# Quick and dirty tail stock for a vertically oriented rotary table



## jmarkwolf (Mar 21, 2021)

I have a one off project for which I may use a 10" rotary table, oriented vertically, with a 6" lathe chuck mounted on it, on my mill table. I would need a tail stock to hold the "far end" of the work.

I don't own an appropriate tail stock, and I typically like to think about fabricating specialty tools before I buy them. So far I've thought of employing:

1. Simple angle iron drilled at the appropriate height to hold a straight shank center of some sort.
2. An angle plate deployed similarly as above.
3. Adapting an old, heavy duty wood lathe tail stock I already own, with a spacer plate to obtain correct height.
4. Employing a spin indexer with a similar spacer plate as above

So far I'm leaning toward #3. Anyone done such a thing?


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## Lo-Fi (Mar 21, 2021)

Option 3 sounds like a fine plan to me!


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## T Bredehoft (Mar 21, 2021)

No 3, no doubt.


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## benmychree (Mar 21, 2021)

#3 if the quill is not too sloppy and is able to be locked in place.


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## jmarkwolf (Mar 21, 2021)

I concur with you guys. #3 it is.

I set up the tail stock on my bench and took some quick measurements, and it looks like a spacer plate about 3/4" thick, give or take, will be needed to match the center line of the rotary table. Some very simply milling will be required for thickness matching, and to accommodate the lugs on the bottom of the tail stock.

The tail stock is from a WWII era Delta Rockwell 10" x 48" wood lathe that I inherited from my dad, and is very robust. I'm sure it will work well. I've been walking around this lathe for a few decades (don't do any wood working), it only occurred to me the other night in bed that the tail stock might "fill the bill".

Buying the aluminum plate from McMaster now. Will post pics here as I progress.


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## jmarkwolf (Mar 21, 2021)

Oops, been awhile since I purchased aluminum plate from McMasters, they want a fortune for a 6" x 12" x 1" thick aluminum plate. I'll try the local scrap dealers.


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## jmarkwolf (Mar 24, 2021)

Found some 1in aluminum plate a local supplier (both scrap yards have changed operations since I was last there).

I've hoisted the 10in rotary table to my mill (for the first time) to temporarily check alignment with the tail stock. Glad I have the Sky Hook. Just moving it from it's back to the vertical position was a GPITA, let alone moving it to the mill.

The tail stock is temporarily sitting on 1-2-3 blocks to help visualize the alignment

Next I'll install the 6in chuck on the rotary table (making it heavier yet, oh yay), center it, then do a careful measurement of alignment between the rotary table and tail stock, then machine the 1in spacer plate for proper height adjustment of the tail stock. Currently, the tail stock is about 1/4in high sitting on the 1-2-3 blocks.


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## NC Rick (Mar 24, 2021)

Sorry if im being dumb (nothing new) but isnt the rotary table now in a Horizontal orientation?  I wish mine would turn on its side like that!


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## NC Rick (Mar 24, 2021)

jmarkwolf said:


> I have a one off project for which I may use a 10" rotary table, oriented vertically, with a 6" lathe chuck mounted on it, on my mill table. I would need a tail stock to hold the "far end" of the work.
> 
> I don't own an appropriate tail stock, and I typically like to think about fabricating specialty tools before I buy them. So far I've thought of employing:
> 
> ...


I would not have thought of the spin-indexer.  Thats a cool idea.


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## jmarkwolf (Mar 24, 2021)

No, you're right Rick. I misspoke. It's in the horizontal position as shown in the 2nd pic.


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## jmarkwolf (Mar 27, 2021)

Update:

Got the spacer plate nearly complete. Pics below.

#1 & #2 show the tailstock just sitting on the new aluminum spacer plate, #3 is the adjustment plate that comes with the tail stock. #4 shows that the axis of the tailstock is currently at 6-52/64ths from the bed of the mill.

I'll take a similar measurement of the axis of the rotary table, then mill the thickness of the spacer plate so that the two axiis match.

Once that is complete I'll need to drill 3 holes, one to bolt the tailstock to the spacer plate, and two to bolt the spacer plate to the mill bed.


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## jmarkwolf (Mar 29, 2021)

Update from OP:

Here is the tailstock mounted on my mill table. Now I just have to mill the thickness of the spacer to match the axis of the rotary table.




Is this a good way to measure the height of the axis of the rotary table, after subtracting half the diameter of course?


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## AGCB97 (Mar 29, 2021)

jmarkwolf said:


> No, you're right Rick. I misspoke. It's in the horizontal position as shown in the 2nd pic.



Maybe I'm not understanding.
I hope I'm not stepping on any toes here but I believe the orientation of a rotary table refers to the table itself, not the axis of rotation. Some like it hot ,some like it cold. Some like Chevies, some like Fords, some like neither.


			https://www.mscdirect.com/industrialtools/horizontal-rotary-table.html
		

Respectfully
Aaron


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## jmarkwolf (Mar 29, 2021)

Ok, to avoid any further confusion, from this day forward, rotary tables will be referred to as either lying down, or standing up!


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## Logan Novice (Apr 2, 2021)

Ya know, a hunk of Oak or Ash from the local home improvement store would serve as a base for that tail stock.  And it's a lot less expensive than a steel or aluminum plate. Just sayin'


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