Thread: Dividing head weight

I'm able to borrow some mechanical crane scales from work, so a couple of weeks ago I thought it would be a good idea to weigh my dividing head and rotary table.
So I borrowed a 50 Kg set. Hooked up the Diving head and the scale immediately went off the scale. Hmm.
Fast forward to last weekend when I borrowed the 100kg set.

div head weigh.jpg

Head is an old MAS with a no 5 morse taper in the spindle bore

Also weighed the rotary table

rotab weigh.jpg

Table is 300mm dia. No brand but it looks old European to me and its all metric. The finish where it matters is really good but where it doesn't its a bit rough. Its also got a keyed input shaft on the back with a forward and reverse gearbox on it. So all of the above makes me think that it might be WWII German maybe?

I really didn't think either of them were that heavy. No wonder I cant lift them, and there I was thinking it was because I'm just getting older.

This is why you don't leave them parked on the end of the table.
Peter

Amazing what a lump of steel (or CI) can weigh. I'm slowly installing a small jib crane for precisely that reason in my shed. There are days when that dividing head is just too heavy.

Michael

I'm surprised the DH is heavier than the RT, I also have a 300mm RT of unknown make and I reckon it's way heavier than my Paradisi universal DH but have never weighed either. In fact I occasionally lift the RT onto the mill by hand (it lives on a board at the foot end of the lathe, so already at waist height) but don't even consider it with the RT. Good point about not leaving them on the mill table. I have a gantry that swings over the lathe, mill and shaper, already got enough titanium screwed to my spine.