Small Manual Rotary Table
Combining a mill and a rotary table provides an order of magnitude increase in machining capability. Shown here is a 4" rotary table which is perfectly sized for a micro-mill. The rotary table can also be combined with a tilting angle table to further increase its flexibility. Tram the mill first, then the rotary table. With a dial test indicator mounted in the mill spindle, indicate the inside surface of the rotary table's center hole. Mounting a chuck or vise on the rotary table allows holding many differently sized pieces. The 4-jawed chuck is especially versatile since it moves the part in four directions. Exchanging the same sized parts is easy accomplished by loosening & tightening only two jaws at a time. A miniature, hold-down clamp (see the rotary table photo) set is good when milling irregular pieces. Parts held in a chuck can be moved back & forth between the lathe and mill without loosing center. The Sherline mill has two slots that are 1½" on center while the Taig mill has three slots that are 1" on center. Add two more #9 holes (for 10-32) to allow proper mounting. A milling operation to make a rocker tool post is shown. The rotary table can also be mounted onto a tilting angle table for even more versatility. A Phase II+ 6" rotary table is a good size for mill/drills.
Tramming the rotary table. A metal plug can be machined that is held by a (¼") collet & which also fits closely into the table's center hole, allowing quick initial alignment. Miniature vise shown held by a mounting plate.
Use a precision point to locate pivot point of the circular cut.
Off-set end mill in one axis. Procedures & formulas described in Sherline instructions.
¼" solid carbide finishing end mill
cutting 1½" diameter curve.
Drilling eight, #7 holes every 45°
for ¼-20 hand tapping.
Making a round,
chuck to rotary table adapter plate.
Rotary table with one-inch vise
attached.
The vise had pre-existing M4-0.7 tapped holes on the bottom.
Having the slots perpendicular allows the most adjustability.
The rotary table is mounted onto a base plate for
quick vise
mounting.
The base plate also has (8) holes that align with the Taig mill table
T-slots to
allow direct mounting using 10-32 cap-head bolts.
Rotary-table base-plate for the Taig table.
Taig Mill table
cross section
Right-angle bracket for the 4"
rotary table. See Carter Tools for
dimensions.
I added the edge guide for easier setup.
Also see CNC rotary table.