Mounting a Vertex HHV 100 Rotary Table

[Chris Taylor 3Participant @christaylor3]

Hello, I've recently bought a Vertex HHV 100 rotary table specifically to set up for cutting small gears on my small milling machine. The table has two ground faces to enable the spindle to be set vertically or horizontally and obviously I need it to be horizontal with the spindle parallel to the table. It can be fixed with the spindle vertical using clamps inserted into the oval slots, but I cannot see an obvious way of fixing it horizontally without milling slots in the lip on the front edge, see photo which seems drastic on a new machine.

At the back of the casting, machined into the surface there are slots with tapped holes that may be something to do with clamping, but so far, the supplier can't tell me anything about them….

There's not enough room to clamp at the front below the chuck, so I am at a bit of a loss, can anyone advise?

[Chris Taylor 3Participant @christaylor3]

[David lawrence 3Participant @davidlawrence3]

Hi, I am just about to do the same job on my mill with a 6" rotary table, cutting wheels for my clock. I put a large angle plate on the left side to stop the table moving and on the right side 2 clamps which were held by the t slots and then clamped to the small flange on the bottom of the rotary table, it all worked ok. my table had a 4" chuck mounted onto it to hold a mounting plate so there was a bit more weight which helped it all stay still. I will try to put up some pictures later to show. I have a stepper motor driving the table to give all the divisions any body needs.

[Martin ConnellyParticipant @martinconnelly55370]

The slots in the base are for fitting tenons. These are to locate it in a slot on a table.

**LINK**

I think you need to clamp it using long studs and tall packers to apply pressure on what is the top face when set up as shown in your picture.

Martin

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Couple of clamps on the lip will work, in the long term I would probably think about milling a couple of slots that line up with your tee slots

[John ShepherdParticipant @johnshepherd38883]

Chris>>

Here is my solution for what it is worth. I also have another short version of the clamp like the one used on the rear for when the chuck is not in use. They work for both vertical and horizontal mounting.>>

[VicParticipant @vic]

That looks like a threaded hole in your second picture Chris. Perhaps you could mill up a suitable "foot" to bolt in there? You could then put a clamp on it. Also, have you had a look at the Vertex website, perhaps they picture something?

**LINK**

[John ShepherdParticipant @johnshepherd38883]

Vic

That hole is only 4mm so useless for any form of clamping, it is useful for attaching alignment guides though.

Chris

Be aware that the division plate instructions provided by Vertex have mistakes, it has been covered recently on this forum but if you can't find the thread and need an updated chart, let me know.

Regards

John

[David lawrence 3Participant @davidlawrence3]

John, those 2 special made clamps for the rotary table look fab. I shall have to make some for myself now, saves lots of set up time.

[Chris Taylor 3Participant @christaylor3]

Thanks everyone, the problem is really the small size of the rotary table, I have tried standard clamps by there is no room on the front face and with a chuck fitted there will be less. I've taken another couple of pictures to show this:

It looks like John's suggestion of special clamps or milling slots will be the best solutions, I can find nothing on the Vertex site. I would be interested to know what the nornal use of tenons would be

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Chris Taylor 3 on 28/04/2016 10:30:32:

Hello, I've recently bought a Vertex HHV 100 rotary table specifically to set up for cutting small gears on my small milling machine. …

 

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Chris,

I think I would 'bite the bullet' and buy/make a suitable Angle Plate [preferably webbed/gusseted] : Bolt the Angle Pate to the table, and the HV-4 to the Angle Pate.

MichaelG.

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HV-4 dimensions 

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 28/04/2016 17:16:22

[Chris Taylor 3Participant @christaylor3]

Thanks Michael, I think that would mean drilling and tapping holes in the base? It would also reduce the space left on the milling machine table : angle plate + rotary table + tail stock – not much left, should have bought a bigger one.

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

MichaelG, when you say bolt it to the angle plate, presumably you mean drill and tap some holes in the base, otherwise it still requires messy clamps due to the curious lack of any bolt slots. If you ever intend to use the matching tailstock, you'd need to ensure the table's base is flat to the table. It's a strangely impractical device.

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

Still looks pristine – would they swap it for a bigger one?

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Have I lost the plot [again] ?

Surely, if the thing can be bolted [in its horizontal mode] to a milling machine table, it could be bolted to the vertical web of an angle plate.

MichaelG.

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Edit: This one is much too big, but is the general shape I had in mind … mentally paste that image into the one I copied above, and you should get the idea.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 28/04/2016 17:55:27

[john fletcher 1Participant @johnfletcher1]

I have a 6 " HV Vertex rotary table, the instruction as supplied were almost useless. Later some told me about the US company GRIZZLY who sell the same table under a different name, their instruction are clear and crisp as are their tables, so I suggest you have a look and see what they have free of charge. They also have many more clear instruction for other machinery from the Far East.John

[Chris Taylor 3Participant @christaylor3]

In reply to Michael, as you can see on the photos there are no holes or slots, to fix it in horizontal mode you use clamps engaging in the recesses in the casting.

[Steven VineParticipant @stevenvine79904]

There does seem to be a lack of facility to mount the rt easily. Perhaps it is designed with a small footprint (without mounting lugs) so that it can be adapted to the smaller milling tables? Another thing that crosses my mind is that it looks like it can be easily made to fit the manufacturers bracket and become their tilting rotary table; are their sales of the tilting table slow, so they put these out in the market, or am I very wide of the mark?

Steve

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Chris Taylor 3 on 28/04/2016 17:58:54:

In reply to Michael, as you can see on the photos there are no holes or slots, to fix it in horizontal mode you use clamps engaging in the recesses in the casting.

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Noted, Chris … Perhaps I have lost the plot

I need to find some better more relevant pictures of it.

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 28/04/2016 18:10:36

[Martin ConnellyParticipant @martinconnelly55370]

Chris, the idea behind the use of tenons is that you can fit a vice or rotary table to a slotted machine table and it will be aligned to the slots without having to be dialled in. The accuracy depends on the state of the slots in both the vice/rt and the machine and how well the tenons fit the slots.

Martin

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Michael, when fixing to the mill table you need one clamp in the slot at the top of Chris's photo and another in a similar slot in the edge it is sitting on. To use these you would need a very tall angle plate. Some pics of the slots here.

Chris I see what you mean about not much room for clamps, so milling a couple of notches may be the way to go or tall studs and packing on the far side of the table.

[Chris Taylor 3Participant @christaylor3]

I think John Shepherd's special clamp solution is the answer, provided I can get a substantial enough one below the chuck, if not, it will be a clamp at the back and milling slots at the front. Martin – thanks for the info on tenons, and thanks to everyone else for their interest and advice – this is my first post on the forum – what a great introduction!

[Ed DuffnerParticipant @edduffner79357]

I've been using my RT in this orientation and found I could clamp it in the milling vice and resting on parallels. Not sure if you have a milling vice Chris?

Warco WM-16 + VA4 + HV4

Although I know I have been using the RT incorrectly, ie not using the clamps whilst taking a cut and relying on the forward take-up of the worm, I have noticed that with one clamp tightened it throws the runout by about 0.1mm, so it's best to use both in a proper situation.

Ed.

[ianjParticipant @ians]

Maybe these clamps from Arceurotrade are the answer:-

**LINK**

Ian

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by JasonB on 28/04/2016 19:09:53:

Michael, when fixing to the mill table you need one clamp in the slot at the top of Chris's photo and another in a similar slot in the edge it is sitting on. To use these you would need a very tall angle plate. Some pics of the slots here.

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Thanks, Jason … Very useful photos

… Noted for future reference.

MichaelG.

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