Decent 6" rotary table. vertex?

[davidpbest]

As for centering a chuck on the RT, you might (or might not) find this video helpful or inspiring.

 

[devils4ever]

As for centering a chuck on the RT, you might (or might not) find this video helpful or inspiring.

I'm not seeing a video.

 

[davidpbest]

I'm not seeing a video.

Woops. Try this:

https://flic.kr/p/2fj7oCv

 

[devils4ever]

I bought this Vertex 6" RT on eBay and I'm very impressed with the quality. Seems to be very smooth and precise.

So, now I need to make T-nuts for it since they as smaller than the ones on my PM-25MV mill.

 

[devils4ever]

First use of my rotary table making a lathe chuck spider. The biggest challenge was trying to figure out how to hold the workpiece.

I wound up making a fixture plate to attach to the 4 T-slots on the table since the spider has 3 slots. Tricky. I offset the axis by 10 degrees to allow for some clearance. Thanks you FreeCAD!

Aligning the RT to the spindle was straightforward. However, aligning the workpiece was tricky since I couldn't sweep all the way around it. I achieved this by only placing one clamp on the workpiece and sweeping most of the way around. It was all I could think of. After I got it aligned, I carefully placed the other 2 clamps. Probably not the most precise way, but good enough for this project. Suggestions on how to do this better?

Overall, pleased with this RT.



Cleaned up view.

 

[Alcap]

One of the ways when i did something like what you did while on the lathe I spotted with a small center drill .At the mill I have a ground center that I put in a collet brought it down slowly and moved until centered on the table , then clamped the quill and put the clamps on . Close enough for most of the jobs I do .

 

[devils4ever]

One of the ways when i did something like what you did while on the lathe I spotted with a small center drill .At the mill I have a ground center that I put in a collet brought it down slowly and moved until centered on the table , then clamped the quill and put the clamps on . Close enough for most of the jobs I do .

Yeah, I thought of that, but didn't want to put a hole in the center. I guess a tiny hole would be okay.

 

[Alcap]

When I set my rotary table up I use a plug that came with it , maybe it was shop made ? It fits in the MT of the table and has a center and machine diameter so I use the above method and depending on how critical go with that or finish with an indicator.

 

[Unlogic]

I have a Vertex CS-6 indexing rotary table which I have to say has a very good quality compared to most other accessories I've purchased for the mill. It has no measurable backlash and produces great finish on the parts I make using it.

Originally ordered a CS-8 but when I realized how big and heavy it was I changed to the "smaller" CS-6. When it arrived I couldn't believe how heavy the box was. It's a big piece.