Turntables (aka 'Lazy Susan') and other rotating platforms

[cthulhu77]

I've used a small rotating table for years to paint figures, and last year purchased a larger version for models...but it was made out of plastic, and could not take the abuse that comes from kit-bashing. So, I bought a metal one, used for rotating cupboards, at the local hardware store, and a piece of granite (nice and heavy).  Now I have a rotating work area 12"x12", that you can cut on, and is heavy enough not to spin around all the time, all that for about 14 bucks...not bad!

[The Rat]

I've thought about making one a few times, knowing that it works for you is good news. I've seen the bearing units at various hardware stores, it's just a matter of adding some scrap wood on each side for a base and top.

And whatcha doin' with the nacelles on that SR?!  

Can't wait for this bit of baaaaaaaad craziness...      

[cthulhu77]

Ah, the good ol EA-71...should be finished this weekend!

    That's the reason I used a heavy chunk of granite...no need to construct any sort of table, you just plunk the sucker down !

[Leigh]

Tamiya make  great revolving paint stands, come in a set of two, one is more designed to hold car bodies the other one is great with clips and holes for bits of dowel and stuff to hold yer parts. The two piece set comes for less than $20, best buy I made last year.
Also those clunky old square revolving cassette/C.D. holders can be broken down to make a decent carousel.
These are more for spraying than modelling on but I like your idea Greg.

[Captain Canada]

Good idea.....the wifey bought an excercise thing that spins for our daughter to practice her balance for skating on. Very heavy duty, that. Would probably cut down on the fingerprints as well !

[lancer]

I've got one thats about 8" that was for portable tv's but I tend to useit for painting and decalling. It's very useful I find.  

[sequoiaranger]

This topic was prompted by Jeffery Fontaine's reply to my "Low-Speed Drill and Spinner" post. To wit:

>Walther Doering came up with a similar idea over on modellversium.de by suggesting that you can use a dead muffin fan from a computer or other electronics device as a finger powered turntable to paint wheels.  I suppose it would also work for propellers with the added benefit that you don't have to have one hand on the switch so you can use both hands to work the part that needs to be painted. <

So a SMALL turntable is good for painting wheels or other rotary-symmetrical items, but...

A plate-sized turntable is also excellent to use while painting (or constructing, for that matter). One of the banes of modeling is the "need" to handle a model repeatedly during various processes. The more the model is handled, the greater the risk of dropping it, smudging something, inadvertently picking up glue or paint on one's fingers and transferring it to unwanted places, transferring something ALREADY on your fingers to some unwanted place, squeezing too hard (especially fragile vac-forms), breaking off some small part, imprinting your fingerprint in still-drying paint, having in-place decals suddenly stick to your fingers or move, etc.

So, if at all possible, you want to MINIMIZE direct handling.

Enter the turntable.

A turntable has an unseen base that remains stationary, whilst a "plate" atop the unseen base can swivel around (and around, if need be). At most household/kitchen goods section of department stores, there are cheap, plastic turntables used for table settings or in-shelf storage. They are circular in shape, and about dinner-plate sized. Some of them are two-story, about five inches apart. These two-story ones are the best, as you can place your subject on the top shelf, and have room for paints, brushes, files, etc. in the lower shelf. The circular shelves are usually nesting, so what I do is have another shelf that I can set in on top of the top shelf and remove any time I want to set aside the subject and clear the working space for some other project in the interim.

I think the turntables come into play best when airbrushing. You can turn the model around without touching it, thereby staying in one place yourself.

Also, when "scrutinizing" your model for symmetry or blemishes, or just to look at it from different angles, you can turn it around 360 degrees.

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Agreed, I use a wooden turntable bought from IKEA for a MASSIVE £4.00 (about $6.50 US atm), about 40cms diameter, stable as h*ll. Absolutely invaluable as a spraying base.

Ian

[Jeffry Fontaine]

I have found several nice turntable things at the local second hand shops here in the Bremerton area.  Some of them are made from very nice walnut, others are created from that grainy MDF material but all have that rotating feature.  The fancy wood turntables are usually the type that were found on the dining table holding condiments or similar things.  The several that I found made from MDF, well, I know at least one was a turntable for a television set, the others, could have been intended for a cupboard to hold spices.  Usually priced to go at the good will shops as they are no longer in vogue with the people that owned them.  These are the sort of things that I usually look for as suitable model displays since you can find them with a large enough surface to spot a 1/48th scale F-15 or F-111 on some of them with no problem. 

The plastic turntable in your picture resembles the one that I used for painting but it was only one level, not two as you have, if memory serves me right, those were sold under the Rubbermaid brand, at least the one that I have was a Rubbermaid product when I purchased it. 

[sequoiaranger]

>The plastic turntable in your picture resembles the one that I used for painting but it was only one level, not two as you have, if memory serves me right, those were sold under the Rubbermaid brand, at least the one that I have was a Rubbermaid product when I purchased it. <

Yes! My two-story one is a "Rubbermaid" (though no rubber was harmed in making it)  brand rotating spice rack (USA).

They are plastic, however, and I recently discovered, the hard way, that they are susceptible to dissolution by lacquer thinner!. Some lacquer thinner spilled and flowed under the turntable, making a sticky goo out of the bottom ring. Allowing it to dry made it OK again.

[NARSES2]

Agreed, I use a wooden turntable bought from IKEA for a MASSIVE £4.00 (about $6.50 US atm), about 40cms diameter, stable as h*ll. Absolutely invaluable as a spraying base.

Ian

Any idea what the catalogue number was Ian - I could do with one

[Mossie]

We have Rubbermaid stuff at work & I always think it must have bought from the back pages of a 'gentlemens' publication!

[NARSES2]

Had a guy at work 40 years ago who used to "find" a copy of "Forum" on the train every week - their rubber special was certainly an eye opener 

Back on subject - young Nick picked up a Ikea turntable for me, great stuff and thanks Nick. Have already given it a trial spin and can see it becoming indespensible

[lancer]

Been using a plastic telly turn table picked up out of a pound shop for years. Currently missing so I need a new one. Can't find them on the Ikea website, so I guess it's back to the pound shop in the hopes they will still have some in stock!

[cthulhu77]

I like the metal ones from Home Depot...they are sold in the cabinet section (lazy suzans)...once they are covered in paint too much, just wash them down with some laquer thinner, and they look brand new. They also have ball bearings for rotation, instead of a shaft mount...much smoother.