Horizontal mill spindle is stuck

The sprocket shown in your picture is not original. It replaced a "silent chain" drive that B & S used back then. The split in the bronze bushing is to allow you to adjust the clearance in the spindle journals. The OD of the bronze bushing is on a taper. When you tighten that nut the ID of the bushing gets smaller.

To get the spindle out, you have to find the large set screw in the bull gear, where it secures itself to the spindle. Remove the set screw. Get you a 4 x 4 block and place on the back end of the spindle and drive out with a big hammer. Once it starts moving watch for the key in the ID of the bull gear. Rotate the spindle to top dead center. Back off the nut on the front bearing as far back as you can get it.

As you beat on the back end of the spindle, you will eject the front bearing along with the spindle. The bull gear and cone pulley will get left behind. Watch that cone pulley, its one big chunk of cast iron and is heavy! Once you get the spindle out, remove the key and slide the front bearing off the spindle.

My first mill was a Brown and Sharpe No. 3 mill built around 1910. It was very similar to the one in your picture.
 
That sprocket is probably a "shrink fit" on the spindle and is the reason for no keyway in it. Make sure it is not doubled set screwed to the spindle, too. I would not be afraid to put some "Gorilla" force into your puller. May even have to put a little heat into the sprocket, too.

If it does shear a couple of pins, no big deal. Just replace them when you go back together.
 
Very nice mill, I have a No2 that is very similar and I use on a regular basis- great machine and my favorite. As for the spindle being stuck.

1. I have had a nut come loose in the back of the main bell, it locked up the entire spindle. I was able to get welding rod between the gap to hold the nut in place to thread and retighten.

2. I also had to loosen the nut on the backside of the spindle, rotate and then retighten for adjustment. Not sure why, but it worked.

Hope this helps.

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Took a wire brush to it at lunch and still can't see anything. The shaft is keyed but the sprocket is not. There are two holes on the end that appear to be for roll pins or something like that. Might be just a press fit :dunno:.

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I backed off the spanner nut and I think I might see the answer or at least a clue. Looks like the hub of the sprocket assembly is recessed into this brass piece about 1/16". Perhaps squeezing this gap closed is what keeps it in place. Doesn't seem likely though as I know the sprocket turns but I don't ever recall seeing this nut rotating.

I'll fool around with it some more tonight. I sprayed it down with WD so I'll try that first. If it still won't move, maybe put a little heat on it and see if it helps.


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If the outher hole is 180 deg from the one in the picture thay may be for a pin spanner wrench. It may be threaded.
 
Being full of oil does not guarantee that one of the bearings has not failed for some reason.

Case in point: Semi truck. '85 Peterbilt to be exact (this happened in early 1986). Drive axles use roller bearings throughout. Oil levels are fine. Still under factory warranty, less than one year old, less than 100,000 miles on it. Big bearing on the pinion of the rear drive axle locks up at about 65 MPH. That pinion not only stopped turning, it stripped the teeth off of the ring gear, broke the axle housing, and dropped the intermediate drive shaft between the two drive axles, turning it into a steel pretzel.

Needless to say I needed a change of underwear after that. They were able to pinpoint the bearing as the culprit, but were not able to determine why that bearing failed.

If it is the workhorse of your shop, and you depend on it almost daily, you might just want to tear it apart and find out for sure just what went wrong so that proper repairs can be performed. Downtime costs you money too, but doing a makeshift repair just to have it go down on you again later is an even bigger loss of time and money.

Ouch, Bearing lockup can mess up a drive train for sure. Saw a semi one night throwing sparks after one its bearings went out. The driver was trying to get to the next exit, back before cell phones.
 
If the outher hole is 180 deg from the one in the picture thay may be for a pin spanner wrench. It may be threaded.


We have a winner! The threads are very fine and only about a quarter of one was sticking out. After I got the grease off it revealed itself. A little heat, a punch, a "persuader" and it came off. Darn tight though. I tore up one of the holes. I'll drill another pair before I put it back on. As soon as I loosened it a little the spindle freed right up.

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Here's a shot of the brass bearing and the wicking material that was in there with it.

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Best I can figure, the inner bearing nut came loose and the bearing backed out and jammed against the sprocket assembly. Locked the two together and the brass bushing has a lock pin. Nothing could move.


Anyone know how the wick goes back in? Just keep it in the cutout portion of the bearing or does is get spread out in the relief of the housing too? Should I clean it, replace it or just go with it? Looks like old rope to me, but who knows. It's probably 100 years old.

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Congrats on getting to the root of the problem! Patience, planning, and perseverance (plus a little persuasion) always provides positive results. Aren't you glad I'm not saying that while standing right in front of you? :lmao:

Sorry, but I cannot help you on the wicking material. I am sure that someone will chime in with the answer soon, as it appears that at least a couple of members here have experience with that machine or one of its brethren.
 
Very nice mill, I have a No2 that is very similar and I use on a regular basis- great machine and my favorite.

The 1 1/2 was only available for a few years and is basically identical the 1 and 2 just halfway between the two in size and travel. Mine is one of my favorite machines too.



1. I have had a nut come loose in the back of the main bell, it locked up the entire spindle.

Looks like that's what happened just on the other end.
 
Now while you have it apart it would be a good time to make a spanner wrench for that nut.
 
Now while you have it apart it would be a good time to make a spanner wrench for that nut.

That's a great idea. I doubt it would have helped yesterday because it was so tight but if I don't make one I'll regret it someday I'm sure.
 
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