What Is This Thing And What Am I Missing?

Matt in TN

Registered
Registered
Joined
Nov 2, 2014
Messages
35
I bought a mill and lathe and whole bunch of tooling from the widow of my good friend recently. I sincerely wish I could ask him about this, but although I talk to him all the time he's not answering much any more.

I want to call this thing a rotary table, but from my google searches the rotary table is actually quite a different thing. It appears that both ends of this device are made to work together how I have it set up on the mill, but when I went to put it all together the right hand end is actually slightly lower than the left hand end, so I'm going to need to shim the right hand end up about 0.200" or so to level the work. But this has me thinking that maybe I misunderstood, and the two ends are designed to be used independently.

Any idea what this is called and how it's meant to be used? Both ends use 5C collets to hold the work. The right end has a lever that lets you quickly tighten and loosen the collet, and the left end has a vernier dial marked with degrees and a handle to both tighten the collet and to rotate the work.

IMG_1714_zpsy8kmms1z.jpg
IMG_1715_zpsqxyi9tt2.jpg
IMG_1717_zps82wdkjtq.jpg
 
It's called a spin indexer. It allows you to index a circle in 1 deg. increments.
 
As RJ said, the one on the left is a Spin Indexer. The one on the right is a collet fixture to hold round stuff. I don't think it indexs. They are independent fixtures and are not designed to use as you show them, hence the different heights.
 
Yeap, a spin indexer on the left and a 5C collet fixture on the right.
Pierre
 
Yep what every one has said. Two differnt tools.
 
That makes much more sense - thanks everyone for the quick replies!
 
You could use the rig for milling octagonal pistol barrels,for instance. You could shim the heads to different heights to make the barrels tapered. Any number of uses could be imagined.
 
As RJ said, the one on the left is a Spin Indexer. The one on the right is a collet fixture to hold round stuff. I don't think it indexs. They are independent fixtures and are not designed to use as you show them, hence the different heights.
Also note that the collet fixture can be mounted on end.
 
It looked to me as if the collet fixture were being used like a tailstock is used with a rotary table to provide support for long workpieces.
 
"What I am missing"
Catalog with pictures .
has been very helpful to me
How to books basic machining operations
 
Back
Top