Vice/rotary table question

[PeeweeParticipant @peewee]

Hi All,

 

I have just bought a new mill (Warco WM14) however a have a question around a vice/rotary table.  Whilst i appreciate good quality tools a also don’t like to over pay for what is a hobby.

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Could anyone recommend from experience what are the best milling and rotary tables that are a reasonable price.  I am concerned some are just too cheap and others seem too high.

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Thank you all

Ian

Edited By Peewee on 21/10/2010 08:11:36

[PeeweeParticipant @peewee]

[BogstandardParticipant @bogstandard]

I have been using Vertex  vices, rotab and dividing head for way too many years, and they are just as good now as the day I bought them. A little more expensive than the others, which are made to basically the same pattern, but I think Vertex have a better quality control on them.

 

But that is just my opinion.

 

Bogs

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

I agree entirely with Bogs, but if you are limited in resources or willingness to spend, you have chosen Warco for a new mill, why not buy the rest from them as well?

[mickParticipant @mick65121]

Axminster do a really good machine vice with a swivel base.   The jaws can be reversed to take larger pieces of plate, as I recall it was around the £70 mark, but well worth the money.    I bought a 6” rotary table from the same outlet, which is sturdy and as accurate as you’ll ever need.  

[Steve GarnettParticipant @stevegarnett62550]

We use a 6″ Vertax rotab, and it’s simply behaved exactly as expected – it just works. It’s repeatable and reliable, and the only thing I’ve had to do with it is to mount it permanently on a piece of gauge plate to get the handle away from our rather deep mill bed. This would not affect the vast majority of users at all.

 

I’m not saying that this rules out every cheaper option, but there’s generally a lot of truth in the saying ‘Buy cheap, buy twice” (or three times, as SWMBO discovered with digital cameras…)

 

As far as cheap vices are concerned, I’d rather find an alternative way of mounting the work than use one of those – they are generally more trouble than they’re worth. Once you get used to looking at alternative mounting methods, you’ll find that you generally want to use the vice as a last resort anyway; referencing material directly to the bed has a huge number of advantages.

Edited By Steve Garnett on 21/10/2010 09:37:14

[RICHARD GREEN 2Participant @richardgreen2]

         I agree,  I’ve had a 6″ Vertex rotary table for 24 years and it’s as good now as it was then,

As for machine vices I’ve had a Soba 4″ for a couple of years now and am very pleased with it,  good quality, no problems at all.

I’ve also had for years a 6″ Chinese machine vice, decent quality , no problens at all,

 

I think the answer is ,  deal direct with a decent company, and  see what you are buying before you buy it.

 

Like the man says, ” Buy cheap buy twice”

 

I also say  ” Buy cheap buy rubbish”  you’ll regret it,

 

I know this is a hobby,   but there is great pleasure to be gained from using good quality tools and machines,

 

Buy the best you can afford.

 

                                                                Richard.

Edited By RICHARD GREEN 2 on 21/10/2010 09:56:48

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, I to have a 6″ Vertex rotary table, which I bought secound hand from an acquaintance who needed a bit of cash, it was almost new and little used. However cheaper gear does not mean “cheap”, you have to wiegh up the cost aganst usage. I believe that likes of Warco, Chester, Arc Euro Trade, Axminster ect. ect. all have good quality goods without the brand name price tags. When you do buy a rotary table, however, I would suggest getting one that you can use the optional dividing plates on, even if you can’t afford them at the same time. They are a very usefull addition.

 

Regards Nick.

[Martin WParticipant @martinw]

Ian

 

I too have a WM14 mill which seems to work well. I have bought a 100mm Vertex Rotary Table ( Chester UK supplied this via Ebay) and a Soba 75mm Swivelling Vice (jaws are stated to be ground to 30 microns of parallelism, see Warco Item 8900).

 

The vice can be separated from it’s base and directly clamped to the mill table in order to reduce it’s overall height if so required. The rotary table has an MT2 taper which can be useful and I am intending to mount a 100mm 3 Jaw Self Centering Front Mount Chuck to the table. I know the purists will say it should be a 4 Jaw Independent but what the hell I want an easy life to start with .

 

The above items fit comfortably on the mill table and I chose them after going to a Warco open day and trying bits out for size on their demo WM14 mill.

 

As Richard so rightly says buy the best you can afford from an established reputable company. Usual exception clauses apply to my involvement with any companies mentioned

 

Hope this helps

 

Have fun

 

Martin

 

p.s.

 

I think it was Bogs that said it not the cost of the machines but the tooling cost that hurts the wallet

[PeeweeParticipant @peewee]

Hi,

I would like to thank you all for your responces, they have been very informative.  I dont mind spending good money on good quality and it looks like I have a good direction to head off in.

 

Martin, i think you are correct in your quote to Bogs on another forum, but then if you only buy as you require then the cost can creep up on you slowly.  Here i have to assume SWIMBO will always know the total cost

 

Ian

[Axel BentellParticipant @axelbentell]

I too had a Vertex rotary table and it was very nice! I´d like to remind that the buyer should consider what he will do with the accesory! Many can do fine with a simple direct hand feed job like the Geo. H. Thomas design, as can be made at home, from Hemingway plans, its all from bar stock I belive!

[Martin WParticipant @martinw]

Ian

 

I also have the indoors accountant, aka SWMBO, that misses little on the financial front and me being an ‘old scrote’ on a pension she has the last word. My protestations that a good vice is for life while fancy shoes are for a season sometimes falls on deaf ears !! That said it doesn’t happen often and as you say gently gently builds the tool stock without disturbing the ‘Wallet Moth Colony’ too much .

 

 

Good luck

 

 

Martin

[BogstandardParticipant @bogstandard]

Martin.

 

I know the purists will say it should be a 4 Jaw Independent but what the hell I want an easy life to start with

 

Why?

 

To me, fitting an independent chuck to an RT is just as bad as wearing a barbed wire thong. Why put yourself thru so much pain for the sake of a couple of thou.

 

Setting up the 4 jaw on a lathe is bad enough, even worse on an RT.

 

You be your own boss and have what you like on there, the purists can self flagellate if they want to, there is no need to join the same religious sect as them.

 

Bogs

[Bill PudneyParticipant @billpudney37759]

“You be your own boss and have what you like on there, the purists can
self flagellate if they want to, there is no need to join the same
religious sect as them.”

 

Well said Bogs, spot on.  This hobby is about enjoying yourself and one thing that helps the enjoyment is decent quality tooling.  Not for the bling factor, but because it does what its manufacturers claim it will do.

 

cheers

Bill Pudney

[Author]

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