Let's Build a Rotary Table Fixture Plate!

This episode on Blondihacks, I’m making a fixture plate! Exclusive videos, drawings, models & plans available on Patreon!

Here are links for many of the tools that you see me using:
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[Blondihacks]

Lots of folks suggesting rotating the table 45°. That’s a nightmare waiting to happen. Now your pointer is not in a place that’s easy to see, and you’ll have parallax issues every time you look at it. Or if you leave the pointer alone, now you have to do all your math offset by 45 which is a guaranteed source of very expensive errors. Rotary table setups are hard enough as it is without making everything worse for yourself. On top of all that, you’ve only “solved” half the problems I’m trying to solve.

Some folks also saying all MIC-6 is ground. No, it isn’t. McMaster sells regular and tight tolerance versions of it. I have bought both and the regular version is just a lump of cast aluminum cut on a saw.

[StefanGotteswinter]

Confessing Drillchuck-threader since 1999.

[RichardMiller-ow]

I always learn something new when I watch your videos, even though I've been a professional machinist for 45 years. Thank you.

[kyleroenigk]

I made an 8" square fixture plate for my 8" rotary table. I find leaving the plate square vs round gives me additional space for the back ends of strap clamps.

[linasvelavicius]

Your hand tap vs machine tap explanation was excellent.
It was so clear and well done that I think Sprocket would now give you a big meow if you put a hand tap in your cordless drill. lol

[Raye]

I appreciate that you are explaining how to do something badly in the smart way. When you stuff fails because you took a calculated risk, at least the failure wasn't a surprise, it was expected as an outcome.

[thebonsaibeliefsystem]

This was a very informative show, your techniques are well discribed. You are in my top 3 watched behind click spring but way above 98% of the others.thank you. That info on taps was the best. 😊

[MachiningandMicrowaves]

Splendid stuff as usual! Several commenters have suggested thread-forming/roll taps. I use them a lot in copper, but they can be a nightmare in softer aluminium variants like 6082, with galling at the end of the tool eventually jamming the tap or wrecking the thread. I drilled and rigid-tapped three hundred M6 and M5 holes in a 19 mm plate on my CNC mill and snapped an M5 forming tap, but didn't notice the 60 or so holes with mangled threads caused by galling on both taps until the tooling plate was in use, and a thread pulled out. Trusty Helicoil kit to the rescue! Now I use thread mills instead on the CNC, and life is much more chill. On the manual mill I also have a small auto-tapping head, but for M5 upwards, I just do it the way you showed here, with spiral flute taps for pockets and spiral points for through holes. Never any dramas, and it's very relaxing compared with the high-stress "let's watch how the CNC is going to wreck the part THIS time" alternative.

[LawTaranis]

Cold opening on a sticker peel made this my favorite video yet.

[outsidescrewball]

I made a RT pallet square, 2 reasons increased area for the clamps and XY alignment of parts on the pallet, when RT is set aligned the pallet edge is also aligned

[shawn]

Another great video Quinn! Thanks. I learned lots.

[johnapel]

That's pretty cool.
And well done as usual.
And yes, I laughed out loud at "Clearance is clearance Clarence" again.
Thanks, and Meow to Sprocket.

[gyrogearloose]

Thank you Quinn, good to watch you working, and to take in your lessons . . .

[argee]

Excellent idea. Looking forward to how well this works for you.

[WilliamHofmann-ce]

Thank you producing this great video as I took your idea to make a smaller thickness 6" top for my 4" rotary table. I always enjoy the learning from your videos.

[jst.hilaire]

Looks useful. As a mold/toolmaker, I was never happier than when finding that my new shop had rotary cross-slides. Some milling machines had them always installed with vises. Enjoy your videos and the patient explanation of your setups. Always 'best' practice.

[RonCovell]

Quinn, great project! I especially enjoyed your comments on tapping with a cordless electric drill. This is something I've done a lot, but now I am aware of the possible drawbacks, and that a different style of tap can be a better choice.

[davidkaye]

Oh, that intro was SO satisfying! Thank you. LOVE your channel, your purple toolbox and your sense of humor. :)

[homemadetools]

Yet another one of your nice tool builds. We shared this video on our homemade tool forum last week 😎

[gexas]

i was already in the market to make a mini pallet for the mill but NOW u have shown me i really could use one of thse for the rotary table...project 22 is now up on the TODO board...lol. great video and thanks for posting these they are wonderful