# ?? Cheap rotary tables ??



## compressor man (Aug 12, 2015)

I have long wanted a small rotary table for my x2 mill. It is something that I will use only very rarely so I did not want to spend an enormous amount to get one. I have looked at the 4" table at Grizzly for $129 that I am guessing would be adequate for my needs but then ran across a (new, not used)table on ebay for about $60. I know that one typically gets what they pay for but most of these small tables look so similar and they are all from China. Should I even consider buying the cheap one or get the Grizzly? I just cannot spend the money right now to get one of the higher end ones that I have seen ($250-300).
Thanks
Chris


----------



## Silvergoose (Aug 12, 2015)

Compressor man, You have already crossed the first hurdle, cost and getting what you pay for.

The second item you must look at is how heavy is your work and how precise is the work, 

I bought an old bridge port 12 inch rotary. I got exactly what I paid for, 130 Lbs. of a very good table. Price $200.00 with index plates. Now I just need to find an aspiring young body builder to lift and move the thing as needed.

good luck with yours.


----------



## petertha (Aug 12, 2015)

I just purchased a Sherline RT (lists at 270$U) & can vouch for it. Much better than some of the offshore stuff (although quality does vary by brand/origin, so I'm generalizing here).
http://www.sherline.com/3700pg.htm

I already have a larger RT. But many jobs are small setups that I'm hoping to be easier & faster setup with 4". I'm in the process of making a baseplate so the assembly will just drop in my 6" mill vise, saving removing the vise & setting up larger RT (although you can mount it conventionally too). Do a search on the forum & you will see some impressive projects using this RT.

Other features:
- very smooth worm screw mechanism, nice graduations & positive lock
- seemed to be accurately flat as best I could determine with DTI
- low vertical profile so you have more headroom on smaller machines
- neat feature, threaded insert plug (comes with RT) which then allows mounting Sherline 3 or 4 jaw chucks & they are self centered. These are kind of small, but suite the overall scale of RT, You could mount a larger chuck but would hav eto make adapter plates.
- if you are anticipating the more common MT type center for tooling, this RT is a different principle
-also offers a pre-drilled plate setup to facilitate setting up RT in vertical mode
- hold-downs are 10-32 type cap screws & matching T-nuts kind of unique to Sherline. You could make them yourself, but they are reasonable cost. This lends itself to smallish setups & also the slots come closer to center than common. I'm going to also make some gridded pre-threaded tooling plates to clamp on the table so I can orient odd-ball parts easier yet.

Hope this helps.


----------



## chucketn (Aug 12, 2015)

Chris, I saved up and bought a Vertex 4" RT for my X2 mill. Great quality. One of the best tools I have ever bought. Even the 4" is sometimes too big. And, I have to admit, I don't use it every day, but when I have needed it, I was thankful I'd saved the money to get it. A cheaper Chinese 3" may be good enough for your purpose, but Vertex is also Chinese. IIRC, I paid just over $200 for the 4" table with no accessories. 
I made a copy of the spindle nose of my 7x14 Micromark lathe and mounted it on a MT2 taper. Now I can use my lathe chucks and faceplate on the RT. I later lucked out and got the dividing setup and tailstock for the cost of shipping them from the UK to the US. I also built an Arduino based electronic controller setup for it and have since cut a set of Atlas change gears.

Chuck


----------



## Kaleb (Aug 12, 2015)

Hang on, I recall Vertex being Taiwanese for the most part.


----------



## chucketn (Aug 12, 2015)

Kaleb said:


> Hang on, I recall Vertex being Taiwanese for the most part.


 
Maybe that's why it's so much better than the HF or Grizzly offering. I did check out both before I bought...

Chuck


----------



## petertha (Aug 12, 2015)

I agree, Vertex rotary tables & dividing heads are nice & I believe are still made in Taiwan. Beware of sneaky advertising such as 'Vertex like" or Vertex/<anynamehere>. Those would be the clones (of the clones) & can be hit & miss by many accounts.

Speaking of, does anyone know if Accura Vertex (supposedly made in Taiwan) is the same as just plain Vertex? I see them on ebay all the time.


----------



## RichD (Aug 13, 2015)

I have the cheap 3" HF model and it's OK, but if you plan to do more than just indexing for holes, I'd opt for a table with better thrust control of the worm shaft. I've done some profiling with it while cranking, but you need to partially lock the table while turning because of the poor design and I never really trust it won't move from cutting forces. So far it has worked though.


----------



## Blogwitch (Aug 13, 2015)

Chris,
As other people have said, you only get what you pay for. I bought my Vertex almost 30 years ago, and did a major mod to it a few years ago to get it running under NC control, so I do know that they are a strong bit of kit.
But if you are not in a position to buy one of the higher range jobbies, or are not willing to wait while saving a few more pennies then there is only one choice for you, get the cheapo one, maybe have a go at getting it running smooth and true and hope for the best.

For the last ten years, I have almost completely gone over to not only Chinese machines but tooling as well, and with just a few small mods, they have turned out to be just as good as home grown heavy machinery and tools. A strip down, clean out and a relube, plus a bit of adjustment is usually the only thing that is required to bring them up to full spec.

You won't be working to super tolerances of say a couple of tenths, like I was having to work to until a few years ago, so the cheaper ranges of tooling will certainly satisfy your needs for the next few years, and of course, later on you might be able to afford the more expensive ranges of tooling.

Just go for it and enjoy your new aquisition.

John


----------



## gus (Aug 13, 2015)

4" Rotary Table DHL over to Singapore would cost me a bomb. DIY my own and it met my requirement for manual milling and dividing. Took quite a while to do a good job.The table has to lapped to mate with the gear box and the worm and wheel drive must mesh closely to minimise backlash. The precision worm and wheel came from SPDI. Plans came from Deans. Sometime later will DIY the Dividing Plates. The handwheel and table graduation took a while to figure out. Todate have done many job pieces with RT.


----------



## compressor man (Aug 13, 2015)

Thanks for giving me a lot to think about guys.

Gus; Your DIY rotary table is a real gem but I am afraid it is a couple orders of magnitude over what I am capable of doing! 

Chris


----------



## bazmak (Aug 13, 2015)

Try the manual one i described.It works well,is cheap and plans are free off the web.No worm to worry about


----------



## compressor man (Aug 13, 2015)

bazmak said:


> Try the manual one i described.It works well,is cheap and plans are free off the web.No worm to worry about


 
Bazmak, I do not know where you talked about it at. I have looked through this thread and haven't found a post by you.


----------



## bazmak (Aug 13, 2015)

Hi Chris,have reposted.Let me know if you want any more details
Plans are off the internet.The T slot faceplt i made from free plans
Mikes workshop i think.I did a thread as well.The faceplt was excerlent
i did a thread also.It fit the 7x16 lathe as well till it blew up.Broken swivel vice base also did a thread.If you have any problems i will rsurect them for you
Regards barry


----------



## goldstar31 (Aug 14, 2015)

I have any number of RT's and Dividing heads and if you are thinking no further than perhaps 0 to 6 degrees to 12 degrees and so on or 5 degrees, 10, 15 etc then either a 60 toothed wheel or a 100 will suffice. If you have a bull wheel of "x" all that you need is a detent. Yes, I have Vertex BSO Dividing Head and it tilts to form a rotary table and it takes chucks and collets and faceplates and - does end mills and a lot of things- but I also 'come off the Myford 60 degree bull wheel -which- if you think about it does 120 divisions. A block of metal does 90 degrees and a hexagon does more.

Would you believe, I make plates with a one hole division plate. Incidentally, one hole makes far more divisions than most tables. 

It is worth a second thought.

Regards

Norman


----------



## compressor man (Aug 14, 2015)

Thanks BazMak, Wow that is really, really impressive! 
Chris


----------

