Nice rotary table. I think personally I would have waited for the oilers to fail before replacing them. Thanks for sharing.

It'ts 7am on Sunday but when the notification you posted a video popped up I needed to get up:D Really enjoy the rational and reasoning you give for why you do things. Keep up the good work.

Stefan, That was a nice tear down and review of the rotary table. Thank you for sharing.

Many thanks Stefan for yet another interesting video. I particularly like the tip to extract the old oilers by tapping. Brilliant! Also like others have mentioned I'd love to see you build a tailstock.

It is us who should thank you! You have put a lot of time and effort into sharing your talents with us and I, for one, really appreciate it and very much enjoy your videos.

At 7:40 Stefan takes off the worm retaining plate and comments that the 4 set screws are to "... adjust for any imperfection in the machine ...". They are actually for adjusting the clearance between the worm shaft & the body. I'm sure Stefan knows this, but I'm saying it for anyone viewing this for info about the cleaning of their own R-T. The ring sets the clearance by bearing against a shoulder on the shaft & the ring's axial position is set by the set screws bearing on the body. This clearance affects the table's rotary play/clearance by allowing the shaft to move axially. The 4 set screws on the table's retaining plate at 5:25 do the same for the table-to-body vertical clearance.

Outstanding videos! I now know what is in the guts of my rotary table and how to adjust it. Looking forward to the rest of your steam engine build. Thanks for your effort in producing these videos.

I get the goose bumps every time I see you have uploaded a new video! Just about to enjoy this one. Thank you!

Excellent video Stefan, I shall never be frightened to strip down a rotary table myself in future....10/10.

I am purchasing a bunch of equipment from a machine dealer that I personally know that had the roof collapse years ago and the equipment has been in the Indiana weather. One piece is a rotary table and I know I will want to clean it up as you have done. You have saved me much time and apprehension. Thanks.

I've rebuilt most of my equipment but out of necessity due to limited funds. As that is part of the fun and education it's not a chore. I've rebuilt my shaper, horizontal mill and actually made from scratch tools. I really enjoy your videos.

Thank you Stefan for your review. I saw these tables but was a bit reluctant to try them. Great content, thanks.

Stefan, Great video! I really like the groves used for oil passages, very nice machining.

After watching your review of the vertex rotary table I bought one. Thanks Stefan for your awesome videos, subscribed.

Makes me wish you were a lot closer... I would love to apprentice your work. It's like watching My Gr8 Grandpa do his work when he was alive. My Highest compliments to you.

Thanks for saving me the editing time of making a similar video on my import rotary table. Mine had all sorts of casting sand left in it the inside of the casting and it was not painted as yours is which is a good way to encapsulate any casting sand and grinding dust. I also needed to de-burr a lot of the parts in order to have a smooth operation. It seems as though yours had a little more care put into it than mine did. I did have to modify some of the parts of the handle in order to be able to use the indexing plates.. Thanks again for sharing

Thank you Stefan. Nice video and thinks for the tear-down it helps me decide what to buy based on the internals and I didn't have to buy it to see what's inside.

Nice review. Had the same rotab for over 20 years, never been apart, done a lot of work. Vertex never made any bad stuff. Oilers - try left hand ezy outs - works for me.

Very nice. Good point about leftover machining debris in new machine tools. I guess I'll be looking for a Vertex rotary table. Thanks, John

Good to hear the 5000 number, congratulations. Thanks for the view of the inside of a turntable. Good presentation.

Thank you for posting this video. I have a similar one that is full of packing grease and I wasn't sure how to go about it.

Knipex cobra jaw are the standard in adjustable pliers. Absolutely great

That seems a pretty fair turntable overall. Some surprisingly good features, such as oil grooves etc. Good to see your oiler replacement approaches. Interesting video Stefan.

Good video Stefan. I also have some Vertex tooling, a R-8 drill chuck for my mill and two ER 40 collect chucks, one MT 4 for my lathe and a R-8 for the mill. And I am happy with all of them I think they are a good value.

Thanks for the tip removing keys with a vise. Alway love your videos

Another great video, Stefan, and congratulations on your more than 5000 subscribers! I definitely learned a lot about the rotary table and what to look for in the future. Have never changed oiling points before so that was nice to see as well! Thanks so much for sharing. Sincerely, Tom Z

Hi Stefan, sincerest congratulations on hitting 5,000 subscribers. I think people appreciate your excellent videos and attention to detail. That's certainly why I keep on coming back for more. It shows and teaches me stuff I couldn't pick up otherwise, because I work in IT Security as a day job! In regards to a question for the Q&A: I'd be interested if you could tell us a little bit about your background, what you do for a living and what attracted you to machining / engineering? Kind regards.

That table is leaps and bounds better than what I wound up with. Seeing yours I can maybe incorporate some improvements into mine. Cheers.

That is an Optimum. Top quality stuff!

Congrats on the 5000 brother.. Great features on that I have a rotory table problem lol I have 5 now and that paticular one.. I learnt something new didn't realise you could adjust it..☺️

excellent review of a product. congrats on the 5k subscribers.

Congrats on the 5K! Very nice. The rotary table is pretty nice too. I kind of expected a central axis bearing or a bushing but the cast bore is probably ok too for no more revolutions than it likely will see in its life. It is a bit different from my rotary table which can be powered by the mill which would likely see many more revs in its possible uses as a powered 4th axis.

Thanks for that Stephan, I have the same table. I have no tail stock for mine either so I hope you do decide to build one as I don't know where to start.

Hello Stephan, Thanks for the time you spend teaching and sharing with us. Since I started watching your vids, i've been asking myself what could your background and actual job be. Something you could tell us in the Q&A vid. Thank you again. Best Tom, Paris, France

As you are one of the few people's opinion I would value, I am glad you approve of the Vertex table. I already knew it was well made, I've had one for maybe ten years now, but you have confirmed my views. As I know you like things to be right, as do I, the word for the outside of a circle is "circumference"(sir-come-fir-rence), circumflex is something completely different being the little hat over "e" in French.

Hi Stefan, congradulations on reaching that 5k subscribers number. Fwiw, I bought my 6" Vertex rotary over 20 years ago. They've made a few changes between your's and mine. My worm gear is bronze, but I haven't checked the worm to see if it's hardened. And mine unfortunately doesn't have the oil grooves like yours does. And I couldn't agree more about the need to tear down and clean equipment like this. My mill is Taiwanese and I also found those chips and some grinding dust in it. I'm only repeating what I've read about the Vertex tables and how they were made only a few years ago. At one time they changed from that bronze worm gear mine has to a cast iron gear cut directly into the lower area of the table casting. John Stevenson in the UK did or still does CNC conversions of these Vertex tables, and mentioned on one of the forums 4-5 years ago that all the test certificates he had from buying 20 of these tables had the exact same numbers on each certificate. At that time Vertex had apparently contracted out there production of these tables to the Chinese. From looking at the internals of your table they've either changed and upgraded there quality and design requirements with there Chinese manufacturer's, or they've moved there production back to Taiwan. Your table seems to be quite a bit better made than mine is. And has some much better oil grooves in it. I may have to add those myself. As usual another excellent video, and it was nice learning the best ways to remove those junk ball oiler's the equipment comes with.

Thanx for all your cool videos . congratulations . i will like to see a shop tour.

Thanks for this. I purchased a Index 12" rotary table years ago that has a broken shaft where the crank met the table. I'm betting it was dropped. I have been meaning to take it apart to see what can be done with it.

Hi Stephan I wanted to know more about the new mill you baught Thanks Manny

Stefan: I suggest you make a subplate for the rotary table and tailstock when used for dividing. Call it a platen. Then you can key it to a slot or not and swivel for angles or tapers. Another suggestion is to forget about hole circle plates, sector arms, and shot pin handles. Instead, consider the beauties of a stepper motor drive controlled by a DivisionMaster or a Tiny Controls indexer drive. They operate in multiple modes and feature bi-directional power feed. Very cool bit of kit as the Brits would say.

...nice review and clean. Always a good idea. I use a old dull tap to remove those oilers as well.....screw it in and pry up.......keep up the great work.

Hi Stefan - Thanks for taking us through this. My Question(s) - Can the Handwheel & Vernier Scales be adjusted or redesigned to read and set a greater accuracy. And could the worm shaft and worm gear be replaced with ones that have more gear teeth for finer motion, or are the gear teeth constrained by the diameters of the worm shaft and worm gear?

Hi Stefan. Thanks I enjoyed your video. I have a 10" table that looks identical, badged Criterion. I was interested to see that you have oilers! mine doesn't. Mine must be 30 years old but is still as smooth as it was when new and still no perceivable backlash. I may now give it an oil change!

I always look forward to your next video. Very interesting videos with quality audio, video and lighting. Thank you! My question: How long do I have to wait for the tail stock build? I have been thinking about doing this for some time and would like to see how one of the MASTERS goes about it.

Thanks Stefan, I am just about to get the same table - I was looking for the one with four t-slots as well and found it in Germany at Wabeco for a reasonal price. So this was perfect timing for me. Always like Your videos as well ass Your engagement in the "Zerspanungsbude". Frank P.S.: A few days ago, there were questions regarding a Gack shaper in the US Yahoo metal_shaper group. I tried to answer but also gave reference to You. Just in case You’re wondering if someone trys to get in contact with You

Nice concise video description. I don't know if I' call the gear a worm gear. Its hard to tell from the video but are the teeth cut on a helix and what is the Pitch. I'm assuming its a Module but I could be wrong. The last rotary table I had to adjust backlash on used a variable pitch worm shaft. You moved the Worm shaft axially to set the back lash to a factory spec. 4th axis on a Kearney and Trekker HMC. Would there be any room to add a set of index plate similar to the ones of Super Spacers

I like this design, come the end of it with wear and tear, it's actually a pretty simple fix/replace job. Within component pairs, the one that's the simpler to make on your own is the one that's cast iron. Nice touch. edit: Congratulations on the subscriber mark :D your efforts are worth it and the videos are always awesome. Question: What was it that started you on this path?

Hi , I thought Vertex was Taiwan made. Always seemed to be better quality. Thanks for the videos !

Hello Stefan thanks for all of your nice videos. I have a question I'm hoping you can answer. I have a Vertex HV-6 rotary table and the table had some surface rust that I cleaned off with WD-40 and a scotch-brite pad. At the time I didn't realize that the scotch-brite had alumina abrasive in it (out of ignorance I though it was just plastic) and it put some fine scratches on the table surface. Do you know if there is a way to restore the surface finish of the table?

Excellent, methodical, informed video. My one disagreement would be with the set screws impinging directly on the worm shaft threads. I had purchased the 8" version of this and mostly the same as the 6 with the minor exception of an additional thrust bearing in toward the worm. Those threads were just messed up on mine and I wasted hours repairing them which destroys that "new toy buzz" I felt I was owed for what I paid. SO easy to retain that ring correctly by adding a thin brass disk between the setscrew and the threads. In fact, the set screws used to lock rotation of the eccentric also impinged directly on the rotating part without any brass there either. Add those faulty design elements with some other factors outside the scope of this comment and I just returned it... again I am now looking for a rotary table that appears to have been designed by someone who cares, with a worm disengage and with an available divider add-on (the add-on itself that I purchased for the table I mention above was rusted and missing parts, which the vendor cured by photoshopping the missing part out of the ad). Keep up the excellent work. As an aside, can you let me know what source you use for your metals data (tempering, etc). Thank you.

Very informative, as all your videos, and full of learning tips particularly for home machinists like myself. My question is related to G H Thomas's Versatile Dividing Head. I bought the books, digested them and was planning to make one, however, I have a rotary table and the dividing attachment for it and the thought crossed my mind that a person should be able to make the extra worm drive that yields the hundredths of a degree functionality and incorporate it into the normal dividing mechanism for the rotary table. This would save making the superfluous parts even though they are elegant. I need you to put your mind to this problem and would be happy to correspond with you on it.

To remove the oil spots I like to use a slide hammer. On the ones I had it was not a problem to fit a screw into the hole of the ball even without drilling and threading and you don't have to dismantle the machine. But maybe mine had a loose fit. Screw extractors also do the job. I mean the classic "Linksausdreher", not the fancy mondern ones with a spline shaft that Snap-On has (but for removing screws those spline shaft ones do a good job).

Great video! Where can I find these special oilers? I tried searching and can't find these with the red ball. Do you know the name of the manufacturer ?

The way i get those oilers out is to drive a sheetmetal screw in and then grab that with vise grips and pull them out , if they're stubborn hit the nose of the vise grips with a brass hammer while pulling on the vise grips - i found it works most of the time.

Hi Stefan, do you think that it would be possible to machine a groove for an 'O' ring in the adjustment shaft so that the main chamber could be flooded with hypoid gear oil?

Very erudite and helpful. Thank you! One question if I may.... what oil and/or grease is best for the rotary table?

Could you review general machined parts typical functions, materials and tolerances? For example, boss, journal, flange, etc.

Very useful video.

Excellent video, thank you Stefan. I got it such as worm gear is made out of cast iron. Did you check it for hardness as well as the worm itself? Worm is evidently hardened, thermo-related colors at the worm base show it. But if the gear(tempted to call it wormwheel, as we have it in our tech lit) is plain cast iron, hardened worm will just chew it under any considerable pressure, for example milling steel rods. As it often happens with cheap east-made rotary tables, having bronse or worse wormgears. By the vid timestamp i guess you have had some experience with that table. Can you briefly tell how it endures? What kind of operations is it used for? Thanks in advance, WBR.

hi Stefan-is there an easy way of removing the mt2 taper (looks like a sleeve)from the back of the rotary table.i have it set up vertical to cut hex ,on bolt heads.would be better for me to use the 25mm bore to pass bolts through the rear.thanks geoff

Hi Stefan Nice presentation. I have for some time a smaller version of Vertex R.T., 110mm and I did just the same you did. Take it apart and clean it but I did not check for concentrically. Recently I had to put 6 holes 30deg. apart on a cylinder made on the rotary table. I was surprised to discover that MT2 is not concentric with the table. So as I rotate the table the center hole move about 0.002". Maybe you have more luck with yours. Radu

Thank you for your great videos. My question is: what do you do for living?

Those set screws for adjustment may be why your attachment screws were so tight. They may have been drawn up after the pieces were attached, causing the excessive thread stretch. Just a thought

My question: Where do you find the time for all these projects? It seems like you're always able to "finish" (finish being the keyword lol) so much, even between life and work.. Also, what would is your ideal job? How would you spend your days/what would you buy if money wasn't an object

those red higher quality oilier cups/ball check plunger type oilier's, never knew those were available.... I learned something else today.

Good job!

I have a 250 mm Walter rotary dividing table and construction very similar! Maybe they also had one to copy? I stripped mine down to clean out. The Walter table runs in an oil bath. I will take some pictures before reassembled.

Question: Do you buy tools/cutters online and if so where?

I would like to see how you center a chuck to this table.

Stefan What German brand Miicrometers in MM do you use

For some reason, I learned to use a wood screw as a means of once screwed in, use a plier or some leverage technique to pull the embedded screw out without stripping the screw out. Even old destroyed oilers can be pulled this way. Eventually I will get caught up on all the episodes to see who shot JR.

Stefan, I am an avid watcher of your videos. Thanks for your dedication and willingness to share your skills and knowledge with the rest of us. The video you published that first made me interested in your channel, and compelled me to subscribe, was the series documenting your miniature 1911 pistol project. I've been hoping to see more on this. I was especially impressed with the TIG welding jig for joining the sheet metal magazine back joints. Please let us know where you are on this project. Thanks. Best Regards, Autom8development....

Stefan, Great comments on how things should be made! Could you show us some pages from your design sketch-book and talk about how you iterated the design. Given the great content of your videos you'll have 10,000 subscribers in no time. My Vertex like rotary table came as a package deal with index plates, a center and a clamp kit. It has worked well but now I will have to clean it, put in good oilers, and check and adjust the backlash. Thanks much!

Hi Stefan, I've watched all your videos and enjoy them a lot! What is your education and profession and did you have to learn English for your job? P.S. whatever happened with the mini machine gun build?

hi stefan would this rotary table fit on the optimun bf-16 mill in the 90 deg position will the holes line up with the table to clamp down? i am looking at getting this rotary table

I see an accusize version..is that just re branded vertex???

how do ine calculate a worm drive? the ptch of the worm and teath count on the gear? want to make a worm drive but never learned how to figure the calculations

apprentice marks.. I like that

You and I are like-minded! The same projects going on at different ends of the globe!

Ive got the same one, mines Vertex branded still(yes we have optimum, i have Optimum 2506v with 20m mill head on it) in set with the dividing disks and a 3jaw chuck.Ive only done one tiny job on it but it seems decent, after seeing this i will now tear it down to remove the included chinese lapping paste! Until i understood what was going on (grinding dust)it thought they were using recycled grease full of dirt just for storage/transport protection.A shame they cant take that little bit of extra effort to elevate their product quality just a bit more,my lathe felt totally different once i cleaned,stoned rails and re-lubed it when i first got it, not a lot of time and effort for big result.

Mine is easy to turn on part of the rotation and then becomes hard. I guess I can disassemble from this helpful video but then hope I know what to look for. At least if there are burs I can help with that.

Great teardown Stefan. Now I don´t need to dismantle mine table (the same make) to see what is inside.

Hey, how long does it take to make a video? What tools do you use? Does it require any special computer hardware?

Hi mate. That is a surprisingly well manufactured table. I would not be able to think of many things I would like changed. This table would be a lot more affordable than one of the EU made tables.

Great video as alway, did you notice at 16 mins there us what I think I can see metal shavings near your finger and at the bottom of the unit. I know that you would of cleaned the unit up anyway, just thought that I would mention it as a reference for others that may have the same unit. :)

Would enjoy a video on a tailstock build for this. I have this same model.

Thanks for the Q/A! Do you thin it's possible to use one of those rotary tables to machine while rotating it? Maybe adding an axial ball bearing? (Mine vibrates a lot and it does sag while horizontal))

Thank you very much for this video... I have a very similar rotary table and was wondering how to take it apart and adjust it. You have now solved that problem for me.I do have one question though, what kind of oil do you use once you reassembled it... Thank you.

Nice video, Stefan. Are the set screws metric or imperial on the Vertex you bought?

Nice video. I have the 10 inch version of that table labelled as a Vertex. I am glad to know it is a good one for the money. It appears that I have some adjustment to make as I know I have more backlash than I could have. Also, mine is labelled "Made in Taiwan", which in my experience is much better quality than Chinese.

Hello Stefan, 5 k is a nice mark.... !!! Would surely like to know what is your day job, was it always that or have you changed and so on, for background and study...??? What part of Germany you live... My guess is you're married with no kids... :) Where and how you learned English, and, do you speak other languages... What editing software and what is you editing method... A little behind the scene... And also whatever you feel comfortable to let us know... Thanks for your trouble and the interesting videos, Pierre

If not for your video... Under the heading of "I should have read the manual..." Twenty some odd years ago I bought my first vertical mill and it came with a 200mm RoTab. Never have done much with it but it has come in handy. Somewhere in your series of this teardown you mention dividing plates, and about two days after watching your videos it dawned on me that I have a bag of miscellany that came with the mill, stuffed into the back of a drawer. Well I dug it out this morning and lo' and behold there's two plates, the index pin and the plastic do-ma-thingy in there. Checked accessories on-line and they look-alike. Never would have discovered this if it hadn't been for your videos... (Now then, where's the manual on how to mount and use them? :-) ) Thanks!

Now you have me wanting to tear in to my two tables!....guess I had better get some new oilers in stock...and metric drills! I am sure that you initially checked the surfaces as far as the table being parallel and perpendicular to the bases.

"Apprentice Marks"...That was funny, I'll have to remember that one

Very cool exploration and inspection, thank you. Also thanks for the great laughs...were did you get your dry humor from? Is your family humorous too? Well I'm glad that your Vertex table did not make you "Very Sad"...LOL, that was just so funny on that other video, I cannot help but still laugh! Aloha...Chuck

Do you use an ultrasound cleaner? Thanks for your good videos.

My question: Approximately how much money have you spent on your machine shop?

hi Stefan. I recently dropped the rotary table to the wood floor of my shop. Unfortunately the wheel turns no longer the way It used to be. the worm (spindle) got bent. Could you please tell me if there is a way to true it up?. if not, what would you recomend in order to make a new piece. I mean, what material, if heated treated...etc. I am not an advance machinist but I defenitly want to restore the rotary table instead of buying a new one. thanks. oscar. spain. great videos. keep up the good work

Hi Stefan. What Model is it in their line of tables. Good to see as I once bought a Chinese 4 jaw independent chuck for my Harrison T300 and though it is very good it also was full of Cast Iron chips and dust so I did the same thing.

Your channel is one of my favorites. I'm pretty interested in machining, but don't have the space at home. Someday I might get a hobby lathe and/or mill. My question for the Q&A: To get started in home / hobby machining, what is the best way to buy machines, tools, and equipment? I know there is the obvious ebay and classified ads, but is there another way or place that nobody thinks of? Congratulations again Stephan! P.S. Is the M1911 project abandonned? Is there hope to see it finished someday?