Doing things backwards

[MikeInOr]

Is there a rule of thumb for selecting a rotary table for a mill? If the table is 10x30 is a good idea to get a rotary table that is also 10" or should it be smaller than the mill table? A neighbor has an 8 inch for sale

A friend has a 12" rotary table and it is really nice to have the working area. Every time he puts to table on the mill or takes the table off the mill he has to use a cherry picker (engine crane) to move it and has to chain it up to move it. I don't have a rotary table yet and am thinking that an 8" is the sweet spot. I don't want to have to go through the troubles he does to mount a rotary table on my mill.

 

[Turbine-Wine]

A friend has a 12" rotary table and it is really nice to have the working area. Every time he puts to table on the mill or takes the table off the mill he has to use a cherry picker (engine crane) to move it and has to chain it up to move it. I don't have a rotary table yet and am thinking that an 8" is the sweet spot. I don't want to have to go through the troubles he does to mount a rotary table on my mill.

Surely some friends could purchase an old GM Robotic arm and the crew could move in some controls and hydraulics to help a fellow dude out
Whatsa matta yu! Make Sh*t, Drink Beer
I think 8 is good enough for me. I am getting better at my tolerances instead of being +/- 1 inch I am now more accurate, working on tightening my new tolerances of 25.4mm

 

[RJSakowski]

A friend has a 12" rotary table and it is really nice to have the working area. Every time he puts to table on the mill or takes the table off the mill he has to use a cherry picker (engine crane) to move it and has to chain it up to move it. I don't have a rotary table yet and am thinking that an 8" is the sweet spot. I don't want to have to go through the troubles he does to mount a rotary table on my mill.

I have an Enco 12" RT that has a semi-permanent home on my RF30 clone, largely because of the 200 lb. wt. When I was a youngster of 65, I was barely able to jockey it onto the mill table. Now, 14 years later, I wouldn't think of moving it without some assistance of some sort. Fortunately, I have a Tormach mill so the jobs where I lacked sufficient travel on theRF30/RT setup, I can do on the Tormach.

I have thought of several schemes for moving the RT. I have a 2t. shop hoist but it is too bulky to maneuver in my small shop space. I would also have to partially disassemble it to bring it into the basement shop/ A scissor type lift cart was another idea. I need a maximum lift of 39" and the lift carts that are available have a shorter maximum lift. I could put a riser block on the table to solve that problem but I still have the problem of a lift cart that sits idly by and takes up valuable shop space. I am also concerned about the stability when transferring the RT to and from the lift cart.
Another thought would be to build a storage cart for various chucks, larger lathe accessories, and my 6" RT that has a built-in crane capable of lifting the 200 lb. I would need to build in enough ballast to counter the weight of the RT as I swung it onto the mill table or possibly add slide out outrigger feet.

 

[Turbine-Wine]

I have an Enco 12" RT that has a semi-permanent home on my RF30 clone, largely because of the 200 lb. wt. When I was a youngster of 65, I was barely able to jockey it onto the mill table. Now, 14 years later, I wouldn't think of moving it without some assistance of some sort. Fortunately, I have a Tormach mill so the jobs where I lacked sufficient travel on theRF30/RT setup, I can do on the Tormach.

I have thought of several schemes for moving the RT. I have a 2t. shop hoist but it is too bulky to maneuver in my small shop space. I would also have to partially disassemble it to bring it into the basement shop/ A scissor type lift cart was another idea. I need a maximum lift of 39" and the lift carts that are available have a shorter maximum lift. I could put a riser block on the table to solve that problem but I still have the problem of a lift cart that sits idly by and takes up valuable shop space. I am also concerned about the stability when transferring the RT to and from the lift cart.
Another thought would be to build a storage cart for various chucks, larger lathe accessories, and my 6" RT that has a built-in crane capable of lifting the 200 lb. I would need to build in enough ballast to counter the weight of the RT as I swung it onto the mill table or possibly add slide out outrigger feet.

You could use some 2x2 1/8th wall square tubing. The "tray to move the Rotary table would hook into the first track of your table. That prevents the tray from moving away from the table when you pull it onto the tray. Tray is part of gantry. Gantry has a 12Volt winch from Harbor Freight.

 

[RJSakowski]

How far is the mill from a corner of your shop?

The mill sits in the middle of the shop against a stone wall dividing the basement space.

 

[Turbine-Wine]

The mill sits in the middle of the shop against a stone wall dividing the basement space.
View attachment 470755

Where do you store the rotary table? How high is the ceiling? Nice looking shop

 

[RJSakowski]

Where do you store the rotary table? Nice looking shop

The RT has lived on the RF30 mill for the past fourteen years. BTW, thanks for the compliment.

Actually, looking at the setup, I could mount a small overhead track to the floor joists above. That, plus a trailer winch and a rolling cart would work. I need to find a place to store the cart but it won't be so bad if I am using it for storing tooling and/or raw material. It sounds like a nice winter project.

 

[Turbine-Wine]

The RT has lived on the RF30 mill for the past fourteen years. BTW, thanks for the compliment.

Actually, looking at the setup, I could mount a small overhead track to the floor joists above. That, plus a trailer winch and a rolling cart would work. I need to find a place to store the cart but it won't be so bad if I am using it for storing tooling and/or raw material. It sounds like a nice winter project.

I love working with 4 inch I or H beams as tracks.I carried engines on 4 inch I beams. If using joists you do not have to cross at 90 degrees so can take it where you need it, and trailer winch is great idea.