EBay-tastic

[Carl Wilson]

She is indeed. When the machine fell, it landed almost end on on the leadscrew hand wheel. So there was no side loading of the screw, bearings or bracket that could have bent it.

The handle on the hand wheel was bent when it hit the floor of the trailer. I guess the energy of the fall was partially absorbed by that. I'll be repairing it.

The reversing switch for the power feed was also damaged. I said it was a Dewhurst in my earlier post but it is actually a Square D. They've been taken over by Schneider Electric and the switches are still available. I'm going to convert everything except the suds pump to vfd control, so I may use the original switches through the vfd. I've not yet decided. The suds pump will be on a Steinmetz connection.

The table looks not too bad, no drill marks or anything too nasty, just the odd burr that can be blended out relatively easily.

I've still not had a chance to do a thorough examination. That will hopefully be this week. My main priority now is to get my lathe vfd conversion finished. I'm going to need the lathe. The mill will require a lot of work before I'm prepared to cut metal with it.

 

[Carl Wilson]

For some reason I've managed to post two pictures the same. Please ignore and/or forgive my cack-handedness.

MOD edit - fixed

 

[armalites]

I feel I really need to pay tribute to my wonderful Wife. I appreciate that there are some technically talented girls on this forum. My Wife isn't technical as such, but as a Nurse she can pretty much turn her hand to anything. She proved that today.

She turned out a fantastic roast leg of lamb with all the trimmings, followed by home made plum crumble and custard for lunch today at half one.

She then came outside with me and in a screaming sleet blizzard we moved half a ton of mill across our gravel drive and into the workshop.

She's some girl let me tell you.

Sounds like you've got a keeper there

 

[addjunkie]

"Would like to taste her Lady Garden",

A top class example of how to take a very interesting thread off on a tangent!

Mill looks great, think you have been very lucky. Best start saving though for all the widgets you are going to need!

 

[armalites]

A top class example of how to take a very interesting thread off on a tangent!

Mill looks great, think you have been very lucky. Best start saving though for all the widgets you are going to need!

Duly noted, I have edited my post

 

[addjunkie]

It wasnt a critiscism more an observation of how the mind goes off on a tangent! Besides Im quite partial to Nurse stories as my mother was one and So was my wife.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

It wasnt a critiscism more an observation of how the mind goes off on a tangent!

My physics teacher had a habit of wondering off on a tangent. learnt a lot from it that wasn't in the curriculum. my favorite teacher.

Glad your mill got off lightly Carl. Must have been a horrible moment when you heard it go over.

 

[Carl Wilson]

Can't quote fizzy properly but yes it was a very lucky escape. Had the machine fallen on to the left hand side then the end of the table would have struck the trailer floor and I dread to think what the result would have been.

I not only heard but saw the machine topple. According to my wife my face was one of pop eyed terror. That said, I was philosophical about it. These things happen and although far from ideal, there was nothing I or the driver could have done. My main concern was that he had not been injured. I am confident that I can repair more or less anything. I once had a lathe go over on me and I fixed that up good as new.

My wife also has the in built nurse cheekiness. One of the many things I love about her.

I'm going to get fired into stripping the mill soon. As I said I need to get my lathe running first really. I think I will probably begin a new thread when it comes to refurbishing and converting the mill.

 

[RichardM]

You're lucky he used one of the better quality pallets to put it on, others would probably shattered when it went over.

Good luck with the rebuild.

 

[Carl Wilson]

Yes. It was a strong blue pallet, as suggested by fizzy. I'd just like to publicly thank fizzy here because he was instrumental in getting the machine to me. He spoke to the seller and told him how to pack the mill and what pallet to use.

Thanks for the good wishes.

 

[fizzy]

Yes. It was a strong blue pallet, as suggested by fizzy. I'd just like to publicly thank fizzy here because he was instrumental in getting the machine to me. He spoke to the seller and told him how to pack the mill and what pallet to use.

Thanks for the good wishes.

Thanks for that!
Sadly one little bit of advice didn't get across. I did say to use a 120x100 pallet not a 120x80

In fairness the seller was a great chap who did his very best! We see some right horror stories......................

Still all's well that ends well as the saying goes!

 

[Carl Wilson]

I've been looking at the mill lubricants today. Along with all the trade names of the oils that can be used, the data plate gives SAE numbers too. SAE 40 for vactra oil heavy and SAE 30 for plain vactra.

Are these equivalents? They are just basic lubricating oils ie motor oils. I thought vactra heavy was a sort of gear oil. Clearly I was wrong.

I have to admit I'm tempted to use AWS 68 hydraulic oil for the gearboxes and the slideways, as used on my Harrison M250 lathe. I will just get a good quality grease for the feed motor bearings.

 

[Carl Wilson]

Well I have just looked up Vactra oil heavy and medium on Mobil's website. It gives full technical data on the oils.

The ISO viscosity is 68 which is the same as AWS68 that I have for the lathe. Other properties are the same so I'm just going to use it. Vactra medium is ISO46.

They are hydraulic oils really. Actually they are used a lot in industry as general hydraulic and lubricating oils as they combine good properties with relatively low cost.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

I've just ordered a litre of this for the Myford ML7 - cheaper to order direct from them, rather from their eBay listing(s).

https://www.metalworkingfluids.net/mobil-vactra-oil-no-2.html

 

[Carl Wilson]

Thanks for that, it's always great to learn about new sources of lubricants. Especially when you can buy small quantities.

 

[Carl Wilson]

Here are some photos that give a good example of the type of thing that needs doing on the mill.

The first photo shows the change gears for the power feed. You can see the top one has a knurled retaining nut while the lower one does not. The gears are keyed to the shafts and restrained by these nuts.

The design of the nuts is quite clever. They have a partial saw cut with a grub screw. As the screw is tightened it opens up the cut a little which wedges up the threads, thereby locking the nut. Similar in action to an Aerotight nut.

So one of those to make. I will also have to make some of the gears as the ones shown are all I have. The feed motor will be on a vfd so perhaps I'll use two identical gears for 1:1 drive. I might get Richard to 3D print them. I think they are 20DP.

I'm going to move the machine so that I have good access but can use my bandsaw and welding gear. Everything is shoved up at one end of the shop just now.

 

[Carl Wilson]

Just been checking the lubricants again and it seems the gearbox and vertical head gearbox use vactra extra heavy. An equivalent is VG150. So my nose didn't tell me fibs in the back of that trailer. If it smells like gear oil, then it probably is gear oil.

68 is what is specified for the slideways. Looking at all the oil nipples I can see I'm going to have to do a lot of chasing out of lubrication runs. Obviously the oil nipples look like grease nipples. Judging by the residue around them and elsewhere on the machine, someone has been assiduously greasing them for years.

Tucked into the base of the machine was the manual. There was also this very nice booklet. I'd heard of it (from the download of the manual) but I never thought I'd see one.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Once you get it sorted, I'll know where to come with milling jobs......

 

[Carl Wilson]

Don't hold your breath though...

 

[addjunkie]

Once you get it sorted, I'll know where to come with milling jobs......

Yes hes got a mill, it will only take 20 minutes.....36 hours of table time later, the job will be finished!