Repurpose old rotary table as welding positioner.

pontiac428 said:
What type of production are you doing with the torch holder?
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No production plans. This was just a fun project to see what I could do with a bunch of stuff I had on hand.

The ground system as described above seems to do a good job of keeping the bearings out of the loop. I can't think of a more direct means of grounding short of attaching the cable to the work.
 
Well, I think it's cool, especially the use of the drill press parts.

I've looked at some of the contact ring setups that avoid bearings, but I don't know how they work to spare the bearings. Your plunger contact is neat. The part I can't figure out is how to get electricity to flow in a straight line. Everything I know about old man Gauss says the only way to separate the bearings from the circuit are to isolate them. Some are pressed into plastic isolation shells. Bosch came up with a bearing cage that insulates the bearings and the cage in a plastic membrane that all presses into the race. I wonder how long that sort of wear takes to make a difference in precision on weld fitments.

No straight paths.

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Firstram said:
Interested in how that motor works out, I’ve been eyeballing that setup for a project.
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Here are the results of several different motor/power supply combinations I have tried on my rotary table/welding positioner project:

Grainger 50 rpm gear motor & electric train transformer - not enough power to turn the rotary table.

Grainger 50 rpm gear motor & 4 amp dc power supply - stalled frequently, insufficient power even at a full 12 volts.

110v 60 watt 135 rpm ac gear motor, with reversing variable speed controller (cheap import) - adequate power, but could not be started at a desired rpm. Had to be at zero rpm to be started, making the use of a foot on/off switch impossible.

12 volt dc, 6 amp, 100 rpm, reversible gear motor (makermotor.com) with speed controller and Radio Shack 8 amp 12 v dc power supply - adequate power, stalled at less than 7 volts, ran fine from 7 - 13 volts. The table rpm range (given the gear reduction in the Troyke table) was 1 to 3.3 rpm.

12 volt dc 13 amp, 110 rpm, reversible gear motor with planetary gear reduction (makermotor.com) with speed controller and switching 30 amp 13.8 volt dc power supply - Seemingly perfect combination. Runs with sufficient torque from 3.6 to 13.4 volts (the max I give it). Table rpm range is .5 to 4.5 rpm. Planetary gears are a little noisy at higher rpm, but work great. This motor/power supply/speed controller combination cost approximately $235.00 in total.

Next step is to sell the other motors and power supplies, or think of another use for them?? This has been a fun, if impractical, project. I obviously could have bought a Chinese welding positioner for less, but where's the fun in that?

planetary1.jpg planetary2.jpg​

 
I used a 12v wiper motor with a chain reduction drive works well
 
MrWhoopee said:
You guys are killin' me here. That's exactly the size RT I need. :bawling:
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I agree, what a waste of a good rotary table when a welding rotating positioner is so simple to make cheap. look at the thread--- Drive motor for rotary welding table---reply #5 and #9
Dave
 
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I don't see it as a waste at all!

He had an extra rotary table that was unused.
He had a project that needed a similar part.
He had the time and creativity.
He built what he needed out of available parts.

That's the opposite of wasting something; It's re-using a spare, unused part!

Brian
 
I simply admire the result. That is one spankin' beautiful welding positioner, and if this were a hobby welding forum, @Tmate would be legendary for building it. I wish for a Troiyke in that size too, but I know I could get one for myself if I wanted it bad enough. He had one, and what do you know, he just raised the bar on rotary welding positioners exponentially higher. Perspective!
 
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