rotary tables

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rotary tables

This topic has 9 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 1 January 2011 at 14:10 by John Haine.

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29 December 2010 at 23:38 #61417
steve nunn 1
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@stevenunn1
Hiya,

Im after a bit of advice. Ive got a Junior Omnimill and im in the market for a rotary table.

The question ive got is, what size?

Im pretty sure an 8″ rt would fit on the mill without any problems. But should i be going for the biggest i can fit/ afford. Or should i be going for a 6″.

Predominantly it is used for making jigs ect for a fly press and other tooling (I mess about with blacksmithing), but would like to delve more into model engineering and dont want get a table that turns out to be too big (if thats possible)

Steve
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29 December 2010 at 23:38 #16604
steve nunn 1
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@stevenunn1
30 December 2010 at 00:02 #61419
Gray62
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@gray62
Biggest is not always best. Choose a RT that suits your purposes / requirements.

I have a 6″ RT which suits the majority of my needs and occasionally it gets mounted on a purpose made raising block where clearance is insufficient. I also have a 12″ RT which gets very occasional use, partly due to its immense weight although it is extremely accurate and an absolute pleasure to use. Both RT’s have dividing plates which greatly extends their usefulness, that said, they are both destined to have a conversion to stepper motor control using the divisionmaster kit supplied by MEDW.
30 December 2010 at 02:58 #61424
John Olsen
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@johnolsen79199
I went for an 8 inch one, against the advice of several people, however my mill is one of the larger style of mill drill, next size up would be the turret style, so the large table does not take up too much of the throat space. Also I have a very small (Unimat sized) dividing attachment that comes in very handy for small dividing jobs, like putting some holes around a flange. It is my experience that workshop equipment is very rarely too big, but of course a rotary table does want to be proportioned to the machine it is to be used with.

regards

John
31 December 2010 at 10:34 #61510
Baldric
Participant
@baldric
If you are getting a rotary table that can be used vertically then remember that it means that the item being machined is 3″ or 4″ of the table, just make sure the mill has enough vertical travel to allow for this.
31 December 2010 at 11:48 #61517
RJKflyer
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@rjkflyer
One thought I’d encourage you to consider is whether you will use the RT with a lathe chuck mounted – this adds considerable height and can be the deal breaker…
31 December 2010 at 20:17 #61559
Jon
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@jon
To give you some idea i have a Vertex 8″ with 5 1/4″ TOS 3 jaw chuck, this is over 7″ to top of jaws.

Will go on the RF25 types but last 6 1/2 years on the super lux type.

Would have to shop around to get an 8″ for just over £200 then theres the dividing plates £65 ish. My chucks directly screwed to the RT no backing plate. Since its the 4 slot, there are 6 slot types making it easier to mount chucks.

MT3 through centre but wont retain concentricity if used.

Something basic http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL15/728921/1252422/14584660.jpg

Considering a 6″ with stepper motor etc these can be had at much cheaper price.
1 January 2011 at 06:32 #61582
steve nunn 1
Participant
@stevenunn1
Thanks for all the advice so far. Yes, i think the RT will definitely be used with a chuck, but the vertical travel on the table shoudnt be a problem, its a pretty big mill really – or i think it is.

A bit more info, the table is 27X8″, the table travels 18X7″ (approx), with 12″ vertical travel on the table (although it looks more, Ill measure it later to make sure its right).

Im sure an 8″ RT would fit ok, even with an angle plate attached to the RT. BUt it is pushing the mill (dimensionally) to the limit i guess.

I think Ive settled on getting a 6″ RT, unless the general consensus is that Ill regret not getting the 8″ when the mill will probably handle it.

Thansk once a again for all your input, its very much appreciated to get the advice off people who use this type of equipment..

Steve
1 January 2011 at 12:22 #61595
Ian S C
Participant
@iansc
My Rexon mill has a maximum clearance of 11″ from chuck to bed, and with a 8″ chuck from my lathe on the 6″ Verttex, there’s not a lot of room. I’v collected a fair number of short drills. A larger diameter plate can be put on the 6″ table to cater for larger artical being machined. Ian S C
1 January 2011 at 14:10 #61598
John Haine
Participant
@johnhaine32865
I would agree that 6 inch is generally fine. I would suggest that you get one with 4 slots rather than 3 – then a 4-jaw chuck can be mounted very easily without a backplate. 4-jaw chucks bolted to the mill table are a little known but very useful workholding method for smaller parts, as they can clamp against 2 orthogonal surfaces both of which are perpendicular to the table. Putting the chuck on an RT gives a further improvement in versatility.
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