Reply To: Milling circles and radi…

[david pierce]

Tom,
I have two rotary tables for that mill. One is a 3″ with a degree handwheel only and the other is a 4″ with a dividing plate and sector arms. The 4″ is about as large as you can put on that mill. The 6″ is a bit of a monster and is better suited for a larger mill. The table with the degree marking is more useful for a job requiring angles such as machining a part with an angled leg. The dividing plates are for jobs that require divisions such as a bolt hole circle or gear teeth. The 4″ was the smallest table I could find with a good selection of divisions. I can’t remember where I purchased the tables but it was probably Ebay.
My concept of which machine to buy has to do with functionality and not designer label pazazz. As far as which machine is the best in the world my opinion is that it is not a revalent concept. Your levin is certainly one of the finest watchmaker lathes ever made and can turn about three times the rpm with more accuracy that a cone bearing lathe. If you are drilling micro holes into something this is a critical feature but if you are making watch parts it is superfluous. By the way with the HF milling machine and a sector arm dividing system you will get much more stability and accuracy than a watch lathe with a milling attachment could ever do. Also for drilling and machining pilar plates the mill is a much more convient platform to work from as opposed to a face plate. By mounting dial indicators to the X and Y axis, you will be able to do extremely precise work provided you work from numbers.
david