ARKM
03-27-2009, 09:07 AM
Hi all. I just modded my rotary table and thought I'd share it with the community but first, an explanation as to why I modded it...
When I need to draw evenly spaced vertical lines on a pipe/tube being used for a saber, I usually use a flexible tape measure normally used in the sewing world to make my initial marks.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/th_FlexibleTapeMeasure.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/FlexibleTapeMeasure.jpg)
However, sometimes the diameter of tubing is such that neither the standard or metric system works well for dividing it equally into many parts. Also, remaking the piece or making it thinner until it does divide equally via the tape measure is sometimes not a valid option. There's got to be a better way! Apparently my predecessor Rob Martinelli (formerly the owner of RLSA Sabers) thought the same thing.
Rob created a rotary table mod by simply machining a simple piece of aluminum that allowed him to rest a lathe chuck in the center of a rotary table. He would then set the table on his drill press and use a drill bit mounted in the drill press chuck as sort of a guide to where each mark should go. However this method was flawed in a couple of ways. First, there was nothing to hold the lathe chuck firmly in place so if you bumped it, it would rotate on the rotary table thus throwing off the measurements. Second, the drill bit was vertical as was the pipe mounted in the modded rotary table so it just rested flat against the pipe instead of pointing directly at the side of it. Because of these flaws, I decided not to use the rotary table when I acquired it from Rob.
Well, I always thought the mod was a good idea and finally decided to take it further when I made a saber part that needed to have 12 evenly spaced marks around the circumference that I just couldn't divide equally using the tape measure.
Just so you know, this is the only rotary table I have ever owned or had any experience with. As such, I don't know what all they can do as mine is apparently missing most of the extra parts that come with a rotary table. This is all I got. Nothing else came with it. No bolts, no "T" or square nuts... nothing.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/th_RotaryTable-01.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/RotaryTable-01.jpg)
Here are all the parts I machined for it. I machined every part except for the round one in the top left corner. That's the part Rob made to hold the lathe chuck to the rotary table.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/th_RotaryTableParts.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/RotaryTableParts.jpg)
Here you can see one of the T-nuts I machined (as well as the top piece) that help hold the lathe chuck in place so that it does not rotate freely when the table is still. The small rubber piece on the lathe chuck is 3/32" textured, adhesive-backed neoprene from McMaster-Carr.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/th_RotaryTable-05.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/RotaryTable-05.jpg)
Here's what the rotary table looks like completed. The square hole is 2" X 2". It has an adjustable pointer to handle different diameters of pipe.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/th_RotaryTable-02.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/RotaryTable-02.jpg)
Here's what is looks like with a piece of pipe in it with the pointer adjusted for it.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/th_RotaryTable-03.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/RotaryTable-03.jpg)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/th_RotaryTable-04.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/RotaryTable-04.jpg)
When I need to draw evenly spaced vertical lines on a pipe/tube being used for a saber, I usually use a flexible tape measure normally used in the sewing world to make my initial marks.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/th_FlexibleTapeMeasure.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/FlexibleTapeMeasure.jpg)
However, sometimes the diameter of tubing is such that neither the standard or metric system works well for dividing it equally into many parts. Also, remaking the piece or making it thinner until it does divide equally via the tape measure is sometimes not a valid option. There's got to be a better way! Apparently my predecessor Rob Martinelli (formerly the owner of RLSA Sabers) thought the same thing.
Rob created a rotary table mod by simply machining a simple piece of aluminum that allowed him to rest a lathe chuck in the center of a rotary table. He would then set the table on his drill press and use a drill bit mounted in the drill press chuck as sort of a guide to where each mark should go. However this method was flawed in a couple of ways. First, there was nothing to hold the lathe chuck firmly in place so if you bumped it, it would rotate on the rotary table thus throwing off the measurements. Second, the drill bit was vertical as was the pipe mounted in the modded rotary table so it just rested flat against the pipe instead of pointing directly at the side of it. Because of these flaws, I decided not to use the rotary table when I acquired it from Rob.
Well, I always thought the mod was a good idea and finally decided to take it further when I made a saber part that needed to have 12 evenly spaced marks around the circumference that I just couldn't divide equally using the tape measure.
Just so you know, this is the only rotary table I have ever owned or had any experience with. As such, I don't know what all they can do as mine is apparently missing most of the extra parts that come with a rotary table. This is all I got. Nothing else came with it. No bolts, no "T" or square nuts... nothing.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/th_RotaryTable-01.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/RotaryTable-01.jpg)
Here are all the parts I machined for it. I machined every part except for the round one in the top left corner. That's the part Rob made to hold the lathe chuck to the rotary table.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/th_RotaryTableParts.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/RotaryTableParts.jpg)
Here you can see one of the T-nuts I machined (as well as the top piece) that help hold the lathe chuck in place so that it does not rotate freely when the table is still. The small rubber piece on the lathe chuck is 3/32" textured, adhesive-backed neoprene from McMaster-Carr.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/th_RotaryTable-05.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/RotaryTable-05.jpg)
Here's what the rotary table looks like completed. The square hole is 2" X 2". It has an adjustable pointer to handle different diameters of pipe.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/th_RotaryTable-02.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/RotaryTable-02.jpg)
Here's what is looks like with a piece of pipe in it with the pointer adjusted for it.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/th_RotaryTable-03.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/RotaryTable-03.jpg)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/th_RotaryTable-04.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/Evil-Henchman/Rotary%20Table%20Mod/RotaryTable-04.jpg)