VN Bench Piston Grinder

No manual, but that's a very cool little rig. Mike
 
Here is the machine I bought. Picked it up in California. Overall I’m happy I have the machine. It will take months to refurbish due to my schedule. I am a little concerned about the way closest to the grinding wheels since the engraved grooves are very faint.

Does anyone know if Van Norman hand carved the grooves or if this was not factory?

On the bed ways there are moon shape grooves in the middle where the oil plungers make contact (similar to a lathe head stock oil plungers).

The lead screw for the grinding post has almost no wear from what I can see. I don’t believe the tail stock is original for the unit. I will need to measure and accommodate any height differences.

Will likely need a new coolant pump and new grinding motor (since it’s old and 3phase).

I have two manuals on way to help me dissect and operate the machine. The wheel crank for grinding wheels have 0.001” increments with a vernier scale for 0.0001” (0.0001-0.001”).

I have not found any serial numbers like my No 10 mill. Only indentification is the id tag stating meeting war requirements (which I think is cool).

As I progress through the machine, I’ll keep updating this thread.

If anyone has good ideas for a stand, please let me know. Wish it came with the original stand.

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Great project!
Thanks for bringing us along with you.
I am watching.
-brino
 
Here is what the machine looked like at the end of 2017. Due to the change of hands before I found the machine, the lower base has been sold off. Currently looking for another cast iron base.

The machine continue to surprise me with the available features. The bed can be adjusted to grind a taper. As the photos show, the condition is subpar right now. From my research, I believe the grinder is not the Re-Li-O but a 76 grinder. The 76 has a few more features than the Re-Li-O specifically the belt fed table feed.

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Three phase motors are quite robust, and have fewer problems than single phase motors do. They also run more smoothly, important on a grinder. Check the feel of the bearings, look at whatever wires are easily accessible, and if there are no red flags, buy a VFD and get it going. You can test it first somewhere there is three phase available, to make sure it works before buying the VFD if you want to.
 
I had some free time after work today and decided to start the cleaning process. With the help of a wire wheel I sanded the old paint and primer down to bare metal.

Was finally able to find a serial number which I believe is 7995. Most of the other items came out just as nice with no major pitting or damage to ways.

I likely won't be able to work on the machine for the next two weeks due to an international trip to see a new region of the world.

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That's a great old machine! Looking forward to your progress.Mine is a 1925 Re-li-o without the taper turning sub table.
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Cheers,
Joe
 
Joe,

Please upload more photos as there is not enough of these older machines. I would also like to compare my model to yours.


Made some progress last night and tonight cleaning the major components. Taped the critical parts and primed the surfaces. Will likely need two coats of primer before color is applied.

I’ll be headed to Europe for two weeks so there won’t be any update until the 20th.

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I don't have many photos of the poor old thing, but can take photos of any parts that interest you.
Here's a couple.
This is how and where I found it:
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Here's the original workhead setup, before I replaced the motor with a 720rpm 3-phase VFD controlled and single step down belt.
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During rebuilding:
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I quite like using it....
 
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