Brand New 27 Year Old Turntable

Canuck75

Active User
H-M Supporter Gold Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
Messages
233
Have been on the lookout for a 6" turntable for my bench mill. Happened to look on Kijiji and spotted this one for sale. Agreed on a price and picked it up. How cool is it to find something 27 years old and yet brand new? Box, paperwork and silica bag all there. Grease and oil was badly congealed and the plastic stuck to the table. Inspection sheet signed off on 26 June 1989. Taiwanese made. Got it apart, thoroughly cleaned, and back together again. This is a "once in a lifetime" find.

IMG_7720.jpg

IMG_7721.jpg

IMG_7722.jpg

IMG_7723.jpg
 
Nice. I was able to do the same on a 10" Taiwanese Rutland (MSC) RT on eBay, much cheaper than the cheapest of the newer Chinese ones. On mine the oil was still OK and everything moves freely. It is a good quality RT.
 
Very good quality. Here's a look at the parts. Table is surface to surface with oil. Nice caged roller bearing in the hub and a Torrington thrust bearing underside to hold it together. Worm and sector gears look well made although there are no bearings on the worm shaft.

IMG_7735.jpg

IMG_7736.jpg
 
Maybe some of you H-M members can help me out with some terminology. The "worm gear" on my 6" rotary table doesn't look like a normal "worm gear", that is, a concave set of teeth matched to the plane in which it engages the "worm". My "worm gear' looks like a hobbed helical gear with the form and angle to match the "worm". The table could be higher or lower without changing the way it engages with the worm. Here is the question: what is the proper name for the type of "worm gear" on my RT?, and, do other low cost RT's use the same type of "worm gear"?

Thanks in advance.

Canuck75

IMG_7735.jpg

IMG_7736.jpg
 
Back
Top