Grizzly Mill DRO

-
No it's not. But for the price it is probably good for hobbyist use. But I don't want my engine set up on one.
 
That's a nice mill; 2400lbs and 110vac too. I've been looking at putting together a DRO and optical scales then bought an 8 inch rotary table instead. A 3 axis combo is about $200 on ebay.
 
What I can tell you is Steve bought a Grizzly Lathe new. He kept it for one month and sold it for half of what he paid. The thing chattered so bad he cursed it every time he used it. Piece of junk. The base and the body were all light weight tin. You would have to fill it with sand bags to keep it from vibrating. Junk Is to good to describe it.

14" x 40" 2-1/2 HP Gunsmithing Metal Lathe w/ DRO - Grizzly Industrial

1735003247432.png


100_0095.JPG
 
I have a Grizzly G9902 vertical mill. Grizzly is recommending this for a three axis DRO: 15-3/4" x 15-3/4" x 31-1/2" 3-Axis Mill DRO - Grizzly Industrial

I am not really that concerned about cost, I want something that is of good quality. Is this it? Thanks.
That uses glass scales... Most DRO systems have moved to Magnetic scales... More compact, much more durable & easier to install...

I started with glass scales on my small lathe... Still using the glass scale on the Z axis but the X axis died, the glass scale being somewhat bulky was hard to mount & in spite of the shielding it got splashed with cutting oil which took out the infrared sensor... I replaced it with a mag scale, which being smaller allowed it to mount out of the way, it doesn't interfere with anything, it's safe from swarf & coolant & ever if it were to get coolant or swarf it's not effected...

My big lathe & mill both have mag scales...
 
Last edited:
What I can tell you is Steve bought a Grizzly Lathe new. He kept it for one month and sold it for half of what he paid. The thing chattered so bad he cursed it every time he used it. Piece of junk. The base and the body were all light weight tin. You would have to fill it with sand bags to keep it from vibrating. Junk Is to good to describe it.

14" x 40" 2-1/2 HP Gunsmithing Metal Lathe w/ DRO - Grizzly Industrial

View attachment 1716343340

View attachment 1716343338
That lathe is similar to my small lathe... 1500 lbs including the crate..... As long as you aren't in a hurry it can turn out nice parts.... Push a little hard & it's chatter city... Strangely (at least with my small lathe) you can push harder & it will actually cut very well....

My big lathe is also a 14x40.. But it's 5500 lbs.. It's an animal, but doing small precision work is a joy...

The OP is dealing with a mill, the one he has is the typical Bridgeport clone... 2400 Lbs... The true Bridgeport is 2200 Lbs... So it's heavy enough to be rigid as long as the ways & gibbs are in good shape...
 
FWIW I don't see a need for a scale on the knee (Z)... I have scales on X & Y and a Mitutoyo Quill Scale... I use the knee vernier dial for big height adjustments & zero the quill scale based on the location of the work... Been doing it that for years & it works great...

I have Newall on my mill & DRO Pros on my big lathe.... Both are high quality units... I actually prefer the DRO Pro unit....

Electronica Mill Kits:

Quill scale

Mitutoyo 053906B Digimatic Quill Kit, Vertical Knee | eBay
 
-
Back
Top