Hey I'm also Deckeled...

rcflier

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Hi guys (haven't seen any gals around here).

As nothing much has happened here, I'd like to post something about my "baby".

It's a 1966/67 Deckel FP2, which I bought on German eBay 10½ years ago.

I had been looking at FP1's, but I could never seem to win an auction - at least with the amount
I was willing to pay. Some people had written a "2" took up about the same floor space as the "1",
so I had bid on this nice looking "2". I was overbid in the last minute, but managed to get it in
the last few seconds. €4510 used on a piece of steel - just based on some pictures...

I had sneaked away at work, officially checking schedules of our team. 5 seconds after I won it,
my superior was standing right behind me - and I had to pretend nothing had happened, while being
completely stoked and high...

So I went from Bornholm in the Baltic Sea through southern Sweden, Denmark and down to Köln
(Cologne) in Germany to pay in cash. Fortunately I had brought some extra, as the seller had separated
the accessories. I bought the index head with centering vise and the slotting head; both had been delivered
originally with the mill to Ford in Köln (same serial number), plus a much newer High Speed head. A much
used tilting/swivelling table came with it and while waiting for the pickup, the seller found a set of collets.

When the mill arrived (the second time - see below), I borrowed a local fork lift truck and got it up a small
slope - where I built my shop around it!! Later I went on several "Tool Treks" in Germany, picking up stuff I had
bought on eBay. A tooling cabinet for the FP1 went onto the roof of my Passat and I drove all over Germany
to pick up the rest. A hard voyage as it took several days without a bath, but fun. I have bought most of my
accessories on German eBay over time.

Do not believe a "2" is the same size as the "1". The 1 is a cute little thing, while the 2 is much more intimidating,
at least in my small shop (2.7 meter times 4.7 meters inside). This mill is one of the last of the
older "2"'s, having an x-asis of 500 mm. And it was born with the long reach head, which is very
versatile. It can be slid 300 mm in/out and then fixed. When pulled out, it can work as overarm for horizontal
milling. The spindle can be disabled and finally it can be turned and retracted, giving more space to use the boring
horizontal quill.

Unfortunately, upon arrival I took the fitting oil gun and immediately pumped the ways full of grease!!
Idiot... So in the years I have had it, I have hardly used it, because it's not been lubed. Now I am finally
building my shop crane, so I can take it apart (and project no.1 has been done - fixing the lathe).

At first I didn't have much insulation in the floor, just 6 mm green anti-squeak and the 22 mm plywood,
but later I bought some very strong 100 mm foam. So everything had to go to one end, while I took up the
22 mm plywood and laid the 100 mm foam. I almost lost the mill there, while it was on the hand truck.
It doesn't take much to topple it - but I saved it - phew! I know not everybody have been that lucky.

It would've been the second time it fell, as I had had to store it with some family, until I was ready to build
my shed. The one family member who helped me got home before I did, and he loosened all straps without
hooking it to the winch on the lowbed trailer - and tilted the bed backwards. Unfortunately he had had sand on it, so
the pallet started sliding back on its own. When it hit the concrete, it tilted backwards. And then I arrived,
seeing my mill lying there, bleeding oil. The damage was rather slight, a few bearings, conical pins, y-axis
feed nut and the bracket that hold the y-axis bellows. I got the parts from Franz Singer - except the bracket.
That's mainly cosmetic, so I haven't glued it or gotten another - yet.

At a dealer I found a Fine Boring head with a raising block (FP2 type) and later an FP3 tilt/swivelling table.
So I sold the High Speed head and the normal tilt/swivelling table. But, as the FP3 table is large, I don't
know where to store it! I have serious space problems, but at least not as much as Paul (who also has
machinery for wood in his "shop" or "ship";-)). But don't we all have that kind of problem? ;-)

I have chinese DRO's ready for both the mill (Meister TopTen) and the lathe (Knuth Xpos3 - same as
TopTen, really). I'll try to install the DRO x scale on the slide meant for gauge blocks. I'm not much for
making holes in my pretty mill. It should be possible to mount the other two scales to the t-slots meant for
stops or gauge blocks.

So much for now
Cheers
Erik

DSC00482.JPG damage2.JPG BedsteBilledeFP2.jpg 20131202_210754.jpg 20131202_210850.jpg 20131202_210913.jpg 20131202_211148.jpg 20131202_211238.jpg 20131202_211323.jpg Billede 751.jpg IMG_20161201_194544.jpgBillede 753.jpg Centri1.JPG Billede 269.jpg Forum15.JPG
 
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Nice machine and collection of tooling. You will find a lot of folks here doing great things in a very small space, and many of us doing things over long periods of time. Welcome, Mike
 
That overarm really extends doesn't it? Nice machine, you've got us all green with envy for your green machine! :) I was watching a FP1 being auctioned on Surplex last year, I missed the ending so I never found out how much it fetched. It was very nicely tooled and was at a German manufacturing company that was closing. That's really the only way to get one- direct from the fatherland. Or is it motherland?
Mark S.
 
Hi Erik, thank you for sharing your story of how you acquired your Deckel. I have a "Deckel type mill" and quite enjoy it. The Maho MH 600 is about the equivalent of an FP1 - and I agree that it is a small machine (though with a much mass as many medium sized machines). In Canada, all this style of machine are uncommon (though you occasionally see a Deckel come up for sale - perhaps once a year. Mahos come up about once every 5 years). Most people I talk to here have never heard of this configuration and when they see it figure it is just plain weird.

You have done very well with the attachments. I am sure finding those items has been a lot of work!
Please keep us informed as you make progress.

I have posted in this other European style machines forum (not sure why there appears to be two such forums?).
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/thre...ling-drilling-and-boring-machine-mh600.30766/
I am still looking for more bits and pieces for the little Maho.

Best regards, David
 
Thanks, Mike.

Mark, I was lucky it came with that head, I guess. And matching serial numbers (just like a Corvette).
But the table has to be all the way up to machine smaller stuff. The standard vertical head droops some.
Too bad you got distracted from that auction - often they come with just a little or no tooling at all.
And it adds quite a lot to the cost, although Deckel is the easiest (of the Deckeltype mills) to find stuff for.
The older manual Deckel and Maho's use a drawbar with 20mm pull stud, while other mills use ISO, I believe.
But pull studs can be bought.

David, these Deckel-Maho-Thiel-Schaublin-Aciera (and others) tool mills are wonderful, versatile machines.
The reason I sought a Deckel is, the accessories and spares are plentiful - especially in Germany. It's everywhere!
But trying to find some Aciera stuff - forget it! If you ever buy an Aciera, then make sure it's fully tooled.
What accessory would you need? You have all the important stuff.

Cheers
Erik
 
Erik: I was only lurking on that auction- I have no idea how to arrange shipping machine tools from Europe, I understand there are companies that will handle this, but I have never done it myself. I appreciate hearing about the availability in Germany however, that is encouraging. Someday I'm sure Santa Claus will bring me one(or an Abene!)
Mark S.
 
Oops, sorry about that Mark.
Naturally I thought it was a German company in the US.
Hmm, why an Abene? That's a quite different (strange) animal.
(sounds like you lurk on another forum also)
Cheers
Erik
 
Very nicely tooled, some rare stuff there too. And that factory cabinet, you did very well, welcome to the world of Deckel!
 
Hi frugalguido.

Thank you for the welcome, but I've had this FP2 for 10 years.
But I've been looking for an FP1 way before that - I even bought some Deckelstuff
in anticipation. Now I just thought Paul (Samthedog) was lonely in this forum.
(and because Deckels are such marvelous machines. Very well built, incredibly versatile and quite common in Europe)
I visited Paul in Norway back before he bought his FP1 (when he had his Mattson&Zetterlund mill).
You see, we both own metric Colchester Chipmaster lathes. His a nice, privately owned from new and mine a beat up UK school machine.

The original Deckel cabinet is made for the FP1, I wanted that one because I think it's more charming than the FP2 counterpart.
And there really are two cabinets for an FP2 - one for heads and large stuf and one for smaller stuff and index table and such (AFAIR).

Cheers
Erik
 
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