoulder, not too often.

--Doozer

Z isn’t wheel height?

[Dan Dubeau]

Z isn’t wheel height?

Z is almost always universally the spindle axis in the machine tool world. I say almost always as I seem to recall a specific example presented years ago on PM where Z was some other axis on some machine tool, but I can't specifically remember what it was.

[Tim Clarke]

Friend has one on a Harrig he bought used. Someone spent plenty of money buying a very sensitive scale, but offhand I can't say what the resolution is

[RB211]

Z is almost always universally the spindle axis in the machine tool world. I say almost always as I seem to recall a specific example presented years ago on PM where Z was some other axis on some machine tool, but I can't specifically remember what it was.

So on a lathe, the spindle is Z, and the crosslide would be X?

[Tundra Twin Track]

Was at a Tool&Die Shop Auction in 2016,they had 9 Surface Grinders everyone had a Baldor VFD & Acurite DRO,2 sold for there appropriate value and the rest sold for under $500 2 @ $250.The worn out Bridgeport Clone sold for more than new price,Auctions can be a real mixed bag!

[George Bulliss]

So on a lathe, the spindle is Z, and the crosslide would be X?

Yep.

The last shop I worked in had two grinders with DROs. They were both Mitsui grinders and were only used dry. We did a lot of small, intricate stuff in steel and graphite and the DROs were really handy.

[Dan Dubeau]

So on a lathe, the spindle is Z, and the crosslide would be X?

Yup. Rotational axis of the spindle would be c, and the up down of the tool (tool height) is y. You'd never reference those for manual lathes, but those are the correct axis for CNC lathes.

[The Metal Butcher]

Z isn’t wheel height?

Interesting. Had me tripped up too. I wasn't aware.

So I guess for an HBM your table is Z and X. You head would be Y. Spindle C. Table rotation... B?

[Doozer]

Interesting. Had me tripped up too. I wasn't aware.

So I guess for an HBM your table is Z and X. You head would be Y. Spindle C. Table rotation... B?

Horizontal surface grinders,
Horizontal mills,
Horizontal boring mills,
Horizontal lathes,
all the same.
They all have the spindle horizontal.
Hence the naming convention.


Z is always the direction the spindle is pointing
no matter what the machine.
I have a machine tool design college textbook
as thick as a telephone book (remember them)??
and it shows the axis very clear.

-D

[nickel-city-fab]

Way I learned it, Z is always the spindle no matter what else is going on

[Rich Carlstedt]

On our 5 axis Horizontal Boring Mill really 6 Axis, but only ( any) 5 simultaneous

Spindle in/out = Z
Headstock Up/D= Y
Table In/Out = W
Table L/R = X
Table Rotate = C
Index Head R/T = A

Rich

Edit, You can see that both W and Z can move the same direction
That is like on a Bridgeport- either lowering the quill or raising the knee

In our case. the Spindle could move 32 inches, but the Table could move 6 feet.
(Mill weighed 80,000 # )