I have been unable to find any information on this cross slide/ rotary table for it seems that nothing is made in this fashion anymore. The true rotary feature is not present but being round and indexable by degrees leans closer to the rotary than just a cross slide table but with that said one would have a difficult time milling an arc with this table. Plotting holes as I did with this project works well and for my main use I see no reason for another table of this sort at this time.

After finishing my one and only project using this table I so deemed that it actually had worth so in my eyes it needed some color for the pretty factor.

In the following pictures I am going to describe how to build a make/shift, shade tree engineered baking oven. I have used this same method of baking finishes from gunstocks to Kurt vises and then some.

In use here is a large cardboard box; most any box would do as long as it is large enough that the work will fit inside. In the back is an approximate 1” x 3” vent hole at the top of the box, the front is completely open and at the back of the box close to the top is a lead thermometer. I suppose one could purchase a thermometer just for this application but I use what I have and it will read low enough to be able to tell 150 degrees that I want to maintain. Hey if someone wants to get elaborate feel free but for the once in a great while usage I really do not want some elaborate thing sitting around collecting dust and in my way.

To heat this box there options, a heat gun or hair dryer and I have used both but favor the heat gun. This is a cheep Black& Decker with one setting….HOT…, so one needs to make sure that there is clearance around the gun when draping towels over the front. I built a stand specifically for this B&D heat gun that holds in the right position plus holds the trigger down then just plug it into an extension cord. The open front with towels covering it is for the heat adjustment along with the hole in the back end, if the heat level gets to high just open the front and back or vise versa for not enough heat. If ya can’t get the heat down move the gun back plus open the front more, with a little finesse it is not difficult to get and maintain the desired temperature. In the winter months I have covered the box with a blanket or quilt to contain the heat.

I baked my Kurt vise for approximately 3 hours @ roughly 160-170%; my thought was it was too long and too hot but that finish has been bullet proof. This Palmgren I baked @ 160% or less for 1 ½ hours for it was close to half dry before I put it into the oven, it seems to be not as hard of a finish as the vise so we will see over time. I have become a fan of baking finishes and mainly for it speeds the dry times and the finish seems to be much more durable.