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Looking for a Lathe Face Plate and a Lathe Dog Drive Plate

YYCHobbyMachinist said:
I can't picture how that's going to work????? How are you going to achieve radial slots without re-positioning the plate for each slot?
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I plan to put a couple of stops on the table that the plate will register against.
I'll blue the face, use a centre finding adapter on my Mitu combo square and scribe two lines at 90 degrees.
I will put a straight edge along the scribed line and use a DTI to tram the plate parallel with the long axis of the table, similar to tramming a vise.
Once it's trammed in I'll lock it down and mill.
I will have to rotate it for the next slots as my rotary table is only 6" diameter
 
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@Brent H Do you have any doubts about this setup??

SetUp.JPG
 
@YYCHobbyMachinist : hard to say without being there, but: do you have clearance to run right through - first passes to cut your relief and last passes to cut through? Basically so you do not have to move your assembly. Can you lock down the rotary table solid so it will not move when you are running the slots? Once it’s all locked down can you apply the “Craig strong arm” and all stays solid? Cutters sharp, speeds and feeds gentle to ease into it? If you have it solid, you should be good.
 
One down seven to go......:p

1stSlot.JPG


She's holding just fine so far. 0.005 DOC so lots of back and forths but it's going very smoothly. The RT doesn't have a locking mechanism but it didn't budge from setting. I put blobs of paint on all the mounting points as witness marks so that I could keep an eye out for things moving but so far so good. Rechecked everything was still tight every tool change. Probably going to take the better part of tomorrow to finish her. Might get one more slot done tonight.

Got to figure out a way to rig up my shopvac so I don't have to pause every pass to bend over, pickup the nozzle, turn it on and vacuum out the swarf. That activity alone is a killer.

Craig
 
Very nice Craig although I have questions on your project without my reviewing all earlier posts.

1. Is the face plate cast iron or mild steel ?
2. What size holes did you drill ?
3. What sizes of mill ends did you use ?
4. What speeds are you running your mill at ?
5. What depth of cut are you taking ?
 
Dusty said:
Very nice Craig although I have questions on your project without my reviewing all earlier posts.

1. Is the face plate cast iron or mild steel ?
2. What size holes did you drill ?
3. What sizes of mill ends did you use ?
4. What speeds are you running your mill at ?
5. What depth of cut are you taking ?
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1. mild steel (@Brent H what is this stuff?)
2. 3/8"
3. 3/8" and 9/16"
4. 900 and 600 RPM
5. 0.005" (could probably go 0.01 but don't want to risk it)

Loving my VFD! Running 65 Hz and 45 Hz when belted for 770 RPM.
 
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5 Down and then...….

5Slots.JPG


The RT decided to shift 2.5 deg on the second pass on slot 6?

RTShift.JPG


I'm a little perplexed by this other than my endmills were starting to complain. I was contemplating an endmill tune up before proceeding but thought I might get one more pass in.

Vibration? I didn't thing it felt that bad???
 
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YYCHobbyMachinist said:
5 Down and then...….

View attachment 12613

The RT decided to shift 2.5 deg on the second pass on slot 6?

View attachment 12614

I'm a little perplexed by this other than my endmills were starting to complain. I was contemplating an endmill tune up before proceeding but thought I might get one more pass in.

Vibration? I didn't thing it felt that bad???
Click to expand...
Well that sucks. There's no way to lock the rotation?
 
@YYCHobbyMachinist - only thing I can suggest or possible cause is if you changed the position, over shot, and then dialled back to the angle without taking out the backlash- as in over dial backward and then dial back to proper angle?
 
Ends up there is a whole quadrant on the RT that gets kind of goosy-loosely such that you can turn the table (sort of) without using the crank:oops:

BOTOM.JPG


There are some bronze clamps in it that should act as locks and they were screwed down hard.....

SCREWS.JPG


This is one of the clamp adjustment screws (there are two). Maybe replace them with hex head cap screws or perhaps it's time for another washer or maybe the clamps are worn out? What ever is going on it's not holding.
 
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YYCHobbyMachinist said:
Ends up there is a whole quadrant on the RT that gets kind of goosy-loosely such that you can turn the table (sort of) without using the crank:oops:

View attachment 12620

There are some bronze clamps in it that should act as locks and they were screws down hard.....

View attachment 12621

This one of the clamp adjustment screws (there are two). Maybe replace them with hex head cap screws or perhaps it's time for another washer or maybe the clamps are worn out? What ever is going on it's not holding.
Click to expand...
I'd definitely sort that out before I did any more. If it shifted on a pass where the end mill is deeper down it could be ugly.
 
David_R8 said:
I'd definitely sort that out before I did any more. If it shifted on a pass where the end mill is deeper down it could be ugly.
Click to expand...

Ya, I hear ya. I'm dead in the water right now. RT is off the mill while I sort this out.
 
RT's have backlash just like any leadscrew system so its real important to back off X amount of degrees, approach the target angle from the same direction, with no putting in reverse along the way. If you have angular float in the table just sitting there, then I would suspect that worm gear has worn (assuming the ring gear teeth are in good shape & harder material). Now whether you can find or make that part, you'd have to investigate. It looks pretty good in the picture but hard to judge from here.

I think clamps are pretty important for RTs, hopefully something is out of adjustment on what look like clamp toe pads or can be re-made if worn. Or maybe the screws. When you first said no clamps I thought you meant the RT didn't have any period, but I think you mean they are there but don't function?
 
PeterT said:
When you first said no clamps I thought you meant the RT didn't have any period, but I think you mean they are there but don't function?
Click to expand...

They were there but could never get them to lock the table. Both were turned in hard. Not sure they are meant to be locks?

I know about the back lash issue. If I over shoot I go back 30+ deg and re-approach.
 
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