How does this rotary table bolt down?

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

If you don't want to make a sub base for the table, (probably mean drilling and tapping the base and using countersunk screws ) with holes to match the T slots on the table of the Mill.

Is there enough "meat" opposite the flat base to drill a hole, say 8 or 10 mm dia?

If so, you could clamp the table in the horizontal position, using a finger clamp in the slot, and a"special" finger clamp with a spigot to fit into the drilling. Shorten an ordinary finger clamp, and then drill (and tap ) the shortened end for a dowel or stud..

That would give two clamps, diametrically opposed.

Presumably, the flange is drilled to allow it to be bolted down when in the vertical position?

Howard

[Phil H1Participant @philh196021]

Yep chaps, quite nasty isn't it?

Yes Clive, I think the best plan is to use some steel plate held on with cap screws when the table is flat on the milling table. I think I will probably be able to drill into metal that I can see is safe.

The next snag is how to fix the chuck properly (3 or 4 jaw). I don't want to buy new chucks and the ones I have are Myford with a thread. I have a Morse taper socket with a Myford thread that can be clamped to the spindle of the rotary table quite safely but with the rotary table flat and when using up cut milling, the cutter always looks like it is trying to unscrew the chuck from the socket. It hasn't happened yet but you can bet it will when I have an expensive component in the chuck.

Phil H

[Phil H1Participant @philh196021]

Howard, no the flange isn't drilled or slotted. I think this view might help?

I think I can see where you are coming from with the table is used in the position in this picture (finger clamps).

One advantage of this table is its low profile which is handy for the small mill that I have but like most products that I have ever bought these days, a bit of extra effort and tinkering is required to make them useable.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Phil, that flange looks just ripe for a couple of holes, or slots, to match the pitch of the Tee slots on the Mill table.

I had to extend the slots on my HV6 and use smaller studs that I thought (M8 instead of M10 ) for clamping. But a M8 stud and nut are quite capable of exerting enough force to crack a table, so hand pressure on an ordinary spanner will provide sufficient clamping.

I Asuming that your table has a 2 MT bore, you can hold a 3 or 4 jaw chuck on it with one of the 2MT Myford arbors thatv are available.

Mine is tapped M6 and is supplied with a top hat washer to allow the arbor to be tightened into the taper.

Breaking the taper is simple, with the table face vertical. Slacken the capscrew and tap itn with a mallet usually suffices.

With the table horizontal, you can't access the screw, so don't use it, just tap the arbor home firmly. But removing it, without taking the RT off the mill table requires a puller of the crude sort that I mentioned in MEW a while ago. It was just a bit of angle iron with a suitable sized slot and two M8 nuts welded on, and the setscrews drilled for brass pads, to prevent damage to the table.

AS you say, the direction of cut has to be such that the chuck tightens onto the arbor, not the other way round. Sometimes this means drilling a hole so that the end mill or slop drill has a starting point with in the metal.

HTH

Howard

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

You said, earlier, that it was ‘CHEAP’.

Now you know of one reason why it was cheap, although a little imagination and machine-work the problem can be overcome. There may be more, of course. I somehow think it was likely cheap for a variety of shortcomings.

That is why I try to source expensive new items from reliable suppliers.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

As always, "Buy cheap, Buy twice" tends to ring true.

Howard

[Phil H1Participant @philh196021]

Not done it yet/ Howard.

Cheap and worth it? I have used the table a good few times in a number of different orientations and it appears to be very good. The worm and wheel appears to be very positive and smooth with very little backlash. It also seems to be quite accurate for dividing etc. And as I said, it is a nice low profile table – ideal for a small milling machine. My only snag (at the moment) is holding the stupid thing down properly but sacrificing a bit of 10mm steel plate that I already have and a few cap screws is probably the way to go.

Howard;

No, unfortunately the flange is not ripe for slotting or drilling to match my table. It might look ripe from the pictures but it isn't. I can imagine one slot in the middle but that would need a slim nut – probably without a washer.

If you think about it for a few minutes – with the rotary table spindle pointing upwards (parallel with the mill spindle), up cut milling the edge of a work piece like the ends of a connecting rod will always tend to unscrew a Myford style chuck.

I have a Myford, MT2 adaptor and It isn't too difficult to clamp it into the rotary table spindle – similar to your description. It is the cutter movement which tends to unscrew the chuck from the adaptor that I am concerned about.

Phil H

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

will always tend to unscrew a Myford style chuck.

Yes, just one more shortcoming!🙂

in a number of different orientations

Please explain. I only use mine in one of two orientations horizontal or vertical (I would class it as horizontal if fixed to my tilting vise or on an angle plate).

[Phil H1Participant @philh196021]

Not done it yet;

A Myford style chuck isn't really a shortcoming? It means that I can easily transfer from my Myford lathe using the same chucks to the rotary table. I just need somebody helpful who might have a handy, quick tip to stop it unscrewing when milling.

Howard and others have had a go at helping and helpful comments are always appreciated by me. Helpful tips make the site worth reading.

Phil H

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

The only way to be certain that the chuck will not unscrew is to arrange things so that the cutting forces tighten it, whilst avoiding climb milling. Some will dispute that, but still a good maxim, in MY view.

Hence my comment about the possibility of having to drill a hole in the middle of the work and start milling from there, to get the required cutter / work feed direction.

Howard

[Phil H1Participant @philh196021]

Howard,

I might have misunderstood your description so I did a couple of sketches.

This is the arrangement I have. Figure 1 is quite a common cutting direction with a part like a connecting rod end. No matter how you drill holes or arrange the part, this will always tend to unscrew the chuck if you use up cut milling.

You could avoid the chuck and bolt the part directly to the table of course or held on a spigot in the spindle of the rotary table.

Figure 2 avoids the unscrewing action when milling say the inside of a flywheel – but that isn't very common and again you could of course bolt the part directly to the table anyway.

[Jon LawesParticipant @jonlawes51698]

I've bought a cheap rotary table as I primarily want it for making my bolt spacings neater on cylinder end caps etc. But my first thought was, if it does need refining and improving I appear to already have a mill and a lathe….

[Phil H1Participant @philh196021]

Jon, I agree and I just need to get out and do the refinements to my 'cheap' rotary table. I even need a tailstock for it too.

I prefer to make things than tinker with workshop equipment but I do have a purge every so often and make things like rear tool posts and digital displays etc.

Am I being drawn over to the dark side? Ill end up ordering Model Engineers Workshop magazine at this rate.

Phil H

[John PParticipant @johnp77052]

Hi

My Myford chuck is mounted in a similar way on a screwed
fitting on the rotary table ,to prevent it unscrewing during milling
operations you only need a long enough tee nut a piece of
studding and a hose clip or three fixed together as in the photo.
The tee nut will slide in and out to suit the diameter of the chuck,
the assembly is biased towards the undo direction as the
hose clip is tightened.You can mill in any direction you wish to.

John

[Phil H1Participant @philh196021]

John,

Now that's what I call helpful. I really love simple solutions like that. My table is quite small so I might need an offset T net and or pin to clear the chucks that I have.

I was actually considering a drilled hole in the chuck backplate to engage with a similar pin but your idea is better.

Thanks,

Phil H

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

John

A wonderful example of effective simplicity.

Phil

If your chuck is too large to let the stabilising pin drop into the Tee slot maybe the extra work involved in stealing the concept of a more engineered version that I encountered on a piece of lab kit will be worth while.

That device had a split clamp type carrier that did the equivalent of gripping your chuck backplate having a drilled lug and locking screw more or less opposite the split to hold the location pin. The pin itself was L shaped so it could pass underneath and of D section where the locking screw impinged. As the screw locked up on the flat the pin couldn't be turned by pressure on the bent end so all was stable.

Clive

[Phil H1Participant @philh196021]

Clive,

Thanks, Ill have a look again to see how similar the backplates are. I have two 4 jaw chucks and a 3 jaw.

Phil H

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