Ok guys, if you are interested this is the response I got from DROPROS when I asked them about a special kit for the X3. I mentioned that I was considering a Grizzly DRO. So far I agree with there customer service comment, they have been great getting back to me.
From DROPROS.
First, thanks for taking the time to write. Our DRO's are ES-15's, which are 2 generations beyond what Grizzly sells (they sell the ES-8). Additionally, we have a much better inventory and we would like to think better customer service.
Yes, we know the X3 quite well. The "issue" behind the confusion of which scales to get is twofold. First, the X3 has a design flaw which "should" be fixed prior to mounting a DRO. Second, just measuring travel doesn't always guarantee a good fit. In any case, here are the scales you need:
X axis - 350
Y axis - 150
Z axis - 450
These are regular GS-10's, not SlimLine. You don't need / want SlimLine, they have 1 set of seals, not 2 protecting them like regular scales.
Let me explain the X3 issues:
1st issue: What happens is if you crank the table to the extreme left, the table will actually come off of the dove tail and will continue until the underside of the handwheel mechanism hits the base of the machine. This is not good for the machine, and you really need to affix a stop on the right rear of the table to limit the overtravel. You can see one of our customers has done this on our installation page:
http://www.dropros.com/Digital_Readout_DRO_Installation.htm
http://web5.streamhoster.com/hvp/DROPROS/AncellXStop.jpg[img] (sorry I cannot get he image to post, RC)
Note the block on the left 'hanging' down. It's meant to keep the table from coming off the dove tail. Of course, if you measure travel without it, you'll think you need a longer scale, which would lead to the confusion you mentioned in your email.
2nd issue: We recommend the 450 scale for the Z axis. The travel is much less than this scale will travel. But due to how it mounts, it's better to go with the 450.
We used to have an X3 kit, but we don't anymore. I'm attaching pictures of what it looked like. All brackets were made / modified from the 3 axis kit brackets.
If I were you, I would study the pics I send you, plus the two X3 install pics we have on our website. Between the 3 sets of pics, I'll bet you could do an install even better than any of us came up with!