3D printed DRO Kit for South Bend 9 A, B, C and 10K. 

This kit is meant for mounting specific linear scales to your lathe.


THIS KIT MOUNTS LINEAR SCALES TO BOTH THE X AND Z AXIS!! This kit comes with the hardware, 3D printed parts, linear scales, and DRO display. 


This kit is designed to be mostly bolt on with very minimal machining. You only need to drill and tap two small holes on your cross slide! This will keep your lathe as pristine as possible while modernizing its capabilities. 

Installing a DRO drastically improves the accuracy and decreases the time it takes to manufacture. No more calculating notches on a dial or movement on a dial indicator/calipers! It virtually eliminates backlash. 

The linear scales that this kit has been designed to fit measure to 0.0002" and with a large display, this makes accurate machining a breeze. 



With the full installation you will be to:

  • Zero at any location in both axis
  • Tool changes from a library (if you choose to set this up)
  • Define positive and negative direction for both axis
  • Setup radius or diameter measurements in the X-Axis
  • Measures to 0.0002" with accuracy of parts easily below 0.001" 
  • Decrease measurement time significantly 
  • Decrease manufacturing time significantly 



Significant time was spent researching, designing, testing, modifying, and finalizing to get to this point. I included several points of adjustability so you can dial in your linear scale alignment and get amazingly accurate results from an antique lathe. 


Check out the installation instructions to see how it works:

If the link above doesn't work, search "engineer3dwc" on YouTube. 


The bed length is determined by measuring the "V" ways on your lathe. The last slides in the ad shows what measure length scale is required. These are also included with the kit but if you choose to purchase your own scales this should be enough information to do so.


This kit will not work with the taper attachment or the follow rest at the same time. You need the two 5/16-18 holes in the side of your carriage to use this kit. See the last image in the ad for clarification. The mounting kit can be taken off but needs to be realigned each time. 

Please review this kit thoroughly before purchasing. This is a very involved kit that requires some machining and attention to detail. The alignment of the linear scales is critical to the accuracy of the measurements. This also requires that the user have a metric Allen set, drill or preferably a drill press, dial indicators with a magnetic mount, and a general understanding of machining. The full installation video can be found above. 


The original kit has been in use for over a year and has shown that it can handle the chips and fluids involved with regular lathe operations. The metals and plastics were chosen to perform well in this environment. 

Please reach out with any questions before buying or during installation. I will do my best to answer them in a timely manner.