What 3 jaw do I need for a Fadal 165 rotary table I don't see it listed on their site?

Is that a 6"-6 1/2" rotary table? If the rotary has a face plate on it, all you need to do is buy a "plain backed chuck" and use some T-bolts to hold it in place. Bison/Toolmex has some pretty good chucks and they are nicely priced.
Remember to true the chuck!

Oh man...I should be able to that pretty cheap...I already have a 6" three jaw just sittin in the box doing nothing but waiting to be used, I think it is a Bison from KBC I bought a while back. I'll have to go dig it up.

Is truing the chuck on the face plate as big a PITA as it sounds like?

Is truing the chuck on the face plate as big a PITA as it sounds like?

Yes it is, it can take days, actually, you may never get it trued, so to eliminate the inevitable frustration I would be willing, as only a friend would do, take that 4th axis off your hands for say $200 :D

With me at the helm it may very well take days, untill just by chance I happen to whack the chuck just right and the resulting shock sends the chuck careening around till it ends up within .0002 runout. Yep days it is.

200 bones hu....that won't even cover shipping. Damn thing weighs 165lbs. Im still trying to figure out how to get it up on the table.

Dear God.

I don't even have any 4th axis software.

I'm looking at Camworks right now. 8K though...ouch. Onecnc says that they are 6 months off from having a 4th axis, I'm figuring that means a year waddya think?

Ken if you know 4th axis work feel free to send any tips my way.


My chuck will fit, I need some t slot nuts that fit though, KBC here I come again.

Dave, unfortunately I know only what a 4th axis is so I cannot be of any help to you, sorry :(

I will be a definite interested bystander though :)

On the Haas it cost thousands of dollars to just hookup to 4th axis and I believe a couple of thousand more to turn the controller on to recognize it, plus software and I think $5000 for the basic rotary table, I am not broke but sigh, I do not see it ever happening without some serious paying jobs, and sigh again, that may not happen either.

I am quite happy for you though, and just a bit envious :)

Ugh, yea it was $.

So far 3800$ in the 4th axis kit
5500$ for the table
probably 500 for the tech to install it.

It's all on order, maybe 4-6 weeks till it all gets here.

I'm in the same spot, so far this is just a hobby, I sometimes daydream that 20 years from now I'll own a huge manfacturing plant, you know allkinds of hot shot HMC and VMC and whatever elts is around then.

havent done it in a while...but just look in your book in the list of M codes....
you have one for brake on and one for off.....and i remember that feeds are
in degree's per minute NOT inches...... as in F.360 would be one revolution a minute...

dry run to be safe............

Lucky for me you missed out Nervis.
There was a Fadal 4th on ebay with the board (plus a spare) listed at $5G - used twice!
My VMC is 1 of the last DC units (I believe yours is DC as well) and this 4th is DC - model is VH 65 (as far as I can tell it is identical to the 165).
My machine HAD a 4th and came to me ready to rock by just adding a table.
After the ebay auction ended I bought the rotary unit for $2400, I am still working on shipping it here.
I have no experience using or programming 4 axis but my VisualMill 5 CAM is 5 axis software, so I am going to learn.

I am missing the jumper cap that goes in the plug on the machine(somebody jumpered it through using little bits of wire) SO if anyone has an extra proper plug, I am interested in purchasing one.

Nice find!

Mines all installed, I don't have an extra plug but Fadal sells them as does CNCPros, they are pretty cheap.

I got the chuck all squared away I eneded up buying from Fadal because there is an adaptor that fits into the chuck that squares the chuck up real nice. It also has tru set screws also.

I've done some 4 axis contour paths with Mastercam as trial cuts but a few projects came along that made me take the table off, haven't had time to get back to it. Sure is fun to see that 4th work though, neat stuff.

i'm looking for the same thing

This thread is 3.8 years old LOL

The VH-65 was pre-drilled and tapped for the 6" buck chuck.( Not sure about the 165) If you install a plug into the center then you can use the 4 adjustment screws to true in the chuck in far less than the days aforementioned! Yaa I know its spendy but it takes money to make money, At least thats what I keep telling myself.(chair)

The only difference between the VH-65 and the VH-165 is that the VH-65 has DC servo motor and the VH-165 has AC servo motor.
The rest of the device is identical.

Neal

My 95 VMC15XT comes with a VH-5C. Can I uplug it and use a VH65?

RDTS--
Yes, the amplifiers do not know which device they are driving. To them a 4th axis is a 4th axis. You will need to re-tune the motor servo loop gain.

Neal