Setting Up a Rotary Table

The procedure I follow is taken from the Machine Shop Trade Secrets book, which I recommend. There are two steps.
First, you want to make sure your part is properly centered on the table. To do that, I clamp the casing head down on the mill table (no special place is needed), put my Indicol indicator holder on the mill spindle, and find some round feature on the part to indicate on. For example, on the plate milling fixture above, indicate on the round boss, or on the center hole. Spin the table and bump the part in until spinning the table doesn't move the indicator.
Second, locate the center of rotation directly under the mill spindle. You can simply use the X and Y table handwheels to do this. Use that Indicol to indicate off of a circular feature you want centered under the spindle.
Turn the indicol around on the spindle and adjust the handwheels until the indicator stays put relative to the spindle position. A Blake Coaxial indicator will make this last even simpler.
When you're rounding partially by cranking a part around on the rotary table, it's really easy to go a little too far and screw things up.
When I applied for an Ambassadorial Scholarship, one of the questions asked of me was, “Where do you see yourself in relation to Rotary in the future?” My answer: “This is for life.” I was already a Rotaractor and the prospect of becoming a Rotarian had always appealed to me.
I definitely have “I need to leave tubing head” days, but I also have “I need to leave my job” days and “I need to leave Toronto” days. Of all those things, I’m least likely to leave the Rotary family.