Info on Sheldon Vernon horizontal mills

You could convert that motor to run on single phase power but you would have to add a large and expensive capacitor- probably not an attractive option
The original generators at Niagara falls were 2 phase, parts of Pennsylvania and Connecticut still have it
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Yep, I’m pretty excited about this one. Here’s another pic of the upper section sitting on the trailer.
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The vise looks like it was used for some special purpose setup – it has some spring pins and a screw set into one of the jaw plates. In the pic it looks rusty, but in person it appears to be dried oil/grease. Still have to clear away the junk, but it appears to move OK. I only have one other small vise of this style, for a small drill press, so it sure beats nothing.
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Right now I don’t even know what arbor diameter it is. The nut on the end of the arbor is jammed on tight, so I’m just going to soak it a while. I don’t have any spare spacers, so I’ll be looking for those. It definitely needs a new drawbar, as this one is the ultra-custom all thread version. No harm smacking that thing with a hammer (nice and soft). I did buy one collet off e-bay (3/4 ID,B&S#11 I believe), so maybe I can get a small drill chuck or one of those double taper collet holders with a straight shank, so I can mount some cutters. I have no experience with mill tooling, so any feedback/guidance as to size and brand will be appreciated.
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After my “no-bite” initial offer, I did see some old web postings of these units in the $2K range, but I assumed that was closer to “pristine”, with tooling. If they’re really fetching big coin down in Florida, I may have to get new tires for the trailer. It’s funny how some machines get popular with the home shop crowd. I just assumed these Sheldon’s went on the lower end of the spectrum because it’s a horizontal. I did see pics of a few small Sheldon’s with vertical heads on the overarm. Sweet looking setup for a little machine, but I better give the ATM card a rest.


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TomKro, what size is the collet in your picture?
 
TomKro, what size is the collet in your picture?
Oh boy, this one is going back a ways...

I have to get out to the garage later this afternoon. I believe I was most concerned with the collet that had the nose falling behind the face of the spindle, as I was worried it might get stuck.

The problem with my original test fit, so long ago, was the lack of a proper size bar inside the collet. The pics probably mean nothing without the collet actually gripping the diameter it was built to hold. I only have 4 or 5 collets, so should be easy to re-check.

TomKro
 
TomKro, what size is the collet in your picture?
I had to dig a little, I'm in the process of moving.

My Sheldon uses B&S No. 9 collets. Way back when, I was concerned about a few replacement collets that appeared to sit behind the face of the spindle nose. I was concerned this might add to the possibility of the collets getting stuck.

I rechecked by gripping proper size bar (well, almost - the 3/8 bar was a little shy). Anyway, with almost proper bar size, all the replacement collets sat a little behind the face of the spindle using "medium" tension on the draw bar (small wrench, tight, but not cranked hard).

Checking my one and only Hardinge collet gripping a 3/4 arbor, the collet nose sat proud of the spindle by less than about 3/8 inch, using similar drawbar pressure. That collet was listed as a "9B" and I am not aware of what the B implies.

Here's a couple pics:

Three_Eighths_HHiP_resize22.jpg

Three_Quarter_Hardinge_rsize22.jpg

I hope this answers your question.
Maybe some of the more experienced members can chime in as to proper collet fit and what's considered proper drawbar tension.

TomKro
 
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