Rotary Table - Oops, Size Matters!

jmarkwolf

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I did a little bit of banking over the Christmas break. While there, they coerced me into opening a credit card on my mad-money "business" account, with $200 cash back on any first purchase over $500.

I'd been lusting after a rotary table for the Bridgeport in my home-shop, so I agreed to the new card.

When a suitable rotary table popped up on sale, I would snag it and get an additional $200 back, then immediately cut up the card!

Well, MC Direct Tools recently offered 30% off + free shipping on anything over $250 (with caveats). I selected the 8-inch Phase 2 horizontal/vertical table, but discovered the purchase wouldn't meet the $500 minimum for the $200 cash back. It came to something like $487 out the door, $287 after the $200 cash back!

I thought well, this is simple, I'll just get the 10-inch rotary table. I'd read on these pages, and on other forums, how heavy these tables can get, so I have no-one to blame but myself!

The free shipping didn't apply on the 10-incher due to the weight but they fiddled the price for me and got it down to within a hundred bucks of the 8 incher, all told including shipping and cash-back.

When it arrived, I was surprised at the size and heft.

I'm kinda thinking I shoulda stuck with the 8-incher and padded the order a little to get over the cash-back threshold. But I'll probably never want for a bigger rotary table! :)

I'll likely need to add a small crane to the back of the Bridgeport ram to help me hoist it on and off the table.
 
I hear ya , the 10" is big and heavy. I wish I got an 8" . I ended up doing a DIY overhead trolley and use a hunting lift .
 
A 15" original Bridgeport rotary table came up on my local classifieds a couple weeks ago for $200. I was REALLY tempted at that price, even knowing that I only have a small round column mill, but thinking about the weight and where to store it when not in use, if there even is a way to make use of such a beast on my little mill (seems plausible but far from ideal?) made me hesitate. When I looked again it was gone.
 
My 8" RT is all I want to lift by hand, and I am not getting any younger or stronger...
 
I just purchased a 12 incher on craigslist. No one to help and I forgot my dolly. I picked it up and carried it to my truck. Good thing I was excited about getting it and was probably full of caffeine, adrenaline, and happy endorfins. Estimated weight is around 150lbs. I'm 56, getting older, but still reasonably fit. I did raise an eyebrow from the seller though when I said get the door and just picked it up, lol.
 
I just purchased a 12 incher on craigslist. No one to help and I forgot my dolly. I picked it up and carried it to my truck. Good thing I was excited about getting it and was probably full of caffeine, adrenaline, and happy endorfins. Estimated weight is around 150lbs. I'm 56, getting older, but still reasonably fit. I did raise an eyebrow from the seller though when I said get the door and just picked it up, lol.
haha awesome ! You must be an animal ...i'm 47 and I don't even like lifting the 10" RT
 
I have a 10" rotory table , always move stuff out of the way before moving, don't have anything about to trip up on and errr work out a bit ;)

Stuart
 
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