Show me your Rotary Table hold down fixtures

[Janderso]

I am really struggling with my rotary table.
Centering it on the mill spindle is easy, it's holding parts exactly where I want them that interests me.
I have some shop tooling I need to make to help me in this endeavor, I would love to see what you have done.
Thank you

 

[Rootpass]

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4wikbEbcE3Ko9ievzRws04nbqRfyBDZ1

He has many other videos that have been very helpful to me.

 

[phubbman]

I made an adapter so that i can easily mount my lathe chucks centered on the rotary table. This allows me to move work pieces from the lathe to the mill and back without having to remove them from the chuck. It saves time and improves accuracy.

I know a lathe chuck only holds some of the work pieces you'd want mounted to a rotary table, but maybe this approach will help with your current task.

 

[JRaut]

I made an adapter so that i can easily mount my lathe chucks centered on the rotary table. This allows me to move work pieces from the lathe to the mill and back without having to remove them from the chuck. It saves time and improves accuracy.

This is exactly what I did.

In my case: MT4 -- to -- 1.5" x 8tpi

 

[Grendel]

Yes same here, just a short stub of aluminium, that centres the 4 jaw chuck in the rotary table, then screws and t nuts round the edges, to hold the rotary table to the mill, i used the 2 threaded holes to fix some bar that slides into the t slot on the mill, this extends out the back so it can be used when the chuck is vertical. then i can clamp the whole to the mill using machinist clamps into the t slots 2 at the front, and one at the back onto the top of the bar I added, for the chuck in a horizontal orientation.

 

[Larry$]

I have an 8" RT and always found I didn't have enough room on it to clamp the work. I cast an 11" plate and machined 8 Tee slots into it. I can also put my 8" 3 jaw on the table. Joe Pie's setups are helpful. It always takes me longer than it should to get set up.

 

[Janderso]

Yes same here, just a short stub of aluminium, that centres the 4 jaw chuck in the rotary table, then screws and t nuts round the edges, to hold the rotary table to the mill, i used the 2 threaded holes to fix some bar that slides into the t slot on the mill, this extends out the back so it can be used when the chuck is vertical. then i can clamp the whole to the mill using machinist clamps into the t slots 2 at the front, and one at the back onto the top of the bar I added, for the chuck in a horizontal orientation.

Grendel,
You just gave me an idea, I'm trying to have the T-slots in the RT run perpendicular with the X axis. When I do this, I lose my mounting surface. By adding a long t shaped device with a step that runs off set of the t slot in the table.......
I'm not explaining this well.
My fixture plate never has the pre-drilled tapped holes in the right place. I guess it's normal to have to drill and tap new holes for every single thing you try to mount?
Frustrating.
A chuck would be very handy

 

[Janderso]

It always takes me longer than it should to get set up.

BOY howdy

 

[Awround]

Here is a photo of the chuck adapter I use. MT to 1.5 x 8. Fitting on the left is used as a drawbar to seat the MT.



Cheers,

Adrian

 

[RJSakowski]

My 12" Enco RT has a 1" diameter cylindrical hole. I made an adapter with one end threaded for 1-10 tpi to fit the chucks from my Craftsman 6 x 18 lathe. The adapter is internally threaded for 3/8-16 so I can use one of my clamp studs and a retention disk on the back side of the RT to fix the chuck to the RT table.

For larger work, I will center the RT on the mill spindle and zero my DRO. For there, I can offset my table to locate features on the work piece, using a pin or edge finder, depending on the accuracy required.