On Sun, 06 Apr 2008 04:47:15 -0700, Gunner Asch
wrote:

On Sun, 06 Apr 2008 01:34:17 -0600, Don Foreman
wrote:

On Sat, 05 Apr 2008 14:40:43 -0400, Bill Schwab
wrote:



Do you ever indicate your compound parallel to the spindle?

No. I have a 2" DI mounted with a magnet to the carriage. I use that
a lot. If I were to put a DRO on my lathe, it'd be first on the
carriage and thence on the tailstock as for drilling. Won't happen
anytime soon if ever.
Plunger style long travel dial indicator works just hunky dorry on a
tailstock.
And pretty well on the cross slide also.

Using a 3-4" long travel indicator, put the punger against the ass end
of the drill chuck in the tailstock ram. Now you have a mechanical
DRO. Hold the indicator to the tailstock nose with a magnet, or a hose
clamp.

The same can be done with the cross slide. And the carraige.

And IS done every day in machine shops all across the planet.

Its not rocket science

Magnet hint: this is not a good place for supermagnets. Ordinary
ceramic magnets are better. Supermagnets hold well -- but they also
hold ferrous swarf with such tenacity they're about impossible to
clean. Ceramic magnets can be cleaned in a jiffy with a blast of
compressed air.