[ricklucch]

What's the most common method used for setting tool length offsets on a mill with a Fanuc Oi-MD control? I am used to having the length as the tip of tool to gage line on holder.

[txdrillmillturn]

I'm assuming your machine doesn't have a tool setter.
Set your tools off a surface that will never change. Ex. Back of vise, off top of 2-4-6 block on work table.
And use a test indicator to find the difference from that surface and your Z work surface.
Put the difference in Z work offset.

[Riddersholm]

I use this Zero Setter 2397 Series | Cutwel Metrology

I take my Haimer 3D zeroing tool and go down on it and set it as 0 in offset. Then i take the other tools and the difference in height from my Haimer i put in the offset that tool shall have. I think this is the easiest way

[ricklucch]

I'm assuming your machine doesn't have a tool setter.
Set your tools off a surface that will never change. Ex. Back of vise, off top of 2-4-6 block on work table.
And use a test indicator to find the difference from that surface and your Z work surface.
Put the difference in Z work offset.

Thanks so much for responding! I have been spoiled over the years with the Mazak tool setter built into the machine. I want to "teach" the Fanuc control in a similar fashion, to get the tool length from "cutting tip to gage length" on holder. My thought was to find a way to calculate the exact distance from the spindle face to the table. Then when I call up a tool to measure I can hand wheel down to the table, get that number and subtract the distance from the spindle face to table and perhaps that will be the tool tip to spindle face (tool length). Do you know if the Fanuc Oi-md control has a "Measure" or "Teach" function on the tool offset page that with calculate this?
Also, this, I think, would make the G54 the distance from the spindle face to the top of the part we will machine, correct?

[txdrillmillturn]

No I don't. Every vertical mill I ever ran never had a tool setter.
Our horizontal mills have tool setter and probe. The tool setter finds tool gage length from face of spindle to tip of tool. Then I use the probe to find Z work offset. Which calculates the distance of Z center of rotation to the face of work zero.
It was always much easier and quicker in a job shop to just set tools off a surface that will never change.
Then find z difference and put in z work offset.

For Fanuc Oi-MD controller if I remember correctly to set a tool length you must be in the tool offset page touch off tool press Z then input C.