Author Topic: How do I select a rotary table?  (Read 8928 times)

Offline Jasonb

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Re: How do I select a rotary table?
« Reply #15 on: July 11, 2018, 08:20:51 AM »
The only reason to keep the Myford one is it mounts vertically = another option but never used.

Is this mainly because you have a selection of dividing heads and horizontal mills. For Zee who is on a budget one that mounts vertically will be far more versatile.

Offline Jo

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Re: How do I select a rotary table?
« Reply #16 on: July 11, 2018, 08:33:18 AM »
Is this mainly because you have a selection of dividing heads and horizontal mills. For Zee who is on a budget one that mounts vertically will be far more versatile.

I most often of all use an indexing head: Either the VDH  :Love: set up as an indexer or the 5C rapid indexer  :Love: which can be used both vertically and horizontally.

All of my Universal Mills are currently set up as verticals. Tgs is very quick to swop over to horizontal mode and has an excellent set of spindles for that work but so far have not needed to.  Cutting large diameter gears (or ploughing drum gear) on a rotary table is best done with a horizontal mill

Jo
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Online steamer

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Re: How do I select a rotary table?
« Reply #17 on: July 11, 2018, 12:17:53 PM »
This may be out of your price range but I would highly recommend the Sherline CNC rotary table. It’s short you can mount a tooling plate or a chuck and it will do dividing as well as angle cuts. Best of all it’s digital so you don’t have to bend down to look at the markings. The dividing feature will help you a lot if you ever decide to cut your own gears.

https://sherline.com/product/8700-cnc-4-rotary-table-indexer/

Tony


I also have one of these....it's a nice table, small, but nice.  Its worth what they're asking for it.

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Offline b.lindsey

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Re: How do I select a rotary table?
« Reply #18 on: July 11, 2018, 12:33:13 PM »
Another vote for the Sherline RT. Very well made and can be used vertically or horizontally. If I were doing it again, I would probably go for the CNC version but have been very happy with the manual version over many years.

Bill

Offline crueby

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Re: How do I select a rotary table?
« Reply #19 on: July 11, 2018, 01:45:55 PM »
Another vote for the Sherline RT. Very well made and can be used vertically or horizontally. If I were doing it again, I would probably go for the CNC version but have been very happy with the manual version over many years.

Bill
To use vertically needs the accessory stand, which works very nicely.

Offline zeeprogrammer

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Re: How do I select a rotary table?
« Reply #20 on: July 11, 2018, 02:14:43 PM »
I can't tell you all how much I appreciate all the information and help you've provided here.
I've learned a lot and feel I can make a sensible choice.

Hee  :-[ ...this has also pointed out a small embarrassment for me.

When I sold my mini-mill and mini-lathe, along with various accessories, I kept my rotary table.
It appears to be the 4" version of one that Jason mentioned. (Pic below.)

I hadn't used it in quite a while and when I went to pull it out, I discovered I still had the dividing plates (in their box) and a tailstock.
All I'm missing is a suitable chuck.

Very useful thread for understanding their use and advantages!

For the small parts I typically make, it sounds like what I have will do. And if a chuck is needed I suspect I can get it and a backing plate separately.

If the time comes to go larger then now I know what to look for.

BTW The 'tooling plate' ideas in the thread "Simple inexpensive tooling items you can't do without" is what kicked me down this road.

Thanks again!
Carl (aka Zee) Will sometimes respond to 'hey' but never 'hey you'.
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Offline crueby

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Re: How do I select a rotary table?
« Reply #21 on: July 11, 2018, 02:19:37 PM »
 :facepalm2:

Offline Jasonb

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Re: How do I select a rotary table?
« Reply #22 on: July 11, 2018, 02:22:20 PM »
Does look to be of the same design. Use that until you find a need for something larger.

The backing plates for those have a spigot on the back that locates in the recess in the table so easy to get the chuck lined up though you could turn your own.

4 Hole ER collet chucks are also available for use on the mill and R/T should you ever feel the need.

Offline zeeprogrammer

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Re: How do I select a rotary table?
« Reply #23 on: July 11, 2018, 03:03:11 PM »
:facepalm2:

Yes. My apologies. But well worth it. I learned a bunch and hopefully this helped others.  ;D
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Offline Ian S C

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Re: How do I select a rotary table?
« Reply #24 on: July 11, 2018, 03:07:10 PM »
Jo, I hope your not lifting that 10" Table without assistance, I find my 5" Vertex is hravy enough, and I have a hoist to move the 8" chucks for the lathe.
Ian S C

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Re: How do I select a rotary table?
« Reply #25 on: July 11, 2018, 03:16:37 PM »
:facepalm2:

Yes. My apologies. But well worth it. I learned a bunch and hopefully this helped others.  ;D

Yes, it has helped.  I am going to immediately launch a search for all those tools I've forgotten I have.  No telling what I might find. 
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Offline Jo

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Re: How do I select a rotary table?
« Reply #26 on: July 11, 2018, 03:25:26 PM »
Jo, I hope your not lifting that 10" Table without assistance, I find my 5" Vertex is hravy enough, and I have a hoist to move the 8" chucks for the lathe.
Ian S C

Thanks Ian, I use my roller skate to move it on and off the milling table: http://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php/topic,5892.0.html

I am also looking at adding a hoist above Big C as the big chucks are getting a bit much for me: I have the hoist and an arm, I just have to find a scaffold pole to mount it on  ;)

Jo
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Offline Jo

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Re: How do I select a rotary table?
« Reply #27 on: July 11, 2018, 05:05:44 PM »
As you now have spare money burning a hole in your pocket Zee can I recommend an indexing head  :naughty:

If you have 5C collets then the Far Eastern copies of the 5C Hardinge indexers http://www.shars.com/horizontal-and-vertical-precision-5c-collet-index-fixture  are very nice   :mischief:

Edit: Just found this one in Aussie... it seems too cheap  :noidea: https://www.ebay.com/itm/5C-Collet-Index-Fixture-/332711235408

Jo
« Last Edit: July 11, 2018, 05:08:55 PM by Jo »
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Offline zeeprogrammer

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Re: How do I select a rotary table?
« Reply #28 on: July 11, 2018, 05:40:10 PM »
As you now have spare money burning a hole in your pocket Zee can I recommend an indexing head

I have spare money?  :o
I'm newly retired.  :cartwheel: I'm on fixed income now.  :toilet_claw:

Are those indexing heads the same idea as a spindexer? (Attached pic is mine.)

Which brings me to some questions...

When I made the inlet manifold, I had intended to use the spindexer to hold the part. But I couldn't figure out how to rotate the part.
Today I took the thing apart and it turned out that I hadn't used it in so long that it was essentially locked in place. A bit of handling and lubricating got it to spin.

This led to a few questions (2nd pic)...

1) Is the large round plate (with all the holes) supposed to be able to rotate independently of the tube? It doesn't spin freely but seems errors could be introduced.
2) See that ring in front of the large plate and the hole along its rim? What is the ring's purpose?
3) There's another hole 180 degrees from it. Are they meant for some kind of pin spanner wrench? (I have none that fit and can't loosen the ring.)
4) When it comes to a pin spanner wrench...does it make sense to get an adjustable one?

Thanks.
Carl (aka Zee) Will sometimes respond to 'hey' but never 'hey you'.
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Offline Jo

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Re: How do I select a rotary table?
« Reply #29 on: July 11, 2018, 05:44:33 PM »
I thought being newly retired means you have lots of spare money and time :noidea:

Are those indexing heads the same idea as a spindexer? (Attached pic is mine.)

Spindexers make an easy thing more difficult which is why I sold mine to JasonB  :LittleDevil:

He should be able to guide you in how it works - I chose to keep the 5C indexer  ;)

Jo
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