DRO on HF 8x12, Caliper and Magnets?

[sanddrag]

I'd like to get DRO on the long axis of my new HF 8x12 because the carraige handwheel only has .020 graduations. I was thinking I could get a 12" digital caliper from HF and use that. I know the screen doesn't refresh very fast but for $35 I could live with that. (or, does anyone know where to get a 12" dial caliper cheap?). Anyway, I've been trying to figure out how to mount it. I don't see any screws/holes already that I can use and I don't know if I can drill and tap in somewhere. I don't mind doing some bracketry, but I'd like to avoid drilling into the machine. I thought of mounting the readout on the scale to the place right above the carraige handwheel and then mounting the 0 end of the scale to a standoff coming off of the lower right of the nameplate where thereis already a threaded hole (currently with a screw). Mounting the readout seems like it is going to be tricky. I tried a strong harddrive magnet which seems to work. It doesn't look like it is slipping, but I have no way of really knowing until I try it. How does a magnet sound to you? Has anyone else ever done a DRO on a HF 8x12 or LatheMaster 8x14? Pictures?

Thanks so much.

[lakeside]

I've Installed Dro On Both Mills And Lathe Drilling Into The Machine Is Ok If There Are No Intrefence From Any Part Or Piece Of Machine (one Time We Almost Drilled Into The Coolant Channel On A Mill) As Far As A Magnet I Don't Think You Could Maintan Postion Of Slide A Dro Over 14" Trvel Will Need To Be With In .005 End To End For The Reader Head To Be Right That What Is Ment By The Co-sine Error

[swarfmacdaddy]

Tear the magnets out of an old hard drive. You wont belive how strong they are. I put some on my mill head for keeping wrenches,etc handy. Be careful playing with them as i was messing with them and got them too close together and wound up with a big blood blister on my finger. If you let them get to close together,they will shatter on contact.

[swarfmacdaddy]

sanddrag,
sorry didnt read your post slow enough. You already suggested hard drive magnets. I put a h.f. caliper on my mill with magnets and it worked great.Only problem was my neck hurt from stooping to read it. Old eyes dont help much either.

[sanddrag]

Cool. So magnets really work. That's awesome. Do you have any pictures? Did you put any little bit of adhesive or anything just to be safe? The surface where I tried it out was oily and I didn't notice it move at all, but if I tugged on the actual readout portion it would. I actually do have a place to drill and tap a hole if I absolutely need to.

Now I just have to figure out exactly how I'm going to mount the other end. Maybe a standoff would be a good first project to make on the lathe!

Also, after I use the 8x12 lathe for a little while, I plan to do a review and maybe a web page devoted to it. So far, I think it is a top quality machine at a great price and for some odd reason it is not nearly as popular as it should be.

Sorry for getting slightly off topic, but now that the DRO is settled, anybody have ideas for a cheap but sturdy stand? I think the thing is about 200 lbs and 36" long total.

[Runner4404spd]

if you build the shumatec DRO you can use that with all the digital calipers that have an output. thats what i did for my mill and it works great. i also got some carbide endmills and drilled holes into the caliper to use screws.