Cheap XY, compound table experiences?H

[Mike Needs Help]

Hello fellow bodgers and wood adventurers,, I wondered if anyone had experience of using a cheap XY / compound table such as this? - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/37598707...lp:2332490&itmmeta=01JMJFZ1YZSR3C5HWVCHW6X1S3

I have an idea to use this on a wood turning lathe to turn it into a copy lathe for some small wooden parts I make regularly. I reckon I can sort out the movement, location and template OK but wondered how much slop there might be in the above table. I'm not expecting fine tolerances as on a quality metal lathe cross slide but for £30 I don't know how bad it might be! Any experiences shared would be appreciated.

 

[Sideways]

Simple rack and pinion, not even a screw and no way to adjust the backlash out. I've never used one that cheap but there could be a quarter turn of the handle slop in it...
For £30 it is going to be the cheapest soft alloy castings and whatever is sliding to give the linear motion won't be tight or even.
Happy to be proven wrong but it's hard to imagine it being other than a waste of money.

 

[Mike Needs Help]

Simple rack and pinion, not even a screw and no way to adjust the backlash out. I've never used one that cheap but there could be a quarter turn of the handle slop in it...
For £30 it is going to be the cheapest soft alloy castings and whatever is sliding to give the linear motion won't be tight or even.
Happy to be proven wrong but it's hard to imagine it being other than a waste of money.

Those were my thoughts hence the post and hoping to be proved wrong!

 

[Hugh M.]

I have one quite like that I think. I’ll have a look tomorrow. I used it for a purpose…
Oh, go on then, I’ll confess. I used it (and will again soon) to cut the slot in a short length of wood with a 2mm kerf circular saw blade that I got from China. My friend made me an arbour that hold it in the chuck of my little bench drill. He also made some T nuts as hold down bolts.
Should I do this? No. Does it work? I was surprised at how well it all went with a little time allowed for clamping and set up. Cutting wood offered little in the way of lateral resistance.
The table has more backlash than an S & M dungeon but that didn’t stop it working.

 

[Inspector]

The simplest duplicator is a flat board mounted to the bed. A frame holding a sharpened scraper with a pointed nose on the base. A pattern is attached to the board on the bed. The base pointer follows the pattern and the bit above cuts the shape int the turning. No need for XY tables or other mechanical stuff.

Pete

 

[ChaiLatte]

Simple rack and pinion...

...shown in the photo only and would form no part of the item you would receive if you bought it.

For the application, backlash is not a problem as any movment using it would be unidirectional. Backlash is only important when going both back and forth in the same operation.

It could also be mitigated by attaching a couple of springs or counterweights.

For £30, the item is worth a try.

 

[themack]

I would stay away from that. It won't be precise, the materials will be cheap and the gears wear out quickly. But then it depends how often you use it and if you need precision. And there are similar ones for even cheaper on ebay. It doesn't give a weight anywhere on the listing, so it's probably not heavy enough to be useful.