The update for the project:
Paint has cured on the items that I sprayed so I set about re-assembly. The big work head went together fairly easily. The lock nut on the back end is amazing! the machinist fit a section into the nut and then threaded the nut. For securing you tighten a set screw that slightly moved the set in piece and locks the threads - super cool engineering.
The head rotates super smooth and the index works well. I put everything together with just a smear of assembly grease. Grinding dust is a bugger with these machines and the more I am reading the more it looks like keeping it as simple in the lube department as possible is the way to go. Mostly light oils for the parts and some things they just say to leave dry or only a drop or two.
The motor driven head and the surface grinder vise support came out well:
The surface grinder vise base was badly cracked and had been thread insert repaired for the threads. I neglected pictures but I repaired it with more cast iron mig welding and then machining the support surface flat. After boring out the hole where the thread insert was fitted, it turns out it is a 9/16- 12 tpi - argh! lucky I was to find a tap in my odds and sods so it went back together ok. I used a higher grade loctite to ensure the insert would stay put - the green bearing retainer stuff...626?
The Work Head was missing the handle for securing the 50 taper collets and the original guy was using a piece of 1" threaded rod with washers. Today I made a new handle. It is hot rolled as it is pretty beefy and really not subject to much wear. The dial was a piece of 3' round off cut I salvaged. I bored the center to 1.000" and then made the screw shaft 1.003 for a very tight shrink fit. I froze the shaft and heated the handle (in its rough form) and then put the two together and finished machined them as a unit. The screw shaft providing a mandrel for the handle.
I blued the assembly with some gun bluing and then light oiled.
Note: 45 deg. Chamfer tool shown in the above pic - not the threading tool
I left the shaft long on the shrink fit as I am thinking to mill some flats in case I need a wrench on the end at some point. Also the end may need a tap to unseat the 50 taper, might as well have a wee tapping place!
Next on the docket is to start machining a new shaft for the slow and feed, clean the bottom of the saddle assembly and get it back on the base. The base will get a good clean and then on the back burner for paint etc until later in the year. I will try and get things operational before then as disassembled it takes up a lot of space I do not have - also lots of other projects on the go........