Quick and dirty tail stock for a vertically oriented rotary table

[jmarkwolf]

I have a one off project for which I may use a 10" rotary table, oriented vertically, with a 6" lathe chuck mounted on it, on my mill table. I would need a tail stock to hold the "far end" of the work.

I don't own an appropriate tail stock, and I typically like to think about fabricating specialty tools before I buy them. So far I've thought of employing:

1. Simple angle iron drilled at the appropriate height to hold a straight shank center of some sort.
2. An angle plate deployed similarly as above.
3. Adapting an old, heavy duty wood lathe tail stock I already own, with a spacer plate to obtain correct height.
4. Employing a spin indexer with a similar spacer plate as above

So far I'm leaning toward #3. Anyone done such a thing?

 

[Lo-Fi]

Option 3 sounds like a fine plan to me!

 

[T Bredehoft]

No 3, no doubt.

 

[benmychree]

#3 if the quill is not too sloppy and is able to be locked in place.

 

[jmarkwolf]

I concur with you guys. #3 it is.

I set up the tail stock on my bench and took some quick measurements, and it looks like a spacer plate about 3/4" thick, give or take, will be needed to match the center line of the rotary table. Some very simply milling will be required for thickness matching, and to accommodate the lugs on the bottom of the tail stock.

The tail stock is from a WWII era Delta Rockwell 10" x 48" wood lathe that I inherited from my dad, and is very robust. I'm sure it will work well. I've been walking around this lathe for a few decades (don't do any wood working), it only occurred to me the other night in bed that the tail stock might "fill the bill".

Buying the aluminum plate from McMaster now. Will post pics here as I progress.

 

[jmarkwolf]

Oops, been awhile since I purchased aluminum plate from McMasters, they want a fortune for a 6" x 12" x 1" thick aluminum plate. I'll try the local scrap dealers.

 

[jmarkwolf]

Found some 1in aluminum plate a local supplier (both scrap yards have changed operations since I was last there).

I've hoisted the 10in rotary table to my mill (for the first time) to temporarily check alignment with the tail stock. Glad I have the Sky Hook. Just moving it from it's back to the vertical position was a GPITA, let alone moving it to the mill.

The tail stock is temporarily sitting on 1-2-3 blocks to help visualize the alignment

Next I'll install the 6in chuck on the rotary table (making it heavier yet, oh yay), center it, then do a careful measurement of alignment between the rotary table and tail stock, then machine the 1in spacer plate for proper height adjustment of the tail stock. Currently, the tail stock is about 1/4in high sitting on the 1-2-3 blocks.

 

[NC Rick]

Sorry if im being dumb (nothing new) but isnt the rotary table now in a Horizontal orientation? I wish mine would turn on its side like that!

 

[NC Rick]

I have a one off project for which I may use a 10" rotary table, oriented vertically, with a 6" lathe chuck mounted on it, on my mill table. I would need a tail stock to hold the "far end" of the work.

I don't own an appropriate tail stock, and I typically like to think about fabricating specialty tools before I buy them. So far I've thought of employing:

1. Simple angle iron drilled at the appropriate height to hold a straight shank center of some sort.
2. An angle plate deployed similarly as above.
3. Adapting an old, heavy duty wood lathe tail stock I already own, with a spacer plate to obtain correct height.
4. Employing a spin indexer with a similar spacer plate as above

So far I'm leaning toward #3. Anyone done such a thing?

I would not have thought of the spin-indexer. Thats a cool idea.

 

[jmarkwolf]

No, you're right Rick. I misspoke. It's in the horizontal position as shown in the 2nd pic.