On Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:27:46 -0400, Bill Schwab
wrote:



Again, the question now is whether I would have bought this machine
given correct data. Since it sounds like the 0.125 dials are not a
serious hassle, I will probably conclude that I saved enough money and
got a good enough machine that I probably should just keep it. If
however, I find a 0.1 machine for similar money, I might owe it to
myself to get what I thought I was buying.

Thanks!!

My "take" on this is that if you like everything else about the
machine, .125 dials and 8-pitch screws are immaterial. I think a DRO
is about indispensible on a mill (sorry, Harold) but I don't have one
on my lathe nor lust for one. I only use the dials on a lathe for
rough cuts and small increments anyway; the truth is in the calipers
for roughing and micrometer when getting close. I use the fine
gradations on the dial to move in a thou or two when "on final" but
those would be thou on either type of dial.

The dials are seldom right anway, except perhaps when using carbide on
stainless, and mine is a fairly large and rigid machine -- a 15x50
weighing at least a ton. The mike is always right.

It's often rather awkward to measure in-process on a mill, usually
quite easy on a lathe.