Deviding head or rotary table?

[maccrazy2]

Hello all. I am acquiring materials for my build. I have a 9-42 Bridgeport. Would you recommend a deviding head or a rotary table for building a Gatling?

I plan on doing a 22 first and possibly a .357 later on if I am up to it.

I’m leaning towards a deviding head as the angle is adjustable so it would be a little more versatile. However I have never used one so I figured I should ask before purchasing one. Thanks Chris.

[Sparky_NY]

There is another option,  a rotary table with indexing plates which allows it to work similar to a dividing head.  

[Cutter]

I recommend a horizontal/vertical rotary table.

That would even cover cutting your cam .

 

Good luck Chris

[bruski]

HI,

 If you absolutely decide on a dividing head over a rotary table with indexing plates, pay a little more for a good one. I got a cheaper super spacer that came with a built in wobble that will haunt you for as long as you have it. There were only a couple of times that I needed an angle other than 90 degrees but that was me.

bruski

[maccrazy2]

Thanks guys. I will keep an eye out on Craigslist to see if a rotary table pops up. I plan on making the cam on a CNC machine I have. Most of the rest of the parts will be manual on the mill and lathe. I build custom pool cues and have a dedicated 4 axis inlay machine. I mostly use end mills.032 and smaller down to .008 dia.  

I can run up to a .125 cutter with the spindle that is currently on the machine. It is a 1942 gorton pantograph converted to CNC with a NSK spindle that runs up to 50k rpm. I’m building a new machine now with a larger work envelope so I could possibly use it to make some of the other parts but I will have to come up with another spindle to use as my current one is for very fine delicate work and I need to keep it accurate.

[maccrazy2]

This is the new machine I’m working on. All built from mic6 plate. It is built specifically for ultra small precise inlay work. I’m not sure why the picture rotated when I uploaded it?

[maccrazy2]

Well, I’m one step closer. I picked up a phase 2 horizontal/vertical rotary table and chuck as well as a coaxial indicator and a few other odds and ends in a package deal today. That thing is heavier than it looks.