Suggestions/tutorial to build clock-like lazy susan?

[ebsseattle]

I'd like to build a simple turntable using a lazy susan and a bunch of spokes (anywhere from 245-360) so that I can rotate the lazy susan one notch at a time and take a photo of an object sitting on tip of it. The goal is to hold a camera steady on a tripod and rotate the object.

Can anyone suggest materials to use to set this up without manually having to go in and split a circle in 250 parts and hand-drive 250 nails into the wheel?

 

[DaveC426913]

Get a large gear with the right number of teeth and glue it to the lazy susan, then put just one bendy mail into the base plate as a catch.

Is it necessary that they are accurate within a low tolerance? What if you just drew out 360 radial lines in pencil and manually moved the base? If you were looking to animate it, it's not like a deviation of a 1/2 degree in one frame will be noticeable.

 

[Nidum]

Stepper motor and a bit of DIY electronics is easiest way .

Otherwise :

(a) Use standard dividing engine methods - worm and wheel with index plate .

(b) Put an index scale on rim of turntable . Two methods:

Use a length of tape measure to make a loop and adjust diameter of turntable so that loop just fits over .
or
Print out a scale with suitable divisions on your printer (probably in sections) and fit as for tape measure loop . Alternatively fit as segments on the flat .

 

[DaveC426913]

Yeah. Worm gear would work well. It can subdivide the increments of the larger gear into a fraction of a tooth.

Unless you say so, I don't think it needs to be automated.

 

[ebsseattle]

Thanks for the suggestion. No, it doesn't need to be automated, and DaveC426913, it doesn't have to be mechanically precise. I just wanted something that has roughly even increments.