Technical Do they make a rotary table for a drill press?

I guess you could put this on a drill press, but it might tip it over.

 

That’s a neat pic. At least it gives me some ideas on spacing.

 

I'd skip the big holes and use those old style cast alum brake scoops.

 

You could buy a cheap Chinese 2 axis Compound table and put a rotary table on that and that would give you good consistent control for spacing your holes.

 

I have some backing plates with holes. Nasty brown wasps love'em. ... and I got stung

 

Since you are mainly concerned about appearance, why can't you make a template of the backing plate, then lay out the holes where you want them, place the template on the backing plate and mark the hole placement. Then center punch and drill on your drill press? The template is ready for reuse on the next backing plate. Or is this too simple a solution?

 

Then flip the template over, to do the other side.
"If it looks good, it IS good."

 

Bingo! The type of bearings used in drill presses are not meant for side cutting of any kind....

 

@Unkl Ian and @lucas doolin
What they said. Lay it out on poster board or sheet metal for a pattern .
Index and locate it off consistent spots on each backing plate.
Center punch and drill away.
Should be close enough that your eye will not pick up any difference existing between the two.

 

Just use a protractor, set your diameter, scribe your circle, then do a little trig. to find your hole spacing, set your dividers to that distance and walk it around the circle, center punch and drill your holes and you are done.

EDIT: Holy thread revival, didn't realize this thread was so old.

 

For once it's OK a ghost thread was revived. What else is Root gonna do for the next month but read old threads?

I tried one of those rotary tables on my drill press once, but it was too big and tipped the press over. So I clamped the table to my work bench instead and used a hand drill to drill the perfectly spaced holes.

 

There's many different sizes. One that weighs around 60 or 70 lbs shouldn't tip a press over unless it was placed in a precarious manner. I have a smaller unit that does 90% of what I need. Space and money entered into that decision.

 

I bought a 2 axis 12" rotary table at a tool auction for $250 for my mill. It weighs around 300 lbs. It would tip my drill press over as it weighs about 3 times what the drill press weighs.

 

I mentioned the weight early on, even if the drill press was bolted down to the floor, there is still deflection.
I guess wouldn’t be an issue with an older model press that is much more sturdy that what we purchase for under 250/300 these days.

 

I like the idea of a rotary table but I personally would use a x y table. I have a number of accessories for the milling machine like a turntable ,rotary fixture and indexing fixture etc and don’t use them much . A x y table will give you a better positioning on the holes . I ran a jig bore machine for many years and everything was X and Y dimensions . This we long ago before CNC I wish we had a CNC back then lol. Also with a simple X Y table you can use it as a light mill as the aka mill drill machines are beefed up heavy duty drill presses.
Also invest in a copy of the machinery hand book for formulas like bolt patterns and everything in between.
I wish you were closer as I have a x y table collecting dust that I just don’t need or use.

 

There are different size rotary tables, but even within a size there are different weight ones. There are some very small ones that can be bought cheaply, but usually cheap quality and basically useless. I would look for one that is at least 10" in diameter . Not all 10" are the same weight /mass. A 12" is even better if you can find one thats somewhat compact height wise. The larger size gives you room to clamp the part in place.
You also have to realize that if your goal is to drill axles, the rotary table may not work for you. You may have to make a flat plate with the properly located holes in it, and use it for a drill jig to do the actual axle drilling. There are ways to make the rotary table work for axles, but it isn't as simple as just getting a rotary table and bolting it in place on your drill press.

 

Template is the way to go.