What rotary table to get

Do not expect a vertical/horizontal table to sit upright PERFECTLY square. I haven't seen one yet that is machined square. They are always a little off if you check them with a high grade precision square. You can put some pieces of shim stock under them to make them more square. Aluminum foil is usually .002" thick,but check yours to be sure.

you need your own little "Bureau of Standards" in your shop: A high quality square that has been verified square; a truly straight edge; a good granite space plate; if possible,a camel back type straight edge about 1 1/2" wide; and a precision level,at least as good as a Starrett "mechanic's" level(the tubular ones with cast iron base.) With these things,you can verify the setups you have,and level your machines.
 
Great white hunter said:
If I were you I would get a verticle/horizontal rotary table. That way you wont have to buy a dividing head next and you can do many more things with it.
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The RT he is looking into is all three. Vertical, Horizontal RT and Dividing head with Tailstock.

"Billy G"
 
Ray C said:
It's been "out of stock" for a long time -well over 6 months. These kinds of delays are very typical for items manufactured in China. It is a good price and a pretty decent table. "wttools.com" is an under-rated supplier. They don't do on-site quality inspections but, I happen to know they purchase many of their industrial items from the higher tier factories in China. The are big enough to deal direct with the factories and they don't go through distributors. -Same is true of Shars.com...



Ray
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I looked at this when they were in stock, but they told me it would cost big to ship as it required truck freight. It wound up being cheaper to go grizzly and when I did it came on the ups truck. If you get free shipping to a nearby busybee even better. They all appear to be the same exact set and are the best bargain I have seen in a whole set up. Don't get me wrong, you can find some 4 & 5"ers Cheap! But now outfit them with the goodies, Ouch!! Happy machining whatever brand you buy.

- - - Updated - - -

I forgot to add that the Grizzly Bill and I have comes with a very nice book that has all the charts and walks you through set up and dividing. The good manuals are typical from Grizzly in my experience. I hear they are very good in customer service where others are not, also. I have yet to get junk that needed returning though.
 
george wilson said:
Do not expect a vertical/horizontal table to sit upright PERFECTLY square. I haven't seen one yet that is machined square. They are always a little off if you check them with a high grade precision square. You can put some pieces of shim stock under them to make them more square. Aluminum foil is usually .002" thick,but check yours to be sure.

you need your own little "Bureau of Standards" in your shop: A high quality square that has been verified square; a truly straight edge; a good granite space plate; if possible,a camel back type straight edge about 1 1/2" wide; and a precision level,at least as good as a Starrett "mechanic's" level(the tubular ones with cast iron base.) With these things,you can verify the setups you have,and level your machines.
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These are wise and appropriately cautionary words. What's missing from the above list are the instructions of how best to use these inspection tools.

Daryl
MN
 
shim stock is nice to have. I don't often square my table, and i should, though i don't know if i should trust my table to be flat or level :whistle:
 
Mine is square. It came from the factory this way. That square just came back from calibration yesterday. I still need to shim it .001 when vertical.

"Billy G"

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Bill,If your rotary table is truly square,hang on to it!! I just have not seen one yet that isn't a little bit out when checked with my vintage Starrett or Brown and Sharpe squares(I don't use new B&S. There's no telling where they were made.) Actually,I don't have new Starrett squares either. No one seems to make them like they used to. The trick is to find old ones that haven't been dropped or messed with.

I have granite master squares to check them against. They look like heavy duty book ends with steps in them. One is just a granite right triangle. At work,I ordered a granite square from Shars. It was surprisingly accurate when checked against my old USA made granite squares. But,when ordering anything Chinese,it is STRICTLY pot luck. Bear that in mind.

Bill,what do you need to shim .001" when vertical? The rotary table or the square? The term "When it is vertical" seems to imply the table.
 
george wilson said:
Bill,If your rotary table is truly square,hang on to it!! I just have not seen one yet that isn't a little bit out when checked with my vintage Starrett or Brown and Sharpe squares(I don't use new B&S. There's no telling where they were made.) Actually,I don't have new Starrett squares either. No one seems to make them like they used to. The trick is to find old ones that haven't been dropped or messed with.

I have granite master squares to check them against. They look like heavy duty book ends with steps in them. One is just a granite right triangle. At work,I ordered a granite square from Shars. It was surprisingly accurate when checked against my old USA made granite squares. But,when ordering anything Chinese,it is STRICTLY pot luck. Bear that in mind.

Bill,what do you need to shim .001" when vertical? The rotary table or the square? The term "When it is vertical" seems to imply the table.
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There is a small indent where I usually use the RT vertically. I fill that void with a piece of .001 brass to head off problems. It's really only needed when cutting gears. It's just a precaution.

"Billy G"
 
Bill Gruby said:
There is a small indent where I usually use the RT vertically. I fill that void with a piece of .001 brass to head off problems. It's really only needed when cutting gears. It's just a precaution.

"Billy G"
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Do you single point spur gears? I'm getting geared up to do so and am very keen on seeing how others set up to do so. I was thinking abt making a stub to mount a little 3 jaw to my table to hold a mandrel to hold a gear. That's a lot of holding.:)) I was also considering putting the mandrel on centers and dogging it to the rotary table. I think it would be within the scope of this thread to show your table in action if you had any pic's. If not I would be glad to start a thread on cutting spur gears. Thanks, Lee.
 
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