[CadRhino]

I need to machine some large 11.5" diameter 1/4" plate and saw a video on tormach's site where they show it being done.
Anyone here ever done that?
I have an 8" tilting table so not sure all of my tools will clear since it is so tall.
I would be facing and machining.
Thanks
Nathan

[CadRhino]

Here is the link to the video showing the large plate being machined on a 4th axis in the horizontal position -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EK0XazMZqQ

I need to machine some large 11.5" diameter 1/4" plate and saw a video on tormach's site where they show it being done.
Anyone here ever done that?
I have an 8" tilting table so not sure all of my tools will clear since it is so tall.
I would be facing and machining.
Thanks
Nathan

[Steve Seebold]

That's a good video, but wow, it really takes a lot of keystrokes to get the part done.

One thing he didn't touch on is how do you hold a part that big with no tooling or hold down holes.

[CadRhino]

I think the person who made the real part had a chuck that clamped a spindle on the bottom of the part that was screwed to the bottom. It was a part for a telescope and there is a video somewhere on Youtube.

That's a good video, but wow, it really takes a lot of keystrokes to get the part done.

One thing he didn't touch on is how do you hold a part that big with no tooling or hold down holes.

[MichaelHenry]

I did something like that once with a manual mill that was limited in Y. I wanted to surface a 12-in square plate and double-side taped the workpiece to the top of the rotary table. It worked well enough since only light surfacing cuts were needed, but it was a bit tricky to get everything lined up right and to get the machined plate off the surface plate.

[CadRhino]

It seems that leveling/shimming the 4th axis base is critical.

QUOTE=MichaelHenry;1770310]I did something like that once with a manual mill that was limited in Y. I wanted to surface a 12-in square plate and double-side taped the workpiece to the top of the rotary table. It worked well enough since only light surfacing cuts were needed, but it was a bit tricky to get everything lined up right and to get the machined plate off the surface plate.[/QUOTE]