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CNC fourth axis

A fourth axis turns a machine that cuts flat parts into one that can cut around a cylinder. It also eats work envelope, adds a mass hanging off your table, and needs a controller that can address it.

Whether you need one is usually answered by a single question: does the part have features on more than one face?

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What we check before you pay

Indexing or continuous, and they are not the same purchase

An indexer rotates between cuts, which covers most hole patterns and flats. Continuous rotation cuts while turning, which is what carving and spiral work need. Buying the first and expecting the second is the common mistake.

Your controller has to have an axis free

A three-axis board cannot drive a fourth axis whatever you bolt to the table, and some controllers expose a fourth axis in the wiring but not in the post-processor. Confirm both before buying the hardware.

Chuck size sets the part, the mass and the price

A 100mm chuck and a 65mm chuck are different machines in practice. Bigger holds more and costs you Z clearance, table space and rigidity at the same time.

Tailstock alignment is not optional for long parts

Anything slender needs support at the far end or it will deflect away from the cutter. The tailstock has to be aligned to the chuck axis, and that alignment is a specification, not an assumption.

Where it sits costs you envelope

A rotary axis on the table takes X travel and Z clearance permanently unless you remove it between jobs. On a small machine that trade is often the deciding factor.

Backlash in the worm is what you will feel

Cheap rotary tables have worm backlash that shows as a step on every direction change. Ask for the figure measured, and treat its absence as information.

How an order runs

  1. Describe the part, not the axis Features on more than one face, or around a cylinder, is what decides whether you need one at all.
  2. Controller checked first A free axis in the wiring and in the post-processor, confirmed before any hardware is priced.
  3. Chuck and envelope Part diameter and length against your table, weighed against the travel you give up.
  4. Specification in writing Ratio, backlash, chuck size and runout, tailstock alignment, mounting pattern.
  5. Quote and approval Axis, tailstock, cabling and driver, itemised.
  6. Ship consolidated Heavy and compact, priced on weight, and best sent with a machine order.

What rotary axes actually cost

50 listings read on 2026-09-22, sorted into the three ways you can buy. The price bands below are computed over all of them; the items further down are a spread across each band so you can see the range rather than only the cheap end.

Wholesale · 1688

$1,613median · $197–$1,792 middle half

29 listings

Bought by the batch. Lowest unit price, and the seller expects a business buyer.

Retail · Taobao

$101median · $74.67–$149 middle half

18 listings

Single units, consumer packaging, and a price that already carries a retail margin.

Used · Xianyu: 3 listings — too few to quote a band from, so we do not. Nobody resells this category second-hand in any volume; that is the finding, not a gap in our data.

Ex-works prices in US dollars, converted at 6.696 CNY per USD on 2026-09-22. They exclude our fee, crating, freight and duty — the quote form prices those. We do not hold stock; these are live supplier listings and any one of them can go out of stock or change price between collections.

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Links are reviewed by our sourcing team. We confirm specifications and pricing before you approve any purchase.

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