Adding a rotary table

[PT Doc]

I just mounted a Mitutoyo dial test indicator to the drill chuck and swept the MT hole to center it. Offsetting the RT to make the indicator ride close to the outside edge, then rotating the table gives less than .001 deviation full circle. Putting the RT on the granite and using a ht. gage all around gives .0005" variation. Using a Mitutoyo square the bottom and mounting end are as good as I can see. Putting a 6" parallel across the center of the table gives dead flat, 2 ways. For some reason I expected there to be a slight dish. The table is a little stiff turning with a slightly tighter spot. I haven't taken it apart to clean it yet. When the worm is moved tight to the gear there is no apparent slack. I had ordered the Vertex 3900-2328 from Amazon but got the HV-8 even though the packing slip said 3900-2328. You can't talk to anyone at Amazon. By the time I would have repacked and ordered the 3900 model from someone else, at a higher price and waited again, it didn't seem worth the hassle. For no more often than I'll probably use it, it's fine. There have been some operations, in the past, that were very time consuming and gave less than ideal results, that the RT would have been much better for.
PT Doc, what do you intend to be your main use of a RT?

Sounds like the quality of the vertex is quite good. For now I’ll be cutting a few aluminum discs. Don’t have a lathe so this should work well and be helpful.

 

[Firstgear]

I should have noted the Vertex 8" RT has 3 Tee slots. Great for face mounting a 3 jaw but less than ideal for strap clamping odd work. I think I will make a table plate with lots of taped holes for mounting work. By the time you use the Tee slots and strap clamps you can't mount very big work.

How thick will your table plate be and what material?

 

[PT Doc]

A round mini pallet design for the clamping surface would be versatile. Could be tapped in different threads for added versatility.

 

[Larry42]

I haven't made the pallet yet but figured I would just make it in 3/4" Aluminum. Thick enough to mount it with socket head screws and not so thin that I'd always be having trouble bottoming out the clamp screws. I was thinking 1/4" clamp screws would be heavy enough. Your idea of varied thread sizes seems good. I don't want to put a lot of holes in it initially because there will be times when I'll just want to bolt through existing holes in the work. If I survive long enough it may end up looking like Swiss cheese. I'll make the pallet larger than the RT top, 12"? So far my limited experience tells me 8" diameter is really limiting when used with strap clamps.
I'm going to move my vice off center so I can leave the RT mounted most of the time. I've got a 2nd smaller vice that I tend to leave mounted so I can hold long floppy parts between the main vice & the cheapy vice. The cheapy vice has a rotary base which is sometimes nice.

 

[PT Doc]

I haven't made the pallet yet but figured I would just make it in 3/4" Aluminum. Thick enough to mount it with socket head screws and not so thin that I'd always be having trouble bottoming out the clamp screws. I was thinking 1/4" clamp screws would be heavy enough. Your idea of varied thread sizes seems good. I don't want to put a lot of holes in it initially because there will be times when I'll just want to bolt through existing holes in the work. If I survive long enough it may end up looking like Swiss cheese. I'll make the pallet larger than the RT top, 12"? So far my limited experience tells me 8" diameter is really limiting when used with strap clamps.
I'm going to move my vice off center so I can leave the RT mounted most of the time. I've got a 2nd smaller vice that I tend to leave mounted so I can hold long floppy parts between the main vice & the cheapy vice. The cheapy vice has a rotary base which is sometimes nice.

Sound like a solid plan.