Should I get this Bridgeport rotary table?

Nice looking table. iggy would buy it for $10.

Karl

I have a smaller one for less.

i

I would even buy it for $30.

i

sold my rotary table. Not much need for a flat rotary table, except maybe for really large parts that exceed the machine's travel, or if you mount it on its side as an A or B axis. There are better units for that purpose, like a dividing head.

If you don't have a way to accurately position the machine in two axes, then maybe there is still use for such a table.

Jon

I have a rotary table as a 4th axis, now. Definitely no need in a horizontal one.

i

Tom doesn't do CNC. So, this table would be nice.

Sure, just make sure you have a hydraulic lift cart for transporting it from storage to the mills table. I was using a 15" today at work to rework part of an assembly line.

At home I have a 12" rotary still sitting where I unloaded it many years ago. I'm not picking that sucker up until I need to use it. I'll eventually get my own lift cart for home.

Wes

-- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller

I have a 10" tilting RT - bloody heavy - I use an engine hoist to lift it on/off the Bridgeport.

lift cart for

Just keep it on a cart and there is no need for a lift.

i

Well, he should learn! I'll NEVER go back!

Jon

from storage to

ago. I'm not

lift cart for

A cart takes up too much space, I tuck it on the bottom shelf of a cabinet (former tape library roll up door cabinet).

from storage to

assembly line.

ago. I'm not

lift cart for

have you considerred something i call a die cart? It looks kind of like this pic except its just a cable and crank to raise.

I have two, one slides under the roll-in saw when not in use, and the other sits under the end of the large mill.

Like you, floor space is a concern with anything I buy. I already got two pounds of shit in a one pound area.

Karl

I'm curious, do you like to write clever CNC programs? Or just do it all with CAD?

I just wrote this little gem that will cut a taper on my lathe. Specify small diameter, taper angle, and DOC. I made it generic for any future needs (This wouldn't run on any other control without modifing)

• ' Program to cut taper pintle for M3 tripod ' input variables {TAPER=6} 'taper angle {XEND=.750} 'diameter to stop cut at {XSTARTFINAL=1.36} 'final large end I.D. {CUTDEPTH=.020} 'DOC

'calculated variables {LOOPM95=INT((XSTARTFINAL-XEND)/CUTDEPTH)} ' above calculates the number of passes {XSTART=XSTARTFINAL-(LOOPM95*CUTDEPTH)} 'starting diameter,changes in program

M6 T0101 G0 Z1.0 X{XSTART} M3 S500 G0 Z0

N100 'LOOP POINT {XSTART=XSTART+CUTDEPTH} {ZLENGTH=-(XSTART-XEND)*(TAN(90-TAPER))/2}

G0 Z0 X{XSTART} G01 Z{ZLENGTH} X{XEND} F.01 G0 Z0 M95 N100 'LOOP TO N100 M5 G0 Z2

Karl

I keep one on my boat as a back-up anchor

I almost never use CAD/CAM, ie. drafting in a CAD package and then converting with CAM. But, then, I so rarely do anything that isn't pure 2D work. Almost everything is cutting holes in panels.

So, I have a bunch of programs that write efficient G-code to cut rectangular and round holes in sheet, and stitch the output of these programs together to make one program for the entire part. I find this to be WAY faster than CAD/CAM. The program has built-in figures for roughing feeds and generates the roughing and finishing passes from just a few supplied values. I have versions for cutting the whole shape and trepanning, but almost always use the trepanning version when the cut goes all the way through.

Jon