[Newbie] Ordered a Vertex rotary table. Am I on the right track with this chuck to go with it?

[WobblyHand]

I am looking into getting a Vevor 6' RT. I already have a backing plate with the same threads as the spindle on my lathe. Plan to mount that on the RT. Then I can move a chuck from the lathe to the mill and back without losing concentricity.

Did you make that plate? If so how, from a solid chunk? That threaded back plate with male threads would be nice to have.

 

[markba633csi]

Seems like the choice is either you do a lot of work or you spend a lot of money:
The 4-jaw solution means you dial in every time you use it, but can accommodate odd-shaped parts
The 3-jaw set true is more costly and is more involved to mount on a 4 slot RT, but afterwards easier to use for round parts
Decisions, decisions

 

[mickri]

The backing plate came with my lathe. It is a casting. The only markings on it are "Joe Tochtrop San Francisco." Never searched for Joe Tochtrop so I decided to do a search today and found this.

https://www.gasenginemagazine.com/community/letters-and-miscellanies-lathe-chuck-mounting-plate/

Joe was into making model engines. He passed away in 2015.

I bored a hole in it to fit the pin on a swivel base. It works ok for drilling bolt hole circles.

 

[JustBen]

I don’t know that there is ever a “do everything” solution. Granted, the 4J independent is probably the most versatile, but every job has to be dialed in. I use a 4J a lot on the lathe, dialing it in is not a big deal (hopefully that rotary table has a release, cranking it would get old), of course you are remounting the Rtable (assuming the chuck stays on the RT), you dial something to get your X0, Y0), then you dial the part. If you have a scroll chuck once you get the chuck set on the table center of rotation, then remounting the table requires that you dial the assembly in one time (using any round bar held in the chuck) and you are good to work repeated parts (don’t have to dial them).

Do you have a 4J independent chuck for your lathe? For the occasional time that you have to have a 4J independent chuck, just use the 4J independent from your lathe.

Of course if you have a certain task that comes up pretty often, and actually need the 4J independent - well get what works best. Most of the time a 3J or 4J scroll will make your life much easier.

You can get about any style chuck in either a front mount, or a rear mount. Get a front mount - then you don’t need the adapter plate. However, there is still a bit of a problem. Most of the front mount scroll chucks that I have seen are set up to use 3 mounting bolts, 120 degrees apart. That won’t line up to your RT.

Looking online, it seems the chuck manufacturers offer mounting plates to address this. Shars RT or rotary indexers have slots or holes to match up with the 120 holes in the chucks.

My solution for the scroll chucks I have on order will be to drill them (one for the RT - 4th axis, one for the T slot spacing on the mill table). They are cheap Sanuo chucks, they could end up with lots of holes in them after a few years.

You posted a link to CME Tools, they offer a mounting plate $62.

I am really looking at doing a 3 Jaw now. I do not have a lathe currently, although I am looking for one.

I will look at some front mount chucks.

I was under the impression that scroll chucks/ non independent chucks could not be drilled for mounting holes but like anything, I need to do some research into chucks and RT adapters.

 

[JustBen]

Ok. I want to do a 3 Jaw front mount chuck. The question is whether a 6" chuck would fit properly on a 6" rotary table. From spec sheets, 6" is not actually 6" in many cases.

The VERTEX HV-6 (4-Slot) 6" Horizontal/Vertical Rotary Table with 4-Slot Face Plate. has an actual table diameter of 5.91" or 150MM.

The adapter plates/flanges I see are for a 6" rotary table but they are designed for a 5" chuck. Will keep looking for a front mount chuck flange or may have to make one.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

Thanks for the question. I guess I looked at the issue in simple terms. I figured the 4 jaw was the "do everything" solution. Now I am second guessing that idea.

Having never owned or used a rotary table I am trying to picture the process to dial in (a 4 jaw) for something like drilling a 4 hole pattern in some round plate. I would dial in the chuck body to the rotary table to make sure that is centered and then I would center the work? If the chuck is already mounted and centered, I would just indicate the work in using the 4 jaws?

Running a 3 jaw scroll chuck would require some sort of mounting plate right? Would I then be looking at a smaller chuck to allow bolting to the t-nuts in the rotary table? Now the wheels are turning.

A 2 part answer:
I would Build an MT2 with a pin sticking up and then machine an alignment button with a snug slip fit to the MT2 pin and the ID of the chucks through hole, then aligning the chuck and the table becomes a no brianer.

You can use a front mount chuck as you want, the reason for using a mounting plate in my mind is 2 fold, first you want to use a chuck you already have and must have the plate to mount it and second, you have a D4-1 or some variant and want to be able to easily move from the lathe to the mill without losing your setup (Z axis work envelope will limit the second on many bench top mills.

 

[JustBen]

A 2 part answer:
I would Build an MT2 with a pin sticking up and then machine an alignment button with a snug slip fit to the MT2 pin and the ID of the chucks through hole, then aligning the chuck and the table becomes a no brianer.

You can use a front mount chuck as you want, the reason for using a mounting plate in my mind is 2 fold, first you want to use a chuck you already have and must have the plate to mount it and second, you have a D4-1 or some variant and want to be able to easily move from the lathe to the mill without losing your setup (Z axis work envelope will limit the second on many bench top mills.

I see now. That makes a lot of sense.