Free 186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook:  
Get tool plans

User Tag List

Results 1 to 6 of 6

Thread: Understand a Rotary Table with Top Cross Slide

  1. #1
    Supporting Member rgsparber's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Phoenix, AZ
    Posts
    1,321
    Thanks
    778
    Thanked 2,840 Times in 670 Posts

    rgsparber's Tools

    Understand a Rotary Table with Top Cross Slide

    A master machinist friend of mine, Gerry Goldberg, presented a talk on how to use a rotary table with a top cross slide. This is not to be confused with a rotary table with bottom cross slide. I took lots of notes and wrote this article:

    http://rick.sparber.org/rtcs.pdf

    186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook

  2. #2
    Content Editor
    Supporting Member
    DIYer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    3,055
    Thanks
    793
    Thanked 1,888 Times in 1,683 Posts
    Good information, Rick. Something to mention to my machinist friends.

    2,000+ Tool Plans

  3. #3
    Supporting Member rgsparber's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Phoenix, AZ
    Posts
    1,321
    Thanks
    778
    Thanked 2,840 Times in 670 Posts

    rgsparber's Tools
    With so much CNC being used, the old methods like compound rotary tables have fallen out of favor. Yet it is amazing what can be done with these attachments.

  4. #4
    Supporting Member Paul Jones's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Del Mar, California
    Posts
    1,231
    Thanks
    5,810
    Thanked 1,461 Times in 657 Posts

    Paul Jones's Tools
    Rick,

    Thank you for documenting the basics and explaining the logic for this type of XY table configuration with a rotary table. It is easy to get confused so sometimes I write on the table and dials with a marking pen to show which way is in-out, right-left relative to the milling tool and rotation. I have not tried manually machining curved spokes on flywheels but like your article on milling openings, I have read the techniques and would probably do it the first time in wood or plastic to make sure I really understood the movements.

    Thanks for publishing this (and adding the Copyleft protection for sharing),
    Paul

  5. #5
    Supporting Member rgsparber's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Phoenix, AZ
    Posts
    1,321
    Thanks
    778
    Thanked 2,840 Times in 670 Posts

    rgsparber's Tools
    You are most welcome. Yes, it is certainly easy to get turned around with all of these motions. Testing out with wood is a very good idea. In CNC, they often use "machine-able wax" to test out the program. Saves a lot of tool crashes.

  6. #6
    kbalch's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Clermont, FL
    Posts
    5,034
    Thanks
    2,275
    Thanked 532 Times in 384 Posts
    This thread has been moved to the Must Read subforum. Congrats (and thanks) to Rick for making such a valuable contribution!



    2,000+ Tool Plans

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •