WMW Heckert Rotary Table (1984) - Questions and RFI

Hello,

I purchased a WMW rotary table and there's a few things I'm curious about...

First of all at the rear right corner there is a selector dial mounted horizontally on the top plane. It has five selectable dimple positions, I'll call them 1 through 5 (CW/CCW has no bearing). Positions 1 and 5 are hand drive positions, turn the handle and the table rotates. Initially I figured they were for two gear ratios, however a simple test reveled they both factor to 90:1. Positions 2&4 seem to be "idle" or "neutral" positions, in that I could not discern any other possible use or motion from them; all drives are free and clear of control with no results. Lastly, position 3 is for feed drive; with gearing takeoff, the table feed will rotate the rotary table (or any other shaft coupler). Can anyone please explain to me why there are 5 positions instead of just 2, or perhaps 3 at the most? I can't figure it as gearing ratios or direction as all three modes function CW&CCW, and the ratio is consistent.

Another curiosity is the threaded bore in the center of the table. I caught a glimpse at something somewhere that perhaps said something about a spindle bore or a taper... it could possibly be my imagination, but is there a specific function to this, or is it just a thread for clamping?

On the front handle of the rotary table there is a dividing sector gear. I haven't even counted the holes on it, but I'm curious as to why (other than the obvious). Is it just an added feature having some additional flexibility; or is it actually the intent to have a full set of sector gears just as you would with a dividing head and to utilize as such; did these rotary tables come with, or perhaps have optional, a set of sectors, and if so, how many of what value?

The only other thing I'm interested in are documentation/ manuals as I have nothing and that would help clear everything up. I'm also looking for other manuals and instructions for other WMW milling components and accessories, so if anyone has some sources I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you very much.