Soba rotary table

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I expect the slots don't go close enough to the middle to allow for what is likely to be a 70mm or less PCD if bolting direct. That's based on the slots in my 6" example.

Also with the right spigot in the MT2 hole you can line up the small hole in the backing plate easily when fitting the chuck so it's concentric..

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Having checked the dimensions Jason is correct, the PCD of the chuck mounting holes is 68mm, the table slots are just long enough but it would need the corners on the inner face off the T nuts radiused to allow them to travel in further.

Michael, you can see in the picture the mounting plate is dedicated to the 80mm chuck but it would be possible to add mounting positions for other chucks.

I forgot to say that the kit also comes with a basic clamping set as can be seen in the picture.

Ron

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Thanks, Jason … That would be logical.

I stand guilty of taking Emgee's comment, and Ron's positive response, at face value.

MichaelG.

.

[Ron] … Some pictures & dimensions of those interfaces would be of interest, when you have the opportuniy

Edit: Thanks, Ron … You beat me to it !!

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 23/03/2019 08:12:29

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Ron, I rounded a couple of my nuts a long time ago and have just had a measure and can get about 67mm cts with the M8 studs. As your chuck is more likely to have M6 cap heads you could probably make some custom nuts and get it down to 65mm cts if you ever needed the gain in head room.

One thing I did with mine was machine the end of a blank MT arbor to 6mm dia which is handy for locating the table and things on it and I also made a ring to slip over that that is a good close fit in the backplate hole which makes it easy to remount the chuck.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Jason, thanks for the idea of the MT arbor I see ARC do a MT2 one with a 1" end which will be fine as I have checked the chuck backplate hole and its 16mm.

I have also had a measure up of the table slots and if I make up some custom nuts I can get down to 60mm ctrs and with the chuck PCD at 68mm it will be fine.

Ron

Edited By Ron Laden on 23/03/2019 14:23:30

[VicParticipant @vic]

Shame that Soba doesn’t come on its own or I might have got one. Well it’s not a shame really as I’ve not needed one so far so that’s saved me over £100.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

To maximise rigidity, I use the Tailstock with my HV6, almost all the time for gear cutting,. Before moving to the Rotary Table, the blanks are turned in the same 4 jaw chuck (on a 2 MT arbor, using sleeves to bring it up to the size of the lathe ), to keep things as concentric as possible.

So the Division Plates and Tailstock, are, in my opinion, needed.

But, that's just my way of doing things!

Howard

[Roger BensonParticipant @rogerbenson45349]

Ron

How are you getting on with this table? I am waiting the imminent of a SX2.7 and am interested in a rotary table. The wife wants to know what I want for my birthday. I might be pushing my luck though.

Has anyone else bought one since.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Hi Roger,

The table is doing fine, to be honest I dont really give it much thought, its accurate and doesnt give any issues it just became part of the mill tooling so I guess that says it all.

The table is 5 inch which is as large as I would want to go on the SX2P but just wondering if a 6 inch table would be more suited to the larger SX2.7 mill, Jason will know and I,m sure he will respond when he reads this.

Ron

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I use a 6" on the SX2.7 and X3, had the Soba for years but also quite like the Arc one which probably gets used a bit more often now though it is a bit more expensive.

[BOB BLACKSHAW 1Participant @bobblackshaw1]

I have just brought this 5 inch Soba rotary table as my 4 inch was a bit small and the fixing to the table the slots did not line up an was difficult to hold. I have a SX2p and I'm making two plates for the ends of the table so this will give me 2 inches plus if needed, they are bolted on so a temporary fix . I am thinking about a 2inch extension for the height, has anyone done on other SXP2 mills as this will give the rotary table more room. I have not yet used the table but it all seems nice and smooth, looks well made for the money. I will make a clip for the spring handle that's used on the dividing plates as when turning say twenty times the pin can hit the brass divider if your grip slips, also the handle on the rotary table could be made to rotate. Any comments on hiring the mill for the sx2p will be appreciated.

Bob

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Having locked the fingers on the Division Plate on my Rotary table, to the correct number of holes, I insert a small pin in a hole on the other side of the "downstream" finger, so that if I catch it with the spring loaded peg in the handle, the finger does not move out of position.

Not my idea, someone else thought of it first using a turned down golf tee.

Howard

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

The ARC one has a latch, putt and give the handle a 1/4 turn and that locks the pin in the retracted position

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

So has my Vertex HV6, but does not prevent my poor working methods! Hence my limit pin!, to try to idiot proof things!

Howard

[Clive Brown 1Participant @clivebrown1]

Posted by Howard Lewis on 10/05/2020 15:18:28:

Not my idea, someone else thought of it first using a turned down golf tee.

Posted by JasonB on 10/05/2020 15:26;15:

The ARC one has a latch, putt and give the handle a 1/4 turn

We seem to be getting a golf theme here

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

I bought a 6" vertical and horizontal table which looks identical to Ron Laden's photographs. It was in as new condition and cheaper than the new Soba price by quite a lot. I noticed a lot of radial play in the head and took it to bits to find out why. The centre bearing was a needle roller which was the source of the play. I removed it and made a bush out of the neck of an aluminium high pressure bottle for helicopter flotation bags. That took care of the play, as I couldn't see why a needle bearing was needed on something which rotates so slowly. The needle bearing betrayed the origin of the table by having "Made in India" on it. The base to top of the table were nicely parallel, but the vertical position was not at right angles, so it got a skim on the mill. Some useful mods I made to it were to increase the depth of the clamping slot on the vertical side to make bolting down easier when horizontal, and to drill and tap a couple of holes in the base to bolt on a small angle plate to increase the stability and clamp tight when in the vertical position. Also, the four slotted top which is easy for mounting a front mount four jaw chuck has been drilled and tapped to take a front mount 5" Pratt chuck directly. There is just enough play in the three SHCS to use a MT2 test bar in the central socket with the chuck jaws clamped on it to get it aligned within 0.001" before tightening the screws.

Edited By old mart on 10/05/2020 17:09:03

[BOB BLACKSHAW 1Participant @bobblackshaw1]

Question about the 5 inch Soba rotary table. My hand wheel seemed a bit slack so decided to adjust by instruction on the service manual. I have now got rid of the slack and feels better, but the grub screw on the side that's 90 deg to the worm lock tee screw what is this for. I screwed it in and lost the grub screw in the mechanism but luckily it was still held on to the allen key so I could unscrew it, but it doesn't seem to do anything. as its not shown or explained what its for. Also the instructions show a diagram with a screw A and B with a steel ball, I cant find a steel ball on my rotary table. Sorry if I'm a bit thick but if I'm show something I've got it but reading these instructions has got me confused, Why also is the clamping on the table can take 12mm bolt but give 8mm bolts there seems a lot of space I would of thought 8mm plus slots would have been better, and on the side of the rotary table there is not enough space for a 12mm nut  if you wanted to have one as only enough room for half a nut, same with the tailstock slot to take 12mm. I understand that its cheap but with a bit of thought and no expense on manufacture it could of been made better.

Bob

Edited By BOB BLACKSHAW on 12/05/2020 10:59:14

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Clive Brown 1 on 10/05/2020 15:43:46:

Posted by Howard Lewis on 10/05/2020 15:18:28:

Not my idea, someone else thought of it first using a turned down golf tee.

Posted by JasonB on 10/05/2020 15:26;15:

The ARC one has a latch, putt and give the handle a 1/4 turn

We seem to be getting a golf theme here

I started of with a hole in one, but was completely confused after I spent some time stuck at th 19th hole.

Neil

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Posted by BOB BLACKSHAW on 12/05/2020 10:47:41:

Question about the 5 inch Soba rotary table. My hand wheel seemed a bit slack so decided to adjust by instruction on the service manual. I have now got rid of the slack and feels better, but the grub screw on the side that's 90 deg to the worm lock tee screw what is this for. I screwed it in and lost the grub screw in the mechanism but luckily it was still held on to the allen key so I could unscrew it, but it doesn't seem to do anything. as its not shown or explained what its for. Also the instructions show a diagram with a screw A and B with a steel ball, I cant find a steel ball on my rotary table. Sorry if I'm a bit thick but if I'm show something I've got it but reading these instructions has got me confused, Why also is the clamping on the table can take 12mm bolt but give 8mm bolts there seems a lot of space I would of thought 8mm plus slots would have been better, and on the side of the rotary table there is not enough space for a 12mm nut if you wanted to have one as only enough room for half a nut, same with the tailstock slot to take 12mm. I understand that its cheap but with a bit of thought and no expense on manufacture it could of been made better.

Bob

Edited By BOB BLACKSHAW on 12/05/2020 10:59:14

I can only go by my table Bob but I think you have the same model as me.

If you measure the T slots on the table they are 10.8mm wide and the supplied T nuts have a threaded shoulder which is 10.3mm diameter so there is only 0.5mm overall clearance in the slot when the T nuts pull up on tightening, this also centres the M8 stud.

Also the steel ball you say is missing is between grub screw A and grub screw B and is a protector/lock for the inner screw B. Inner screw B adjust the mesh of the worm gear, so to adjust B you have to remove screw A and the ball, adjust and then refit ball and screw A. Its all shown in a diagram and there is an explanation of how to adjust.

p.s. If you screwed the grub screw A all the way through the hole then that would mean screw B and the steel ball are missing..?

Edited By Ron Laden on 12/05/2020 14:49:11

[SakuraParticipant @sakura]

I have got two HV6 rotary tables. Both probably 20/25 years old. One is a Vertex and the other is a Criterion. The Criterion is to the usual Taiwanese pattern. A search on the Internet shows Criterion to be a quality manufacturer in larger sizes but this one is not of that type. Anybody with more info on Criterion?

[Author]

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