2 or 3 axis dro?

[njhussey]

I'd go 3 axis, I didn't when I bought my Warco Major GH and regret it, I've since fitted a seperate one to the Z axis but it's not as good as it's got a small unlit display....definately go on the quill if you're not CNCing it or the head if you are CNCing it...

[Neale]

I have a Warco VMC with a rise-and-fall knee, so the third axis is fixed to that. I don't use the Z axis anywhere near as much as X and Y, but for setting a cut depth for milling, that works for me. One of the factors that I would think about is whether or not there is a fine feed on the head that you can use to apply a cut. In general, you are probably not going to use the Z readout that much for drilling but will do for milling and that's where the head rather than quill movement would be used. I say that partly because the quill fit in the headstock on my machine is not that good and I prefer to keep it clamped for milling and use the knee (head in your case) to put on a cut.

[Web Goblin]

The quill does have a fine feed as well as power feed which is good but the crank feed for raising and lowering the head isn't very smooth or accurate at all so I would be using the fine feed to set depth for milling.

[Neale]

The quill does have a fine feed as well as power feed which is good but the crank feed for raising and lowering the head isn't very smooth or accurate at all so I would be using the fine feed to set depth for milling.

Sounds like Z axis on quill, then!