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20th Apr 2011, 04:26 PM #1.
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Universal Table Adjuster for Euro Mill
Ken made a comment a while back when he viewed a photo of the universal table on my mill set at an angle. It was about the need to accurately realign the table after each acrobatic manoeuvre. The realignment is tedious. Plenty of tapping with a hide mallet and checking with an indicator. Found a use for the cable release on the Mahr indicator. I had been using a Chinese parallel to straddle the tee slots until I found out on Sunday that the parallel didn't live up to it's name.
Deckel produced a series of technical bulletins for their machine owners. These bulletins contained a lot of useful information and included tips from users. One tip was a fine adjuster for X axis rotation. The catch with the design is the inability to install and remove the adjuster without either leaving a tee nut in place which limits the amount of rotation, or having to completely dismantle the table to remove the nut. I think I have worked out a way around this by having a nut that would twist into place.
I think at least four forum members have these tables. Phillip "metalman" has come up with a different style of adjuster based on using a nut and bolt as a screw jack. This is placed between the table and a cast rib on the table mount. My understanding of Phillip's device is that two spanners are required for adjustment. The other adjuster uses a single hex key.
Here are a few photos. I might have a go at this over the weekend. A nice cast iron project.
BT
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20th Apr 2011, 04:45 PM #2Most Valued Member
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Bob, once the table is in the correct position is it possible to machine up appropriate size "spacers" that you could bolt in to appropriate positions and use them as stops for when you need the table back in the horizontal position. Remove them for when you need full table travel. When you need to return the table to horizontal, reinsert these spacers/stops and move the table back to them. Hopefully that makes sense.
While removable stops may not result in the table returning to absolutely perfect position, done properly it should be possible to get the table VERY close, and would possibly allow a much closer starting point from which to fine tune the table if you felt it was necessary.
Pete
Edit: Upon further thought, I'm sure a man of your talent Bob could even incorporate some form of thread within the whole design, thereby dispensing with the rawhide altogether ... well unless you're in to that sort of thing of course
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20th Apr 2011, 07:30 PM #3Dave J Guest
Hi Bob,
What about something like below. The swivel foot with the thin rubber pad (or elec tape) would stop any scratching on your machine and having it under the adjustment bolt would allow it to be swung down out of the way when you tilt the table.
Dave
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20th Apr 2011, 10:03 PM #4
I was just ruminating over my universal table, and I think a Norris adjuster style jack, in 1/2" or larger stock, would be all that was required. An eye (or rod end) to fit over an extended tee-stud. If you made it with both left and right hand threads it would be a one-spanner adjustment. But it would only work in the tilt-up direction unless it could also be fixed to the casting flange.
(Just like Dave has illustrated above, on edit. I should have refreshed before I posted)
I have to admit that I don't think I'll be leaving mine on all the time as I also have the fixed table. Depends on what kind of crane I end up with near the machines, as I cannot lift and fasten either one of those tables without the risk of injury or death. or worse.
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20th Apr 2011, 11:04 PM #5.
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Thank you for your suggestions, Pete, Dave and Greg. I was talking to Phillip on Friday about this and I mentioned that I had entertained the idea of some kind of floor mounted screw jack. The advantage of such a thing would be it's ability to provide adjustment to both the X and Z axes. I may still have a go at the Deckelesque adjuster because it looks like it might be a quick and simple little thing to make.
I wouldn't swap the universal table for a fixed table but having the fixed version also would sure be handy. Still, I have my 1um Mahr indicator for some fine tuning of the universal, it's just that the process is a pain the freckle.
BT
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25th Apr 2011, 09:43 PM #6.
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Success
I just finished my Deckelesque table adjuster and could not be happier with the way it works. I based it loosely on the adjuster designed by Peter Fischer in the illustration above but changed a couple of things. His design features a tee nut that is only removable by dismantling the table and he has a single locating lug or key on the underside of the body of the adjuster. I thought a continuous curved key would be more positive and an easily removable tee nut, an improvement. Having a mental aberration that makes me disinclined to prepare drawings for myself meant the first attempt at milling the curved key was a failure because it was upside down. The radius was greater than I could acheive with my little 6 inch table hence the Mickey Mouse outrigger. Still, the results were o.k, the process, nerve racking. The rest of the milling was straight forward. I remembed reading years ago about ball bearings being useful as parallels. I found out how true that was today. The curved key was in the way preventing the use of normal parallels.
I finished it off with my Blackfast solution and installed it. With the table loosened, an effortless turn of the cap screw gently raises or lowers the table. I will try out the Mahr Millimess 1um indicator tomorrow.
BT
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25th Apr 2011, 09:52 PM #7Product designer retired
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AB,
You've done it again. And here's me thinking you just buy stuff to have, and don't actually make anything.
Nice concept, and matches the non green mill perfectly.
Good stuff,
Ken
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25th Apr 2011, 10:20 PM #8Dave J Guest
Looks good Bob and good to hear it works the way you want it to.
Ken,
Come on, Bob has shown plenty of projects to show he uses the gear.
Dave
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25th Apr 2011, 10:23 PM #9
Hi Bob,
Nice job, and well thought out. Congratulations.
Regards
Ray
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25th Apr 2011, 10:44 PM #10Most Valued Member
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Evening Bob,
Came up great. How did you get the nice radius around the counter bore? on the rotary table?
Stuart
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25th Apr 2011, 10:44 PM #11.
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Thanks Boys.
It's always a bonus when something works better than you expected. Deckel wouldn't have included it in their publication if it was not a successful idea. The skewed nut was the success for me. Rounding off the body behind the mounting screw enables me see whether the nut is properly seated. The thing can be installed and removed in a few seconds. I had entertained the idea of spring loading the nut to aid in it's positioning in the tee slot but as it turns out I can easily move the nut into place with my finger.
Bob.
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25th Apr 2011, 10:46 PM #12Product designer retired
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Dave,
are you suggesting that I question whether AB actually makes things. I'm pretty sure he doesn't race down to the local farrier or blacksmith, have something whipped up, race back home, then set it up on the mill with a fair sprinkling of cast iron dust, and say, wallah.
"Here's the pictures".
To say such a thing, you need another top-up.
Ken
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25th Apr 2011, 10:51 PM #13.
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Stu,
Eyeballed it using the disc sander on the end of my grinder. Should have changed the sanding disc. Those things generate too much heat when they are close to worn out. Still burnt my fingers through a leather glove. Laziness comes with a price
Bob
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25th Apr 2011, 11:00 PM #14.
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I'm with Dave, KJ. I thought "what the f... more do I need to do!" I was thinking you had me branded as a bloody dilettante because of my toy collection.
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25th Apr 2011, 11:05 PM #15Dave J Guest
Ken,
I took yours as a joke and thought mine would be taken the same way. I don't think anything I have seen of Bob's that looks like it came from a farrier or blacksmith, those guys don't leave that kind of finish.
I will have another cupa, since I gave away drinking 3 years ago.
Dave