Index Model 645 Mill

Much nicer than the basket case I have. Dad left it in pieces and not very protected from the elements before he passed. I took it on and cleaned it up and put it back together. The power feed was missing the worm gear and the cover. The gear was nearly $600 from Index and the cover was unattainable. Drawing of the cover was available for $25. That was quoted 21 years ago. I removed the gear box and what was left to the power feed and tossed most of it out. Put together a right angle gear box for a hand feed that works fine for me. Here's a couple of pictures I've found to post. Ken

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Thanks for sharing those pics guys!

I'm almost to the point where I can dedicate some more time to this machine. I've finally got my Logan lathe painted and put back together. This weekends project is installing my RPC and 3 phase wiring in my shop to power both machines.

I have removed the motor - the bearings in it feel nice and smooth. I got the spindle pulley off. Next step is to remove the brake handle from its shaft and then I think the belt guard will come off. I'll try to post quite a few pics of the disassembly process here since these machines don't seem to get much air time on the forums ;). Here's a pic of the spindle and brake shoe with the pulley removed:

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That's really cool how you mounted the gearbox. The funny thing about mine was that it was actually in real good shape. I think it was just being used as a drill press. The dials were completely covered with paint. I wish I had pics of it before I sold it. It looked really nice. TJ keep the pics coming. I'm afraid that my memory isn't good enough to be of much technical help.
 
I'm finally back to working on the mill. Since my last post, I removed the belt guard assembly along with the brake shoe. It simply lifted off after removing the brake lever from its shaft. Next step was to remove the head. Before the head can slide out of the ram, the worm that rotates the head must be removed. It is held in by a castle type nut :
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Crude methods were unsuccessful at loosening the nut, so I made a tool for it:
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It was a nice little project for my newly refurbished Logan lathe. It worked well and the nut and worm came out easily.
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Then with some gentle wiggling, the head slipped out of the ram. I supported it with an engine hoist - it's heavy!
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Next step will be to remove the table...
 
I'm finally back to working on the mill. Since my last post, I removed the belt guard assembly along with the brake shoe. It simply lifted off after removing the brake lever from its shaft. Next step was to remove the head. Before the head can slide out of the ram, the worm that rotates the head must be removed. It is held in by a castle type nut :
View attachment 142485

Crude methods were unsuccessful at loosening the nut, so I made a tool for it:
View attachment 142486
View attachment 142487
It was a nice little project for my newly refurbished Logan lathe. It worked well and the nut and worm came out easily.
View attachment 142488

Then with some gentle wiggling, the head slipped out of the ram. I supported it with an engine hoist - it's heavy!
View attachment 142489

Next step will be to remove the table...
Your pin socket brings back memories. I have one almost identical to it in my toolbox. Half the fun of a project like that is overcoming the obstacles along the way.
 
I got the table removed today and discovered a problem along the way. I had previously noticed a large amount of backlash in the power feed drive shaft - now I know why. This is the gear box on the right end of the table. The shaft that's sticking out is the lead screw. The gear on the bottom is on the end of the driveshaft.
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After removing the gear I found that the woodruff key slot was wollered out. You can't really tell it from the photo, but the shaft is worn to a taper from the gear flopping around on it. The bore of the gear is shot as well.

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I'm going to check on prices and availability from W-I, but I'll bet they're pricey. It would be fairly easy to make a new shaft. What is the feasibility of brazing the bore of the gear and then reboring it?

Anyway, I finished removing the gear box on the right end of the table and the hand wheel from the left end. I then removed both table gibs. The table then slid off easily.
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Might be simpler to bore the gear oversize, and install a press fit bushing. Looks like a brazing repair was made on the housing, which might account for the damage to the shaft and gear. Mike
 
May be easier to build up the shaft and fill in the woodruff key slot and re-machine. Be a cleaner method to use. Still have to re-bore the gear slightly to get a true running bore in it. Then remachine the shaft for a snug fit to the freshly bored gear. Once that's done, start working on fitting the woodruff key.

Why do people think grease is a better lubricant? Yuck!! What a nasty mess!!!

Get all of that cleaned up, need to plumb the mill with a Bijur lubrication system, put an end to all of that grease!

Ken
 
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Yes, the grease globs vary from looking like it was pumped in yesterday, to being almost petrified. And most of it is infused with the ubiquitous brass swarf that seems to have permeated every crevice on this machine. I'll look into the Bijur systems. Do you have any suggested suppliers?

I do have a question regarding building up the shaft. Since it is steel, would it be better to weld it (MIG) or braze it?

Thanks!
 
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