Thanks for all the comments guys, really appreciate the feedback. I'll do something interesting for the milling machine setup (DTI's etc, my DRO is homemade though...) and tricks I use there aswell!
Marking the stock with the jaw number before removing is a great tip. It's so simple, and yet it just never occurs to so many ppl (myself included). Thanks!
I showed a machinist this trick that was clocking up a part multiple times after checking fitment to something too large to move to the lathe. He initially didn't believe me, now he does it as a habit... Thanks for the comment!
Yes. They’re good tips. It’s amazing, but in my old machine tool books going back to the later 19th century, 130 years ago, lots of tips like these are written about. While I would never say that a cDRO is the only way to do things, after the first 50 years of my doing this I didn’t use a DRO. But, it’s certainly easier, faster and subject to a LOT less error. People may not believe it, but “back in the day” there were a lot more scrapped parts from errors in machining that DROs eliminate almost totally. You’d be surprised how easy it is to forget how many winds on the dial you’ve made.
Touching the tool method.... I electrically isolate the tool and connect it to a vom with a buzzer. Buzzer goes of when micronically close but NOT TOUCHING. Micronically close varies with humidity though.😮 There are tables for that. Use a humidistat if you need.
