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  1. #1
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    Default Milling machine rotary table

    Hi all, Been perusing the internet looking at milling machines again. Just wondering : what advantages does a machine with a rotary table have ?
    Not talking about a rotary table as in an accessory, I mean the milling machine's own work table.

  2. #2
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    Only ones I knew of that do that are Maho. It's pretty cool being able to mill multiple features with one setup also you don't lose a bunch of rigidity to a stack of table-rotary table-vice.

    Also on euro mills like the maho, schaublin deckel etc you have very limited Z room so this buys you back a bunch.

  3. #3
    BobL is offline Member: Blue and white apron brigade
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    Quote Originally Posted by phaser View Post
    Hi all, Been perusing the internet looking at milling machines again. Just wondering : what advantages does a machine with a rotary table have ?
    Not talking about a rotary table as in an accessory, I mean the milling machine's actual table.
    It depends what you are milling. If you have to do heaps of rotary work then having a mill that is basically rotary is a plus but less so if you need to do mainly linear milling.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by caskwarrior View Post
    Only ones I knew of that do that are Maho. It's pretty cool being able to mill multiple features with one setup also you don't lose a bunch of rigidity to a stack of table-rotary table-vice.

    Also on euro mills like the maho, schaublin deckel etc you have very limited Z room so this buys you back a bunch.
    This one has it.
    See picture 10
    https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/M577

  5. #5
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    That table rotates but not a full 360 degrees so it's not like it makes having a RT obsolete.

    Being able to rotate the table by +/- 30 degrees (or so) would be very handy and speed up certain setups.

    It's definitely not a replacement for a RT or an indexing head.

    Simon

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    Sorry I should clear it up, on mahos it's a full 360 spin, plus 30 deg tilt all directions, wasn't talking about a universal mill.

  7. #7
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    I have the belt drive version of that mill, I hardly ever use the swivel table feature (probably +- 30°), maybe twice in the last 10 years.
    When I do need to swivel the work I find it easier to lift the vice and put its swivel base back underneath. Or for a long piece that is bolted to the table I find it easier to bolt the work at the required angle.

    The swivel has 4 bolts, the front 2 are easy to get to, the back 2 are a pain. YMMV.

    A swivel table is essential for cutting helical gears.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by bob ward View Post
    I have the belt drive version of that mill, I hardly ever use the swivel table feature (probably +- 30°), maybe twice in the last 10 years.
    When I do need to swivel the work I find it easier to lift the vice and put its swivel base back underneath. Or for a long piece that is bolted to the table I find it easier to bolt the work at the required angle.

    The swivel has 4 bolts, the front 2 are easy to get to, the back 2 are a pain. YMMV.

    A swivel table is essential for cutting helical gears.
    Actually, the one referred to is belt drive.
    Helical gears eh ? that's at least one good reason to have it.
    What are more uses ? I figure enough good reasons to have a swiveling table, need to out-way the pain of resetting it back to zero.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by caskwarrior View Post
    Sorry I should clear it up, on mahos it's a full 360 spin, plus 30 deg tilt all directions, wasn't talking about a universal mill.
    Hmmmm my fault actually. I should have called it a swiveling table, not rotary.

  10. #10
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    As Simon and Bob have said, that is a swivel table, rather than a rotary table. Handy for cutting helical gears, or milling objects that are tapered, where you might mill one face with the table trammed, then swing the table around to mill the opposing face so that you have a precise taper on the object without releasing and resetting the workpiece. Would most likely not be as rigid a setup as a mill of similar size, weight and capacity without the swivel arrangement, but more rigid than a mill with a swivel vice.

    A rotary table is like a dividing head without the dividing plates, and with a graduated handwheel to operate it. There is a reduction gear system involved between the handwheel and table surface, often 40:1, sometimes 90:1. They are typically used to mill a radius or drill a PCD hole pattern in the absence of a modern DRO with PCD positions based on X and Y axis movements.

    Personally, if I was looking to buy a mill, I would be more interested in one with greater table travels than one with a swivel table, unless I knew in advance that I would be concentrating on small work pieces, or doing work that definitely needed the swivel capability. Whenever you adjust the swivel system, you need to set up sine bars etc so that you can position it precisely, then need to reset it accurately before you can revert to normal operations. This is an added complication in machine setup for jobs, possibly for little added benefit unless you absolutely know that you need the capability.
    I used to be an engineer, I'm not an engineer any more, but on the really good days I can remember when I was.

  11. #11
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    Ok so which type of X Y Z feed is better ?

    1/ external accessory electric variable speed mounted on handle
    2/ internal gearbox

  12. #12
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    Internal gear boxes are more grunty (I have I think a 1kW motor on mine) but as far as I know have a finite number of set speeds. Electronic ones are typically fully variable (at least the ones I've seen) but are nowhere near as powerful.
    I've never found my geared feeds lacking and if given the choice I'd go that way again.

    Michael

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