and I have no idea what I'm doing! Needless to say, there will be many inane questions and such to follow, as I have zero machining background. But it's a skill I've been interested in learning for a while now, so I'm looking forward to doing just that.
It's probably a strange route to take, buying a machine with no experience, but its worked out for me with welding, so hopefully this will follow a similar path. I considered getting a membership to one of the "maker spaces" somewhat near me, but for a 6 month membership, I could own a mill instead. I've also heard pretty mixed reviews on the skill levels of the folks that work there and are supposed to help you learn.
Anyway, I'll get started with some pics and then some initial questions. The mill was on Long Island, about 200 mi away from me. The mileage didn't really bother me, but having to drive through NYC w/ a trailer during the week is not my idea of fun. Fortunately, once I got there, loading was not a problem. Hallelujah!
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The next day, I had to resort to a somewhat lower tech, more physically intensive method to get it off the lift and into place. I'm quite happy I rented the lift deck trailer - made the whole process far less frightening.
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I ran one ratchet strap around the back of the mill and anchored it to the pair of rings at the end of the trailer. I kept another strap around the throat of the machine and anchored to the forward part of the trailer, which was still attached to the truck. I then gave the upper strap some slack, used the lower strap to slide it on the trailer until the upper strap was taut, and repeated the process, gradually inching it off the trailer. I got it onto some wood, then used some wedges and a prybar to slide the pipes underneath of it, eventually maneuvering it into its temporary spot in my shop. Honestly it was not nearly as bad or as puckering an affair as I expected. No complaints!
My knowledge of the mill itself came mostly from watching a few YouTube vids about the W-I stuff, as well as reading various forums. The guy I bought it from was closing down his father's business and he indicated that it had basically been used as a drill press for the last umpteen years. He didn't really know anything about it, and the guy that knew how to run it had been gone for almost a decade. It certainly needs a good cleaning, which I've just barely started on.
What I've figured out so far:
- Serial # 9746 I think (going from memory), 9x46 table.
- table, saddle, and knee all move through full range of motion. Could probably be a bit smoother, but not horrendous.
- motor runs quietly.
- quill goes down smoothly, a bit slow on the return once you let off it though.
- quill power feed works. This was interesting trying to figure out without any instructions, but I got it after a bit of head scratching and fiddling. Not sure if the mechanism that disengages it when it hits the stop works, I forgot to try that.
- table power feed partially works. Kind of. The feed part works, but the power part is missing! If I put it in the slowest feed rate, I can turn the gearbox shaft by hand, and see the table move.
- table surface is a bit rough with some drill holes. Ways look pretty good, just needed a bit of cleaning.
- has a Bijur (sp?) oil system installed.
Now on to the interesting stuff.
First, I'm not sure if it happened during moving, or if it was like that before, but the handle that releases the tension on the belts was FUBAR. Cracked in two places. It was somehow wedged against the machine such that it would run, but as soon as I moved it, it fell into 3 pieces. So, task #1 was to fab a new handle. After much cutting, bending, welding, and grinding, a new handle was put into service.
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Next up, a bit of a puzzlement. The housing on the right side of the table, where the hand wheel, lead screw, etc. attach to the table, has been welded back together
I have no idea what to make of this, other than it must have taken one heck of a hit. Only the one side shows any welding though.
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The usual pics of the table, ways, etc.
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The oil reservoir for the oil system looks like it came off a WWII-era submarine.
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Finally, I'll end with a question. This is under the table at the front. Is this the mechanism for adjusting the table? Is that crack supposed to be there? The other side looks pretty much the same, with a similar crack. It looks too even for it to be a mistake, but the welding on the table housing has me a little spooked.
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I'm looking forward to learning both this machine and how to use it and appreciate any and all input from those of you with far more experience than I!