Rotary Table for Taig?

Last year I went through the same quandary and wound up getting a manual Sherline rotary table for my Taig mill. You don’t need an adapter to mount it horizontally, but I did make my own vertical mount. I also have the tailstock for using it when mounted vertically and need to make a new mount for it (piece of angle with four hoes in it) because the original one won’t mount centered with the rotary table (the t slots are spaced differently on the Taig than on the Sherline).

it’s a nice little rotary table. Accurate, solid, versatile, smooth, and well finished.

another thing I made for it is an adapter for my lathe’s chucks to screw mount centered on the rotary table. I’ve used it a few times already, and it’s really nice being able to move the work piece back and forth between the lathe and mill without having to remove it from the chuck only to have to re-center it again.
 
Thank you for your advice guys. I now have a Sherline rotary table and tilting plate for it.

I'm wanting to make my own sacrificial machinist plate for the Taig, from 6061 T6 and a Taig flycutter.
Since I've got you Taig-owners captive, lol, I would could really use some feedback on tramming the Taig mill. I did post a tramming question in another post, but hardly any guys chiming in.

I understand that tramming the Taig will become a regular endeavour, as it can be bumped out of true often / easily......so I'm told.
Traming the X axis is straight forward and easily done. Mine is within .001 over an 7" span. I can live with that.
Tramming the Y axis ain't that straight forward......little information on the net or you tube on doing this.

Mine is "out" about .005 over a 7" span, with the column leaning towards the front. How do I correct this?
If I shim between the column ways and the aluminum dovetail mount, the "correction" will only be accurate at that specific height in the Z axis travel.....and, I'll prolly just put a bend into the ways with shimming and tightening the bolts down.
Hummm. Shim between the base and the column??

What do you guys do to correct this Y axis tilt?

Thanks.
 
Been years since I used a Taig. If you could post pictures of how the column is mounted to the base, it would be helpful.
 
I saw that posting. On mine, it was dead-on in the Y axis - no tramming needed. On the X axis, i've checked it a couple of times since originally setting it up - it hasn't moved.

I've seen some tall vertical tramming adjustment brackets that others have made. They attach to the bench on either side of the post and have adjustment screws that extend through threaded holes in the bracket. The end of the screw (one on each side of the post) adjusts in or how depending on which way you turn the screw. This gives you a "positive" way to zero it in. It looks like a good idea, but when i trammed mine, it only took me about 10 minutes to do snugging up the bolt that attaches the post to the base and giving a series of light taps with a mallet until it was whithin a half-thou. Then i just tightened up the bolt and double checked the accuracy.

For the Y, unless you think you'll be setting the column off square regularly, i think i'd simply shim the mating surface between the post and base. Shimming between the 3" wide z axis rail and the post would work as well, but is more involved. Metal shim stock is certainly a good option, though many an old-school machinist kept a pack of cigarette rolling papers in their stash for the same purposes when you need something even thinner. The thickness is quite consistent, oil won't damage it, and once set, it doesn't compress when loaded, even if stacking multiple layers. Hit it with a bit of oil or wd40 to keep it from attracting moisture / causing rust.

By the way, here's the vertical mount i made from some 3/8" aluminum plate and some screws.
IMG_3091.JPGIMG_3163.JPG
 
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Well, i guess i eat my words. I looked up the Taig video on tramming (he calls it "sweeping the table")
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and it says to shim the aluminum dovetail block attached to the z axis column. Which makes good sense.
Have at it.
paulh
 
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