Lathe DRO with CNC Thrust Collars

The 8200-CNC/8210-CNC comes with CNC thrust collars to allow you to use the DRO on a lathe with stepper motors installed. To install CNC stepper motor mounts on a Sherline machine, you must remove the handwheels. Sherline’s digital readout system measures handwheel rotation and translates it electronically into table movement rather than measuring table movement directly; therefore removing the special DRO handwheels eliminates the DRO function. Some CNC users prefer to have a DRO reading the leadscrew movement to crosscheck the CNC input to ensure that the axis has actually moved the amount of the stepper motor input.

Most full-size shop mills used by machinists are now available with a digital readout. They are also popular on lathes because they make your life as a machinist much easier. Readouts on the X- (crosslide) and Z-axes (leadscrew) can be reset to zero at any time with the push of a button. From there, as you move the 2″ diameter handwheels, you can read the table position to 3-1/2 decimal places (.0005″) on the digital readout (Metric versions read to .01mm). You no longer need to count handwheel revolutions or make difficult calculations when cranking in a negative number.

As long as we were designing the electronics package, we went the extra step to include an RPM readout, adding an additional function to the package. The sensors are easy to install and require no modification of your Sherline lathe.

If you use your lathe as a mill with the vertical milling column attachment, you can purchase a 3-axis DRO kit for the lathe (P/N 8210/8215). If you add a 2-axis DRO to your lathe now and later purchase a vertical milling column, you can purchase a kit to add the third DRO handwheel and sensor at that time (P/N 8240/8245). New lathes can be ordered with the DRO already installed. See the LATHES section for details.

Cost-conscious owners of both a lathe and a mill can save money by using a single electronic display box for both machines. The input cables from the lathe can be unplugged and the readout box transferred from the lathe to the mill and vice versa. Depending on which machine you already have fitted with a DRO, ask for the upgrade for the other machine that allows you to use your existing box. See P/N 8220/8225 if you already have a mill with a DRO. See P/N 8210/8215 if you already have a lathe with a DRO.

240 Volt versions available

For countries that use 220-240 volt electrical current, the 8200-240 or 8260-240 version should be ordered. It is somewhat more costly because the 240-volt transformer is more expensive for us to purchase.

NOTE: The DRO can be ordered on any new machine as a factory installed option. The digital readout handwheels replace the standard handwheels that would normally come with the machine. If you purchase a machine with factory installed DRO, the regular handwheels are not included. If you purchase the DRO as a separate option and install it yourself, you will have the stock handwheels left over.

USE WITH CNC: Though not designed to provide feedback to Sherline CNC machines as a closed-loop system, it can be adapted for use on the rear shaft of Sherline stepper motors for use as a separate readout. See using DRO with CNC page for instructions.