Rotary table

**athomp** · Jan 9, 2018, 05:18 PM

I wanted a rotary table for my mill but didn't want to have to pay big money for a decent sized one so I made my own 11" table. It's made out of 1/2" plate, 2 brake rotors and a ring gear off a lawnmower engine. I turned a spindle on the lathe and welded it to the bottom plate. A brake rotor is mounted on the spindle. Another brake rotor with the hub cut out is mounted upside down on the lower one. The ring gear is riveted to a piece of 16 gauge sheet metal and sandwiched between the two rotors. I made a worm gear on the lathe. Two thumb screws adjust the worm gear against the ring gear to eliminate backlash. There is a bolt on either side that can be screwed in against the lower brake rotor to lock the table in place. The gear ratio is a bit odd at 97:1. The whole thing weighs 123 lbs.

**DIYer** · Jan 10, 2018, 06:14 AM

Thanks athomp! We've added your Rotary Table to our Machining category,
as well as to your builder page: athomp's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Rotary Table by athomp

tags: rotary table

**mudnducs** · Jan 10, 2018, 03:13 PM

Nice job! How did you mark the rotary table tick marks with..out...a ......rotary.........table?

**athomp** · Jan 10, 2018, 03:36 PM

Originally Posted by mudnducs

Nice job! How did you mark the rotary table tick marks with..out...a ......rotary.........table?

Thanks.
I printed out a 11" degree wheel off the Internet and glued it to the bottom of the table and then used a punch set to make the degree marks.

**NortonDommi** · Jan 11, 2018, 06:51 PM

Beautiful repurposing. Looks like it could take a good load.

**blkadder** · May 17, 2018, 05:50 PM

I like this a lot. I have been curious about how to go about making one of these.

**Toolmaker51** · May 19, 2018, 03:55 PM

Sorry to have missed this first time around. Great job on a big project, not to mention effective design incorporating unmatched components. Have to mention rotary tables/ indexers are my first line answer to tricky contours and spacing.

**Radioman** · Sep 21, 2018, 05:41 PM

Nice work. Would love to see some of the worm gear turning? Also how you got the lawn mower ring gear mounted and in mesh with the home built worm?

**bobneumann** · Jan 30, 2019, 09:06 AM

Nice looking!. Where did you get the actual table portion? Did you machine it yourself?
And how much rocking deflection do you get under a heavy load? It seems like three roller bearings mounted underneath the perimeter of the lower rotor would prevent it from rocking.