- Joined
- Sep 5, 2013
- Messages
- 3,743
Aaahhh, thaaat explains it.........
Just joshin’ — my parents were 45 and 47 when I happened along.
-f
-
Welcome back Guest! Did you know you can mentor other members here at H-M? If not, please check out our Relaunch of Hobby Machinist Mentoring Program!
What Did You Buy Today?
- Thread starter darkzero
- Start date
Just joshin’ — my parents were 45 and 47 when I happened along.
-f
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2018
- Messages
- 469
Just got a new-to-me Spanish-made Enco 12" vertical/horizontal rotary table!
And man, did I score a good one....
I purchased this RT at an auction for the shop tools of a high school a few hours away (bummer that it was shutting down its shop, but that's the way of the world it seems). I didn't have the time or desire to drive all that way to inspect, so I figured I'd take a bit of a gamble and bid on it, sight unseen, based on a few photos (the two below plus a few more). I reckoned chances were high that it was beat to hell, as it was coming out of a high school. I was high bid. And after fees, taxes, etc., I ended up paying $220 for it.
I just spent the last couple evenings completely disassembling it and cleaning it up. And boy howdy, thing is CLEAN. There's not a single apprentice mark on the entire thing; not a single drill mark in the face, absolutely zero wear anywhere. The circular V-way was scraped in (or at least flaked) and there is zero evidence of any wear there either. The more I dug into it, the more I became convinced that the high school bought it, stuck it in a corner, and never used it. Seriously though, I would honestly be surprised if it was used more than 5 times. Ever.
Now, the best part! A few days after I won the auction (but before I got my hands on the RT), I got a letter in the mail from the auction house, saying they found this while doing some clean-out. How cool! And really, really nice for the guys to send it over my way. The hand-written test card shows the angular deviation all the way 'round the circle, and concludes it's +/-24" to true. For reference, here are some claimed rotational accuracies of other similarly sized tables:
Moore (Ultra) -- 4"
Moore (Standard) -- 24"
Yuasa -- 45"
this Enco -- 48"
Troyke -- 60"
Phase II -- ~80".
So it's good, it just ain't a Moore.
It looks damn huge sitting on the table of my Bridgeport, whether lying flat or standing upright. And the thing weighs a ton (well, about 170 pounds actually). I'm a young, fit guy, but holy cow, that's a lot of weight to lug around! I certainly couldn't lift it from ground level up to the mill table without putting my toes (and the RT) in serious jeopardy.
By the way, the number "19" was stamped into both the base casting and on the underside of the table. Is this really the 19th one of these made? Based on the calibration card, it was born in June of 1980, so it just turned 40 years young!
The worm/gear set is a 90:1 ratio, so one handle turn equals 4 degrees. It's graduated in minutes, with a vernier reading to 6 seconds. As a special bonus, it has 36 direct indexing detents around the perimeter to accommodate a spring-loaded pin. Definitely will be a time saver if I want 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, or 36 divisions.
So what do you guys do with large rotary tables? Leave it mounted on the mill table? Or only install it when you need it? I'm going tomorrow to check out one of those Hoyer-style medical lifts, which are quite a bit smaller than a regular engine hoist (capacity of 400#). Priced reasonably, so unless it's not working, I'll probably snatch it up.
Anyway, I simply could not be more pleased with this purchase. Other than some flaked-off paint, the thing is essentially new.
And man, did I score a good one....
I purchased this RT at an auction for the shop tools of a high school a few hours away (bummer that it was shutting down its shop, but that's the way of the world it seems). I didn't have the time or desire to drive all that way to inspect, so I figured I'd take a bit of a gamble and bid on it, sight unseen, based on a few photos (the two below plus a few more). I reckoned chances were high that it was beat to hell, as it was coming out of a high school. I was high bid. And after fees, taxes, etc., I ended up paying $220 for it.
I just spent the last couple evenings completely disassembling it and cleaning it up. And boy howdy, thing is CLEAN. There's not a single apprentice mark on the entire thing; not a single drill mark in the face, absolutely zero wear anywhere. The circular V-way was scraped in (or at least flaked) and there is zero evidence of any wear there either. The more I dug into it, the more I became convinced that the high school bought it, stuck it in a corner, and never used it. Seriously though, I would honestly be surprised if it was used more than 5 times. Ever.
Now, the best part! A few days after I won the auction (but before I got my hands on the RT), I got a letter in the mail from the auction house, saying they found this while doing some clean-out. How cool! And really, really nice for the guys to send it over my way. The hand-written test card shows the angular deviation all the way 'round the circle, and concludes it's +/-24" to true. For reference, here are some claimed rotational accuracies of other similarly sized tables:
Moore (Ultra) -- 4"
Moore (Standard) -- 24"
Yuasa -- 45"
this Enco -- 48"
Troyke -- 60"
Phase II -- ~80".
So it's good, it just ain't a Moore.
It looks damn huge sitting on the table of my Bridgeport, whether lying flat or standing upright. And the thing weighs a ton (well, about 170 pounds actually). I'm a young, fit guy, but holy cow, that's a lot of weight to lug around! I certainly couldn't lift it from ground level up to the mill table without putting my toes (and the RT) in serious jeopardy.
By the way, the number "19" was stamped into both the base casting and on the underside of the table. Is this really the 19th one of these made? Based on the calibration card, it was born in June of 1980, so it just turned 40 years young!
The worm/gear set is a 90:1 ratio, so one handle turn equals 4 degrees. It's graduated in minutes, with a vernier reading to 6 seconds. As a special bonus, it has 36 direct indexing detents around the perimeter to accommodate a spring-loaded pin. Definitely will be a time saver if I want 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, or 36 divisions.
So what do you guys do with large rotary tables? Leave it mounted on the mill table? Or only install it when you need it? I'm going tomorrow to check out one of those Hoyer-style medical lifts, which are quite a bit smaller than a regular engine hoist (capacity of 400#). Priced reasonably, so unless it's not working, I'll probably snatch it up.
Anyway, I simply could not be more pleased with this purchase. Other than some flaked-off paint, the thing is essentially new.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2019
- Messages
- 6,852
Aaahhh, thaaat explains it.........
Just joshin’ — my parents were 45 and 47 when I happened along.
-f
Jeepers, that’s almost exactly the age of my parents.
Dad was 48, mom was 42. Dad was ex-Canadian army, joined up in ‘38, was on the front lines from Sicily in 1943 to the end in Holland.
Let’s just say I had basic training as a child.
On Saturdays he’d go to the mall and before going out separate ways, we’d “synchronize watches”.
He was my hero. Really miss him.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2013
- Messages
- 3,743
Oops — looks like my math is a bit out. Like nearly ten years!
I had an uncle who was in Italy and Berlin as a medic but my Dad was a bit too young yet. Reserves only, D-Company I think out of Grande Prairie. Married my Mom in ‘49. I don’t think you ever stop missing them.
-f
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2014
- Messages
- 3,575
You got a great deal there.
I leave my RT off the mill until it's needed.
IMHO, you're exactly on the right track, pursuing a hydraulic device to help handle it. You'll never regret it.
I want to touch on DavidR8's story. I am convinced that the dumbing down of America began with the self cancelling turn signal, so it might be best to view this as comedy.
My dad made flash cards & drilled me daily on multiplication (in the 1st grade). I like math & had great skills. (Thanks Dad!) But, by high school trig, calculators were becoming mandatory. I resisted & still completed my tests within the allotted time with great scores. Then the teacher finally swore to flunk me if I didn't use a calculator. Been dumbing down ever since.
Fast forward. My daughter is in elementary. The assignment was division. So, I taught her how to do real long hand division. Next day, she is 1st to finish the test & has all her answers right. The teacher marked it as an 'F' because she didn't guestimate the answers in the same manner as was being taught. Dumbing down of America. It's tough to get people to understand that to excel it's practically necessary to pretend you can't think outside the boxes assigned to your position. Sometimes pissing off the higher ups is the only thanks you can hope for when going above & beyond!
My dad made flash cards & drilled me daily on multiplication (in the 1st grade). I like math & had great skills. (Thanks Dad!) But, by high school trig, calculators were becoming mandatory. I resisted & still completed my tests within the allotted time with great scores. Then the teacher finally swore to flunk me if I didn't use a calculator. Been dumbing down ever since.
Fast forward. My daughter is in elementary. The assignment was division. So, I taught her how to do real long hand division. Next day, she is 1st to finish the test & has all her answers right. The teacher marked it as an 'F' because she didn't guestimate the answers in the same manner as was being taught. Dumbing down of America. It's tough to get people to understand that to excel it's practically necessary to pretend you can't think outside the boxes assigned to your position. Sometimes pissing off the higher ups is the only thanks you can hope for when going above & beyond!
Aukai, Yes, big score. Very happy - overwhelmed actually. Right happy with that organizer holding up so much weight. But, yeah, the disturbing part: there are always ways to work around these things & keep a positive attitude. In 24 hours it hasn't sagged at all. But I erred on the side of caution & moved the large stack down to the table top. Oh the rearranging I'm faced with now!
Last edited:
There have been a lot of auctions in MN this summer with lots of things I need/want. T&C, grinders, SG's giant surface plates. Since I'm in the middle of a move that won't end until fall I had to pass on everything. Looking for a Wells Index if anyone has a connection. So I had to settle for a dumb old new end mill at 80% off of retail
.
.