Martin Hocking
Member
- Messages
- 261
- Location
- Norfolk
This is an epic tale of fear and suffering and is a testament to unshakeable courage and friendship.
Okay that might be an excerpt from a review of Joe Simpson's book Touching the Void, so probably more than over selling it! But this has been a bit of a saga.
This is a thread about a man deciding to change the spindle bearings on his millng machine when conditions don't really make it a wise idea, and things go badly. Nowhere near the Joe Simpson level where you're lucky to make it home with both your nipples but I have form for the odd howling cock up and I feel like i've excelled this time!
This is the milling machine in question, it's an elliott omnimil of the small 00 flavour. Bought on a giddy bid on ebay just before covid became a thing.
I’m sure I paid all the money but it wasn't missing much, it was very local and I got a decent inverter with it. I called it the omnishambles because it's worn out most ways and hasnt had the most careful owners, one of whom is me.
After a good clean and unclogging all the grease in all of its orifices and a popping a shim on the y axis Barry Gibb (thanks to excellent three word advice from pressbrake after an eyewateringly embarassing email about amongst other things badgers and the beegees). I was up and running and in spite of it being pretty shagged out I was having a whale of a time.
Fast forward a few years and after being dismantled to move house, the machine is finally put back together again in an effort to make space in my ridiculously over crowded single garage. Motors are rewired 240v and everything is dandy. At last I get to experience top speed on the vertical head. Hit the button and 20 seconds later when it finally reaches top speed and sounds like a plane taking off it becomes apparent all is not well. The heat emminating from the morse taper serves to confirm that all is not well. Oh flaps!
Okay that might be an excerpt from a review of Joe Simpson's book Touching the Void, so probably more than over selling it! But this has been a bit of a saga.
This is a thread about a man deciding to change the spindle bearings on his millng machine when conditions don't really make it a wise idea, and things go badly. Nowhere near the Joe Simpson level where you're lucky to make it home with both your nipples but I have form for the odd howling cock up and I feel like i've excelled this time!
This is the milling machine in question, it's an elliott omnimil of the small 00 flavour. Bought on a giddy bid on ebay just before covid became a thing.
I’m sure I paid all the money but it wasn't missing much, it was very local and I got a decent inverter with it. I called it the omnishambles because it's worn out most ways and hasnt had the most careful owners, one of whom is me.
After a good clean and unclogging all the grease in all of its orifices and a popping a shim on the y axis Barry Gibb (thanks to excellent three word advice from pressbrake after an eyewateringly embarassing email about amongst other things badgers and the beegees). I was up and running and in spite of it being pretty shagged out I was having a whale of a time.
Fast forward a few years and after being dismantled to move house, the machine is finally put back together again in an effort to make space in my ridiculously over crowded single garage. Motors are rewired 240v and everything is dandy. At last I get to experience top speed on the vertical head. Hit the button and 20 seconds later when it finally reaches top speed and sounds like a plane taking off it becomes apparent all is not well. The heat emminating from the morse taper serves to confirm that all is not well. Oh flaps!