Rotary table questions

[tjb]

Here's a good youtube tutorial on making a ball turner for a small lathe:

 

[yota]

cool vid. that boring head is huge.

 

[woodchucker]

nah, it just looks big on a little lathe. that's smaller than a 9" lathe I think

 

[tjb]

nah, it just looks big on a little lathe. that's smaller than a 9" lathe I think

Correct - I think it's a 9". It's a normal size boring head. Good video for a tutorial on making one.

 

[woodchucker]

Correct - I think it's a 9". It's a normal size boring head. Good video for a tutorial on making one.

just looked it up, an ML7 is a 7" lathe... so smaller yet...

 

[yota]

got it close enough. just cut a couple of angles then rounded off with a file and sandpaper on the lathe.

 

[yota]

next the hard part, copying the unbroken shaft with the eccentric cut on the end.

 

[Jake P]

If you go with a 10”, just know you have to ask your neighbor to come over for a beer to entice him to help lift the darn thing.

I have a 10" Vertex and it weighs almost identical to my Kurt DX6, about 80 lbs. I made a rolling cart the same height as my mill table and moving the two back and forth is pretty easy. Of course this supposes that lifting 80 lbs. is not an issue for you. If you had to pick it up off the floor each time that might be different!

 

[Janderso]

I have a 10" Vertex and it weighs almost identical to my Kurt DX6, about 80 lbs. I made a rolling cart the same height as my mill table and moving the two back and forth is pretty easy. Of course this supposes that lifting 80 lbs. is not an issue for you. If you had to pick it up off the floor each time that might be different!

If I had the floor space I would do the same

 

[yota]

so I spent hours today trying to make the eccentric cut on the end of a pc of round stock to make a new table lock shaft to replace the broken one. failure sucks LOL. remember I'm a complete noob to this stuff.

so I came up with plan B. cut, drilled and tapped the broken shaft in the lathe keeping the factory eccentric cut. turned down a 1/2" bolt and threaded the end. put them together with high strength locktite, leaving a gap. tomorrow will weld around the gap and turn off the excess weld in the lathe.

funny thing is Phase II has replacements in stock for forty some buck plus shipping but what fun is that. I am learning. making mistakes is how I learn.