Adam, I have the exact same one. If you take it back apart you can leave the middle axis (x or y not sure what one it is) out of it making it just a rotary table with one axis. Plus it reduces the height by around an inch or to. I find that this makes it much more useful for me anyway!

My first thought was made for drill press. It even has a 4 mount holes that would fit the most common drill press table Tee slots. I would love it for that use.

This is a milling vise add-on for a drill press. You see a lot of the Craftsman branded ones made by Chicago Tool. I've see Palmgren versions of these and their sales book says "Converts your drill press for rotary milling." The rotary table is supposed to have lock screws to hold it in place when doing the actual drilling so it's not very good for active rotary milling. It's great for getting the piece into position, locking down the table then drilling a precision hole rotating to the next precise location, locking it down and drilling again. You could probably do some active rotary milling with it but you'd need to keep constant pressure in one direction and work slowly.

The mill table you mount the rotary table on IS the x, y, and z axes. Rotary tables are incredibly useful to small machine shops, especially when trying to mill circles that are larger than the throw of your lathe. Think of it like trepanning in reverse. You overcome the backlash by only making small cuts AND only rotating in the same direction once the acme threads are engaged and the cutter is milling the cut.

I have the same tool and was excited to add it to my drill press so I could do milling operations on it, after securing the chuck which is crucial. It served me pretty well for several projects. When I got my mill I thought I'd move it to that, but quickly discovered that it's not going to work because it's too tall.

Send it to Inheritance Machining and see if he can't improve it. I'm sure he could make use of it or at least fix it as a project!

Not where I thought this was going, but... Pleasantly not unexpected. Adam's drive to make it work is always inspiring.

I think it’s great that Adam is definitely going down the rabbit hole of thousandth’s. Machining is fun therapeutic and absolutely rewarding. And just because he has very large machines in his shop. Doesn’t mean we can’t replicate the things he builds with our smaller machines. His just makes it go quicker. That’s about it.

I never get tired of your videos.

I machined a water droplet pattern with a ball end mill on one of those back in college. We used that At Translite Sonoma (Lighting Company) to make cylinder heat sink fins and vents using an arbor saw. If you want to mill a shaft slot guide (BMW motorcycle gear shifter). Mount it on its side on the mill and you can machine / lathe compound profiles. I would recommend making a guide to drop into the TSlots to find the center. I’ve got a small one of those to use on my harbor freight vertical mill and I do use it.

Neither my mill, nor my lathe have a DRO. I've had to learn how to use the physical scales on worn out analog machines. I contend that everyone should start by running analog machines with physical scales. I think you get a better understanding of what's happening between the machine and the work.

Adam, look up the Volstro Rotary milling head attachment. It’s the reverse configuration to a rotary table. Check it out!!

Unmanteling? I do love your clips and the use of Savage-linguistics. Thank you for showing us all you do, it is truly inspirational. The way you pause when you think about how you feel about something, very aware and dare I say it enlightened. I'm an English teacher so when I hear the words you use it does bring a smile to my face. Keep producing!

I’ve got the same one by Palmgren, I actually removed an entire axis off it, it made it more rigid and I used it a lot!

It's a cross slide rotary table. I have one very similar. Could be a vintage Palmgren or Craftsmen from the look. They can be extremely accurate. I used to make tooling patterns with it. You got to go old school and learn how to take up the slop when changing directions. Unless you are building watch or rocket engine parts, it's close enough! ; ) BTW, I was the guy who got the MCG Mauser for you for your Han Solo Blaster build.

I've been binge watching all of your one day builds adam. Grew up watching myth busters and found this channel recently and reliving old memories.

Thats EXACTLY the type of thing I would love alongside a small drill-press setup for amateur lock making. I would add a locking screw to hold the rotary movement of the table once I had set where I wanted it to be.

Great food for thought, have looked into adding something like that to my drill press. But would now definitely buy the x,y and rotary separate. Which would allow for different configurations. 👍🏻

Yeah, I noticed the play at the start of the disassembly when you move the table's gear at 3:40, and it clicked, and thought that doesn't seem good. I was surprised by how coarse the worm gear was as well. Nice to see I'm not the only one grabbing the adjustable wrench when I have box end and sockets wrenches 😀

Thanks for the education. Love your explanations.

Adam, I got one of these about 7 years ago and so far......I've never had a project that needed it. Thanks for the suggestion of using it on the Drill Press. Wrench On!

🍺🕶👍dude all i use this is for is milling an angle cut in a Stright line, so you're not limited to 90-degree cuts. that's all i use this for. imagine an etcher sketch with a knob that move only in a diagonal direction...... i love this . the old way i was doing straight angle cuts was unbolting my vice and taking it off of 90. with this its way faster.. i.d.k. what else this would be used for but for me and my purpose i absolutely love it . even the small amount of backlash. it saves me lots of time in the long run.

Love your videos always interesting and knowledgeable content 👌😎❤️

I have one of these, it came with my Bridgeport. I went through all of the stages of coping seen in this video. Excitement that it had so little use, anticipation of projects to come, pain realizing it was not a precision tool, and eventually accepting that it has no use to me. Mine has collected dust.

This is the knowledge that youtube needs to preserve.

I've got an 18" Troyke and love it... I hate moving it, but i love it!

Thank you for sharing this great content

I have one similar to this on my drill press. It’s great for bolt circles. I even did some milling. I don’t recommend milling on a drill press, but I needed to finish a pulley for my horizontal mill, so there is that.

Nice video Adam, looking forward to seeing it in Simone's shop.

I have one of these also in near pristine condition. I also have a good sized lathe with a 24" swing. I made a cutter that mounts on the table and use this as a ball turner. Mostly for turning bowling balls down to fit in my mortar. There's some tolerance to bowling balls and the bigger ones need to be turned down to slide down my barrel. I center a piece of pipe in the chuck and use the live center in a finger hole to press the ball against the pipe. I then reposition the ball in another finger hole to get what I missed in the first pass.

I have used a compound rotary table. The purpose of it is to do multiple arcs from a single X,Y, offset.

brilliant video Adam .

Adam, I have an identical rotary table. I would bet it’s made by Palmgren. A google search brings up many examples. Nice tool to have!

I have the Craftsman labeled version of that table. I picked it up at the flea market for cheap a couple of years ago. It has seen very little use and I have never used it ever, nor would I try to mill anything of great importance on it. You can take the center section out of it and make it more rigid, but still nothing like a real rotary table because they weren't intended to be in that class of tool. It would be fine for the drill press or doing something with wood. Still a neat little novelty item which is why I picked mine up in the first place.

My dad used to have one of these. I used it a lot. We put it on our drill press and did some very light machining. It was also good for lining up to drill carefully or to drill multiple evenly spaced holes in something. One of his neighbors got it when we cleaned out his shop. They probably sold it on Craigslist.

I have the same table. I use it on the drill press. I added a nylon shim on the rotary portion to remove backlash between the rotary adjust wheel and the base.

To add to my earlier comment, it's could be useful as a rotary table of you kept your rotation in a single direction and never encountered the backlash. Possibly for roughing out a radius? Something you wanted to finish by hand for some extra detail? Maybe just a conversation piece? Boat anchor?

I use mine in the drill press for mortising work on wood projects. Combined with a table pivot, they work great for setting legs for chairs.

I'm a time served toolmaker and in all my 40 years and working for several firms I've never seen one of these..........and now I'm seeing the reasons why!

I've actually been on the hunt for one of those, for my big camel back drill press. You don't need one for most milling machines, but they're awesome for a big drill press.

I've been looking for one of these for my drill press! If only I was closer!

Could probably be set up as a great mount for engraving/carving work. Just as a heavy vice/mounting plate to hold your piece as you work.

Adam slapped that XY 47 times. Pretty brutal.

Hold on Adam! Backlash is no bigger a deal in a rotary table than it is in the X axis of your mill. Just mill conventionally as opposed to climbing. You can even make light climb cuts if you drag the brakes. Also don't forget how easy it makes hole patterns.

One of my favorite things to do is rebuild mechanical devices. Disassembling cleaning and rebuilding something I have never seen before is relaxing and fun for me. As a bicycle mechanic of over 25 year's, if you like projects like this, try rebuilding a multi speed internally geared hub, start small at a 3 speed, and work your way up. I liked watching the disassembly in this video, just wish I could have watched the thought process in putting it back together, but I understand the disappointment when finding out a flaw in your new toy.

It looks amazing inside adam. and i would see a use on a drillpress. but in general i think its used mostly for when you need just that bit extra x y z to reach that last bit of space on youre working material.

I have what appears to be what you have, a Palmgrem 8" rotary table except mine has the tilting feature. While not rigid enough for normal rotary milling it has proved its worth when trying to locate holes on difficult to level work pieces.

I would love to have one of those. The ones you see a lot of the rotary without the XY motion.

The worm gear shaft supported on only one end is where practically all of that play comes from, the screw needs to be held tight to the recieving gear to eliminate it. But for machining concentric ID/ODs I'd still use it with that level of play. And add a brake screw if it doesn't have one for when the angle needs to be locked such as when machining with the X/Y axiis.

Not quite sure how the backlash would be an issue? I mean, if you changed the direction after you milled your first half circle (in order to mill another one, next to it, for example), the only thing you'd have to be careful about is to take up the backlash, before you start counting your turns/steps on the dial in the reverse direction. But as long as you only cut in one direction, the backlash will always be taken up. If you're afraid that the table will move too easily (for the amount of the backlash, that is) you could tighten it up a bit, if it has that option (that screw, to the left of the handle?) If not, you could always make something to "brake" the rotation a bit. Seems like a useful, heavy duty tool. The new ones certainly won't be as rigid, at least in lower price range. Thanks for posting! Love your shop improvement/sorting/DIY videos!

As I watch you evolve, I see you becoming a watch maker. Congratulations on this arrival. 🙂

so I have a fun piece of info. we had one of those back in my old shop in middle school and was equipped on our large drill press. the design and intention for this device was to enable keeping the piece locked in place and allow for indexing and/or rotating for hole patterns and more accurate drilling. it really is only made for use on a drill press like you said. but if you had a second large drill press it does make a fantastic tool for a maker that has smaller parts that need some decent accuracy. especially since that unit has a locking feature to lock the rotation to keep things more consistent.

Back at the dawn of time the shop I worked at used a similar arrangement to orient wafers after slice-and-dice to align them in x and y for a robot to grab the individual segments and put them on a lead frame. The machine we built went to International Rectifier and it made TO-220 transistors at the rate of one per second. A very fun build but to do it right yagotta start with top quality components. 🙂

On boy what a find! I have been looking for one for a good price for years, I know you want to giggle I would!

I have te same model Palmgren and the only use I've found for it is cutting circles that are too big for my small rotary table. I also have a Bridgeport 12" rotary table, but it can be hard to set up on my 3/4 size mill.

That “Alexa play” music transition to Timelapse was fantastic. 4:01

Seems like it could be a useful drill press attachment! Drilling holes in a circle with reasonable precision.

So... I used one when I went to machining school, Dunwoody for anyone who cares, and I remember it being needed for a certain part, but I also remember it being basically obsolescent with a 30 year old CNC machine, so take with it what you will. I know this, we have one at work and we use it on our drill press as a rudimentary milling machine add on, because you have the slight back and forth movements of the vise on the table. Ours has a lock that helps eliminate backlash, but that brake is also a wear component that itself is worn from people not knowing what they are doing.

I've got a very similar machine tool, made by Palmgren. I've only used mine once, but it was good for that one use. It's good for a few esoteric use, but I've got many machine tools that are equally esoteric. I just got to "digital readout" on my machine tools in this century. It's great for bolt circles and that is about it. I must say, my first "milling machine" was a fifty plus year old drill press with a cheap Chinese X/Y table, so I've used my table a few times, but I do have a Bridgeport to do my general milling these days.

some of the rotary tables have an off center bushing on the worm gear that you can rotate to adjust backlash.

a general tip for rotary tables only ever go in one direction if you go past your mark do a full rotation that way you will never have an issue with backlash i would look into making a way to lock the table on when you're in the right spot would sort out the table movement

If you need the XY ontop, just mount it upside down. Or as others, drill-press, an xy table on that is a great addition.

My biggest pet peeve about all your videos is you ALWAYS fighting with your camera mounts

My first thought on visual was "drill press." Late to the party, but here there's always cake enough for all makers!

I love beautifully made tools that have one issue that makes them useless! My collection of woodworking hand planes grows ever larger.

I have an identical Palmgren table mounted on a 15 1/2 inch drill press usually with another X-Y table mounted on top and sometimes with a 4 inch rotary table clamped into the X-Y table for machining optical parts. I cannot imagine working without it as it simplifies all sorts of setups. Regarding the backlash, I have never experienced that level and normal compensation for the tiny amount of backlash present is trivial. And the discussion about complex cuts should now make the reason for my up to six degrees of freedom stack obvious.

Might be stamped Chicago - but I have one that's identical, but under the Palmgren name. Good for cutting arcs and circles - not likely something that may be used every day, but definitely handy when it's needed.

I have a good question?? How long did it take to get your man cave almost to where you have it now. And how would you set up a smaller shop/man cave??

you can easily make a nice drill press table with that rotary table, it will look super! I have a craftsman one that I picked up for real cheap. It does not have that kind of slop at all on the rotary table. I guess maybe after cleaning it I will find out! again I agree with you it looks super cool and great for a drill press, especially a floor model cause you have all that space between the drill table and chuck.

I have no idea what hes talking about but i still love it.

I have a rotary table with x-y axis very similar if not identical to that one and discovered the same challenges with it, lol. No idea who manufactured mine, since no clear markings... mine has significantly less backlash in the rotary part, but that might be because I haven't pulled it apart and cleaned it like you did (that was the next step on my todo list for that tool...) If that's the case the following step (putting a shallow taper in the center for reference) might still be useful....

You could still make use of the smaller xy fixture without the rotary top on it. But it's still pretty cool

Walter Tools has made low profile rotary tables with a slightly bigger faceplate but half the height of your tool. They also mount vertically and are accurate to several arc seconds, however they suffer the same backlash. They are meant to be clamped just like your current tool or use conventional milling. Those lower profile Walter Tools are not cheap though

Think we just got a glimpse into Adam Savage on Christmass morning.

I used the same table for 30 years or so. I made tons of parts with it for the space shuttle.

Very cool. Time to send it back though

Have the exact same one. I consider it to be a nice boat anchor.

Like you say, mostly a drill press attachment for a home shop that does not have a milling machine. The backlash would not be a huge issue provided the table has a satisfactory lock. Most manual machines have backlash--you just have to make sure you are always moving the table in the same direction while making a critical measurement. More to the point, if you have a milling machine, the X-Y axes are entirely redundant, and take up valuable Z travel. One safety issue, if anyone were to use this on a drill press, it should be used for hole positioning, not for milling. At least that's what "they" say, whoever "they" are. Milling on many drill presses is risky, because the chuck is mounted on a taper with no drawbar. Without a drawbar, the lateral forces generated during milling can cause the taper to work loose.

Seems simple enough to just flip it over and mount your stock on the bottom of the x-y table. I wouldn't worry about the backlash on the rotary table, either. Just set the lock to drag on the rotation and only rotate it in one direction. That's exactly what I have to do with my mill because it doesn't have a DRO.

As always great video, BUT what's that small powerfull "pocket light" that Adam is using to look at the label??? I NEED ONE so small and powerfull.

I had one of those and got rid of it as well. The slop in the X-Y sections was additive and curved milling cuts weren’t good. I was able to reduce this by removing the middle “stage” and mounting the rotary table directly to the bottom casting, but then I found a real rotary table and Mr. Palmgren’s services were no longer required. Cute bit of kit, but kind of the machinist’s version of a Hondo guitar.

Alec Steele has some videos where he uses something similar. I'd have to go back and rewatch his videos from the last couple of years to find the specific ones

Would make for an interesting build if you tried milling a new acme thread that eliminated that backlash and maybe add some digital readouts to it. Also why not try and build a rotary table with the X/Y on top of the rotary table. :) Would love to see how you accomplish that.

"In 1915 Carl Palmgren was working for Steel Art Tool Co. (SATCO). In 1919 he established Chicago Tool & Engineering Co. to make vises and rotary tables. By 1970 they were doing business as Palmgren Steel Products for their vises and Palmgren Precision Products for their air and hydraulic power units. At some point-in or before 1998-they officially changed their name to Palmgren Steel Products, Inc. In 2013 C.H. Hanson acquired Palmgren Steel Products, Inc."

Ya know Im not going to lie I really do miss you blowing stuff up .... still a big fan

So what's the use for those grooves on top ? For clamping stuff down ?

Love you man! If it were me, I would pull it apart and fix the backlash issue, maybe something as simple as a preload nut would do it, I don't know. After getting rid of the backlash I would seriously consider cnc steppers for the x y and r it could really be a game changer if you're doing a lot of machining and you can't justify a full CNC big massive mill. Hand cranking that circle belongs to a different century.

I am actually looking for one of these

Old tool wibbly wobbly and too play? Must be from the Tardis! Thanks for the tool exploration 😊

I have one and use it with my drill press and occasionally on the mill.

You can fix that backlash. Remove the existing bushings and machine new ones that offset the shaft of the drive axle in, towards the rotary table's gear.

I used a rotary on a mill to machine down the hubs on my 4runner. Kinda like a slow lathe.

It's still very cool as far as tools.

ADAM, I watch your clips when Iam stressed out sitting in my office drafting up plans. I sure do enjoy keeping up with you and your posts. Id like to see some more builds that are involved with ComiCon.

I imagine that this fixture could be used to mill something like a lens-mount bayonet, the x (or y, either used only) could be used to feed in and out, with the rotary used to mill around the arc of a notch.

I would put a drive on the rotary table and use it for TIG welding around stuff. Variable speed drive with a foot speed control, a way to ground the table, and some clamps and away you go!

I have the same tool, good for cutting arcs and circular features on my milling machine, always moving in the same direction loading the worm, never use the X & Y features.

I'm certain there's a way to take up the backlash. Did you check it before you took it apart ? A grate use is to o ring heads on motorcycle cylinders and heads.

Had a look on line , can't find exact mat h , but most similar looking items are classed rotary or indexed horizontal milling .

I use mine all the time plus a rotery index