# MILL QUILL DRO



## Brian Rupnow (Apr 23, 2010)

My BusyBee CT129 mill came from the factory with a digital readout on the quill travel, but these Chinese machines are definitly sub quality in the read out department. It quit working about 3 months after I got the machine, and in spite of cleaning it and installing new batteries, it never really worked right, and in the middle of building my Webster engine, it died completely. A call to the BusyBee customer service told me that a new DRO pack would cost $100.  I also had an 8" Powerfist digital Vernier caliper that worked, but if I measured the same thing 3 times, it would give me 3 different answers, due to looseness in the head. Yesterday and this morning, I did some "mad modifying" and added the Vernier to the mill. The Vernier is now held steady enough to give repeatedly accurate readings, and I can now mill to depth with accuracy. The hardest part of the entire job was drilling a pair of 1/8" holes through the hard stainless steel body of the caliper. I went up to the lumberyard/hardware store, and purchased two 1/8" carbide concrete drills to accomplish that.----Brian


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## Shopguy (Apr 23, 2010)

Brian
I like your modification. Considering doing something similar to my own milling machine. Looks like a trip to Princess Auto coming up.
Regards,
Ernie J


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## Blogwitch (Apr 23, 2010)

Brian,

For future reference, hard plate drills are very cheap and do a great job, they should be available in the US.

http://www.leofixings.com/fixings-products_Drill+Bits_Hardplate+TCT+Tipped+Drill+Bits-10-132.html

Good fix BTW.


Bogs


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## Brian Rupnow (Apr 23, 2010)

Thanks Bogs---I didn't know there was such a thing. I'm in Canada, but probably probably the Americans have dealer reps up here. The carbide tipped concrete drills are readily available in all our hardware stores, and are not terribly expensive. They don't last very long either, but will get you out of a jamb.---Brian


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## New_Guy (Apr 23, 2010)

great mod Brian how did you test its repeatability?

do your industrial engineering stores not carry solid carbide drills? i thought they would be very common, they are over here ???


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## Omnimill (May 10, 2010)

Bogstandard  said:
			
		

> Brian,
> 
> For future reference, hard plate drills are very cheap and do a great job, they should be available in the US.
> 
> ...




Bogs

I wish you'd stop posting links for useful stuff like this Bogs, you're costing me a fortune ...  :big:

Vic.


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