How to Center a Rotary Table in Under a Minute Without Using an Indicator

[Tony Wells]

I do the same basic thing with a superspacer chuck, except even simpler. No extra tools. I just lightly chuck the spindle OD and snug the clamps. Just have to remember to release the chuck before turning the motor on. ;-)

 

[JPP Machining]

We think alike, I have been doing it that way for a few years now also. I think it works great! Anything to speed up setup time is money in your pocket and a happier customer.

Joe

 

[DaveBP]

Thanks for the great video Tom. Please keep 'em coming. Learning these techniques really add to my enjoyment of the hobby.
Dave

 

[Tom Griffin]

Thanks guys.

Joe, what's that saying about great minds?

Dave, I've received lots of suggestions for new videos and plan on honoring as many as time allows. I'm glad you are enjoying them.

Tom

 

[DaleHeideman]

Thanks for the great video. I am trying to learn machining on my own, and this gives me a leg up.

If a half-thou is not good enough (maybe it is not; I surely don't know,) it has to cut down the time dial in perfection.

Any tips that are applicable to Chi-com mini machines would be a great help to me. Thanks again.

 

[Tom Griffin]

Dale,

The techniques described in my videos can be applied to any machine. The difference between the import mill/drill machines and the machines I use in the videos is capacity, precision and rigidity. You'll just need to scale them down to apply them to your machine. The lack of rigidity is probably the thing you'll most need to compensate for. In the videos, you'll quite often see me taking heavy cuts and climb milling. Those are things the mini mill won't be able to do and you'll need to compensate accordingly by taking lighter cuts and making sure to put drag on the table locks if you attempt to climb mill.

Tom

 

[LJP]

Great help Tom! Keep the videos coming, very useful for us rookies.

 

[Olin]

Tom

I too, wish to weigh in with a heartfelt thanks. I'm just a home shop guy with no training, however I had come up with a similar idea for my rotary table on my own. My RT has a Morse taper and my tool is a short rod pressed into a short piece of round with a chamfer on the end, the chamfer sits on the lip of the MT bore, similar to some of the other folks methods. I've always used my Blake clone to final center.

What I'm thankful for is your demonstration of how to use a DTI for centering. I got an genuine Indecol holder when I bought my Mill, could never figure out how to use it.

All the best.

Olin

 

[Tom Griffin]

Olin,

I'll bet if you made a tool like mine with a Morse taper, you wouldn't have to follow up with the "Blake".

Those Indicol holders are very handy. They are quick to mount and are designed to reach around a tool mounted in the spindle, even a drill chuck.

Tom

 

[NITROTRIP]

Tom,
I have been thinking of different way's to do this in the last few weeks
as I have a couple jobs coming up, that I will have my 10" rotary table
on and off a bunch of times. I like your's best and going to make up
that fixture in the next few days. Outstanding idea. I like Tony's idea
for my indexing head with a chuck also.
You guy's are great!!!
THANK YOU,
Rick