If those 2 small holes are threaded then they might be for attaching tenons to align the table with the milling machine tee slots, if that should be required.

Can't say on the bolting down method though, unless its clamped from the side

Not clear from that photo is it!

With the chuck upright, the bottom slot is notched to take a T-Nut:

And on the other side, the 'ear' takes another:

The two big holes unused in the first photo are for T-Nuts & bolts when the table is mounted chuck-sideways.

Note the mounting slots and holes in the rotary table have to align with and be sized to suit the T-slots in the machine table. Pictures are of a 6" Vertex clone on a WM18 milling machine.

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 06/12/2020 13:16:00

I'd knock up a small toe clamp to fix that down. Saves messing about trying to find just the right length bolt and fiddling with a thin nut in the slot.

What a pain. Can you post a photo of your table from the same angle as my first. As the design is similar to mine, it might be possible to file it out to take a nut & bolt.

Once in a Blue Moon I clamp the rear slot to resist toppling pressure but it's rarely necessary – most jobs aren't that heavy and the tail-stock is better if there's room for it.

Dave

With the surface of the table in the vertical position, it is secured to the table using the two slots visible in S O D's picture showing the bolt in the slot for clamping with the table in horizontal mode.

So there should be no need for external clamping; which occupies space which, one day, will be needed.

Because of the pitch of the T slots on the table of my Mill/Drill, I had to extend the slots, on my Vertex HV6, to enable two M8 bolts to be used for clamping.. This meant clamping the Rotary Table to an angle plate, and setting the surface level, to allow milling to take place.

Howard

Dumb question, but is there a reason for the supporting block being the wrong way round?

Andrew

As Pete Rimmer, I made a couple of toe clamps like this:

Two clamps hold the RT down just fine.

Jim

Yup…

Dave

Dave,

Yes I'll take some later and post them provided nobody feels I'm stealing the thread. Mine is quite a challenge.

Phil H

I do like those toe clamps.

I have a large turntable, (missing its worm gear, which is why I have it), that has two featureless pads sticking out the side. I think its simply a clamp-down job. It does seem bizarre. It won't be out for a while, far too much to do.

I see the problem now. Not like the usual Vertex style table is it! It can only be clamped, and not easily. Hard to see what the designer was thinking.

Toe clamps seem the only option unless suitable holes can be drilled through the web. But I bet they won't match your table slots.

I'm stumped.

Dave

Phil

In your position I'd fix the table to a small baseplate with overhangs for clamps or lugs / holes for bolts / studs suitably positioned to match the slots on your mill table. Alloy plate, around 1/4" or 3/8" thick held on by 5 or 6 mm c/s socket head screws in tapped holes will be fine for a base plate. You will have to strip the rotary table to find sensible homes for the tapped holes but that shouldn't be too difficult and will give you the opportunity to verify the condition of the internals and state of lubrication.

If you choose to copy the excellent toe clamps supplied by Arc and shown in Jasons picture do be aware that this style of clamp has a rather nasty inherent gotcha that can mark or even damage your mill table if appropriate precautions aren't taken.

The nature of the clamping action means that they have to pivot about the opposite end from the holding down toe. Which produces very high forces on a small area at the end. Not good for nice tables. I've not seen a mill table with significant damage beyond cosmetics from this but I have seen the top of a optical table dinged. Not a good thing to do to £20,000 worth of Ealings finest!

Simplest answer is a piece of packing under the tail but that upsets the geometry a little and the shop gremlins tend to hide the just the right size piece. I prefer to make them flexure style with a short, thicker part at the end to sit on the table with the rest thinned down by 50 + thou / 1.5 mm or so allowing it to bend and apply force to the toe. If you make it right size it doesn't have to flex much for a very decent grip. Fancy folk use a part cylindrical section washer under the bolt for cleaner flex, which is going a bit far.

I generally use light alloy for clamps, tee nuts and other table contacting accessories. Any swaf that gets underfoot tends to be pushed into the alloy rather than damage the table. Alloy is plenty strong enough for Tee nuts, if you strip one you are overdoing things, and no one has yet figured out a way to completely clear all swarf from the table slots so steel ones will eventually mess the underneaths up.

Clive