How to set up a rotary table tailstock

I've had my Vertex rotary table for years and have often used the dividing plates etc, but now have a job that needs the support from the tailstock. I've never used one before and the Vertex one has up & down movement and can be set at an angle.

How do I set it up to be parallel to the milling table and at centre height?

Brian

Brian,

i have a similar set up. Turned a short slug of bar with a centre hole in it, held in chuck on RT (clocking concentric) and set the centre of the tailstock in it and nipped up. On my crank for example I mounted that in chuck and on the tailstock centre then clocked along the top to verify, if I remember right it was about 5 thou high so tapped it into line and locked up solid. Then repeated on the side tapping side to side to bring it spot on and fully tightend down. Other ways to do it particularly height using vernier height gage etc but it worked for me and it wasn't difficult.

Paul.

Thanks Paul, I think I can do it by clocking the job as you suggest. I suppose that it doesn't matter (within reason) what the tailstock centre is doing as long as the job is correct.

Fortunately, the job is more decorative than precise.

Brian

Watch out if you're clocking around a part by mounting the gauge off the rotating table. Keep your setup as short and rigid as possible so that the stem holding the dial gauge doesn't bend as the orientation changes. You'll end up with a part that clocks perfectly but isn't concentric.

Faced with the same problem, this was how I went about it.

Remove centre from tailstock, mount in lathe and trim it, (Mine was hard and OK! )

My tailstock had Dowel holels in the base, so turn up two stepped dowels and fit to tailstock.

Fit an ER Collet chuck to Rotary table.

Put a collet into the Collet Chuck, that fits the OD of the Tailstock centre.

Clamp Tailstock to Milling machine table, leaving adjusters loose.

Load Rotary table to Milling machine table, but leave fasteners loose..

Grip Tailstock centre in collet.

Clamp Rotary Table to Milling machine table

Tighten clamps fo0r the tailstock centre.

The Tailstock centre is now correctly aligned in the vertical plane.

And the Rotary table is aligned with the Tailstock.

It is worth positioning the Rotary Table at one end of the Milling machine table, so if there is a need to reposition the Tailstock, the dowels will maintain alignment in the horizontal plane.

HTH

Howard

Many thanks Howard for that detailed description, it is much appreciated and saved for future use.

My problem was that my vertical mill table is not quite long enough for the rotary table, job and tailstock but I have a suitable cutter whereas my horizontal mill has enough table length but I don't have a suitable cutter!

I suppose that I could have mounted the end mill in the horizontal but then It's difficult to see what's going on and..... the DRO has stopped working! Such is life.

Brian

Brian,

Would it be worth / possible, making up a longer sub table for the vertical mill, long enough to take all three?

It everything will fit onto the horizontal mill, would a mirror enable you to see what is going on; (as long as you remember to cross arms and legs to allow for the visual reversal! )

Howard

Many thanks for the suggestion Howard, this is the first time I've been in this position in 50 years and if it ever happens again then I'll use the horizontal (once I've made up a 30int holder for collets!

Brian