Thread: Rotary Fixtures for Shapers

A rotary table with dividing plates would be way more useful than a dividing head. Their have been threads on other forums asking the same thing with the answer being a rotary table with plates.
I would recommend a 250mm one because you run out of room real quick when setting things up, though anything from a 150mm up would would be useful, depends on what your doing. As for forces I think they will all cope with them as long as they are locked up.
I have done a few splines for ride on mowers for a mate, and some key ways, the splines didn't need to be perfect, just good enough, I haven't done any precision splines yet.

Dave

Thanks Dave.

Bryan,

A few years back I bought a South Bend indexer from an Ebay seller in the States. It cost me $400 and it had never been used. South Bend promoted them as useful accessories for their mill, drills and shaper. There is an illustration in their shaper handbook of flats being cut on a bar while held between centres on the indexer.

I have a Douglas shaper, granted a little bit bigger than the SB 7 inch, and that has the ability work most things loose unless they are extremely well tightened down.

The indexer is designed to accommodate 1/4'' hold down bolts. Hardly robust and as a consequence, I've never used it. It would be better suited to gentle work on a small mill.

I can recall finding something on the net, where a bloke used an Ellis dividing head in conjuction with an Atlas shaper to cut internal splines. The Ellis is a bit bigger than a Hercus dividing head. I agree with Dave, a rotary table might be the best bet. It could be mounted vertically and would provide rigidity that the smaller dividing heads don't offer. The biggest problem with any of these setups is a shortage of room.

BT

Thanks Bob. There's a big Russian rotab on ebay right now and I thought it would be apt. But I might be smarter to save up for a vertex with the plates. And I'm now thinking 8" min. The only advantage I can see with the dividing head is if you get a tilting one.

Bryan,

Save up your pennies and buy the Vertex with the division plates. You can mount it vertically on the shaper table for your gear work. I just looked at the photos of your TOS. I am a bit envious. The extra size would have made a few jobs a lot easier.

They excel at removing a lot of metal quickly. The only problem is getting over zealous with the downfeed. I managed to dislodge this lump of cast iron before I resorted to using 3 in 1 blocks as back stops.

BT

About 4 years ago I bought a Vertex 12 inch table first off but found it too heavy (took 2 of use to lift it) and the two T slots wouldn't line up with my table slots as they where to wide and it took up to much room when vertical, so I took it back and swapped it for a 10 inch one.
I was lucky that the 12 and 10 inch dividing plates and tail stock are inter changeable so I didn't have to swap them over.
Some times I wish I still had the larger table for the setup area, but I plan on getting a 350mm round 12mm thick sub plate to bolt to it with a heap of holes taped into it.

You have just missed out on the H&F's sale as they had the rotary tables in their. The 250mm (10 inch) one is $649 at the moment which is what I paid for mine back then.
I notice their prices went up strait away when the dollar went down last year, but I don't see the prices going down now the dollar is up.
If you shop around at some of the other places mentioned on here you might get a better deal, or with your luck you will get a pristine one for cheap to match your shaper deal.lol

Dave