Most all my work is modifying or repairing existing parts that don’t get faced off and I’m always having to touch off the tool on the face or a feature of the part.  I’ve used all the methods including a USB microscope to set Z-zero but it’s a real pain to accurately do this on 15 or 20 parts in a row.  So, I decided to build this device.  It’s a Z-axis probe that’s semi permanently mounted to the back side of the carriage of my lathe.  It has a little opto sensor/board I got off ebay from Holland.  A spring loaded plunger with a flat dial indicator tip on it, some aluminum scraps & acetal bushing is all it needed to work very well.  It’s dead-nuts repeatable & accurate as I can measure with a tenths D.T.I.  I use the “Set Home Z” button on Tool 0 in the standard Mach3 Turn screenset.  I’m in the process now of setting up all of my tools’ Z-axis offsets in the tooltable.  Once that’s done, I should be able to home the Z to a feature of the part, slap on which ever tool is needed and cut away with confidence that it’ll come out on the money.







Here’s a pic of a typical setup

Would be nice if you had a tool tab as shown below and suggested for Mach4 lathe.

RICH

Looks great Rich but I guess I need some Special High Intensive Training.  I don't know the difference between "Clobal Shift" and "Global Sh!t."

Hey Hey..... at least you can read / spell ......I can only write!    CLOBAL

Graham was supposed to do a full write-up on it sometime for Mach4.

I think you will only find the "Global Shift" term used once in Smid's books and it is not defined.

Have a look at the Mach4 lathe manual for definition of G52 and you can also see page 14 of 21 Appendix "F" in the LazyTurn Manual
for a partial use of G52.

Other than that, it's a DAH     on my end also.

RICH