Big muttha! Rotary table

[Firstgear]

I bought a rotary table for my mill......I wanted to get one with a MT4 since that matches my lathe and I would have common tooling. I might have overdone this sucker as it is big and heavy. It is a 12” rotary table.....

I want to leave it mounted to the mill table along with my Kurt 6” vise. I have the vise near the center of the table and was going to put this over on the left side.....it is a big sucker according to data I found....160 lbs.... I hope it’s ok to have them both on there...I have the PM950 knee mill, so there’s a lot of length on the mill table although now I wished I had gotten the PM1054 knee mill

Thoughts or comments?

 

[cathead]

Nice! I see you got the HV one. I generally swap out the vise for the rotary table using a small chain fall hoist. You can
have both on the table but it makes the knee harder to crank and puts more load on the mill. I keep my 12 inch RT on
a stool and am able to swap out the vise in just a few minutes. Also, you can add dividing plates and use the RT vertically
for making gears and stuff. Another handy thing to have is a 4 jaw chuck. I picked up a 4 inch Shars 4 jaw and made a backing
plate to mount if concentrically to the rotary table. It seems big enough for what I normally do. I used to carry my 12 inch HV
from the mill to a bench and back to the mill table but I find the chain fall hoist is the way to go.

 

[benmychree]

I think you find all too many times that either the vise or the RT will be in the way of each other's jobs, especially if you buy the tailstock for the RT.
I use my dividing head and vise mostly, rarely the RT, which is horizontal only and 16", this on a #2 B&S universal mill. I had a RT with MT center hole, and found it un handy, I'd much prefer a RT such as I have (a Gorton) with a straight hole, much easier to make centering plugs.

 

[darkzero]

My back hurts just thinking about a big rotab! I have an 8" it's just about the biggest I would want to lift.

I don't think it's a good idea to leave something that heavy on one end of the table all the time. Overtime you may get table sag. Even when I leave just my 6" super spacer (85 lbs) on the table for a while, I make sure to move the table so it's over the base instead of hanging off to the side.

I remember the first time I used a RT. The shop instructor told me to just grab the RT over there to do the next op. Ok, sure no problem, it was a 12" Moore. Uh yeah, I walked back over to the instructor & told him I think I need some help. He was laughing.

 

[RJSakowski]

I have a 12" Enco horizontal/vertical RT more or less permanently mounted on my mill/drill. As I recall, mine was closer to 250 lbs.

One consideration with a permanent mount along side a machinist's vice is when the table is positioned so the RT overhangs the ways, there is a cantelevering effect which will lift the far side of the table to the extent the way clearance will allow. This causes the table to tilt slightly, decreasing the distance to the head and any tool.

I have my RT centered on the table and seldom, if ever, position the table so a cantilevered condition exists but it definitely limits my options. Most of my milling is done on my Tormach so it isn't an issue for me. If it were my only mill, I would devise a means for easily and effortlessly placing on and removing the RT from the mill. A pneumatic scissors stand comes to mind.

 

[Toolmaker51]

12" is a decent knee mill size; some use 16". . My smallest ro-tab is 12".
Problem with such tooling is not so much lifting it, but placing it on the table without causing some type of damage or burr. Dang things haven't handles! Buy or make a lifting rig, that attaches via 3 Tee slots. There is a commercial 'hanger', an arm for vises that bolts to side of knee mill, being hinged you just swing it over table lowered to height to receive it.
Without an apparatus, I'd advise removing fixture keys from base of rotary table; or any tooling you cannot lift and place without dragging keys over table.
The issue RJSakowski mentions, afflicts every machine tool where one moving surface overhangs another, known as Abbe' error. Also, [ figuring a couple hundred pounds] ie rotary table at end of a common knee mill table moved to extreme of travel can tip a machine. . .

 

[Firstgear]

HF has a hydraulic table lift...will lift 500lbs, $169....get it with 20% off coupon.....

500 lb. Capacity Hydraulic Table Cart

Amazing deals on this 500Lb Hydraulic Table Cart at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

I am going to continue to look....

 

[Toolmaker51]

HF has a hydraulic table lift...will lift 500lbs, $169....get it with 20% off coupon.....

500 lb. Capacity Hydraulic Table Cart

Amazing deals on this 500Lb Hydraulic Table Cart at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

I am going to continue to look....

Lift tables are super popular. . .but you are still sliding carefully finished surfaces.

 

[Firstgear]

Lift tables are super popular. . .but you are still sliding carefully finished surfaces.

If I was sliding on aluminum for the most part then I don’t think there would be an issue.....yes there will be a time when it is metal to metal.....but I guess I will have to take a risk otherwise my crappy ole back will be the issue and Ihave had too many run ins with it....

 

[Toolmaker51]

Aluminum is a partial solution...You'll have to flip the table over and lightly radius every edge. The casting will dig into aluminum. On my mill, using crane arrangement described.
At work, I use a 'skid', two lengths of W1 drill rod epoxied to an aluminum plate. Being longer than diameter of table, they work like skis and only burnish the base. It sits on a lift table that I jack barely lower than mill table, after the leading edge is 'aboard' the table.